Review

Review Date: 23-May-04
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Just OK

Shrek 2 (2004)

Like the original "Shrek," "Shrek 2" opens with once upon a time, proceeds to the beat of pop songs, and closes on happily ever after --- but, alas, that's where the similarity ends. While the first film was a snarky but kindhearted foray into the world of children's fairy tales, its sequel takes place in a much darker place, sort of a Harry-Potter-(heavy-on-the-Snape) universe that belongs more to adults than children and highlights modern themes more than traditional ones. The humor persists, but it has more edge; the tenderness remains, but it's watered down; and the characters return, but not exactly as you remember them. For people such as I who became greatly attached to the story of Shrek in its kinder, gentler phase, "Shrek 2" comes as a bit of an unwelcome jolt.

To the credit of the filmmakers, "Shrek 2" is not a throwaway sequel slapped together just to steal money from moviegoers hoping to relive a good time. It features a fair number of laugh-out-loud visual and verbal jokes, and brings back stars Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy as Shrek and Donkey, the world's most wonderful ogre and his amusingly garrulous friend. (Cameron Diaz reprises her role as Princess Fiona as well.) Also, the animation is drop-dead gorgeous --- if you must see it, don't wait for the DVD --- revealing advances in computer technology just over the past three years, particularly in the many renderings of lifelike humans (or at least human-looking folk).

But the prevalence of humanoids is also the movie's major problem (in addition to an awkward start and a couple of undeveloped storylines). The script devotes too little time to Shrek and Donkey to make way for new characters who are sneaky, selfish, and downright unpleasant, which gives the film a mean-spirited tone overall. These characters include Fiona's father (John Cleese), the king of a Hollywood-like land who hires the assassin Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to kill Shrek, and the mercenary Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), who manipulates the king in the hopes of pairing Fiona with her shallow son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). The humans in the first "Shrek" (if you exclude Fiona) were used sparingly and mostly for sly comic effect, but here they call the shots, learn the lessons, and monopolize the running time, so that the old, beloved characters appear almost peripheral (and at times almost unrecognizable). This disparity is emphasized when fantasy creatures from the first film make an appearance that feels strained and out of place. By that point, the new, bitter flavor of the Shrek saga has become so strong that not even pastry --- and a whole lot of it --- can sweeten the taste.

Like Puss in Boots (who is getting more press than he deserves), I had to fight back a tear at the end, but it was a quickie, Kodak-Moment tug and not the heartfelt "Awwww" that I associate with Shrek. Perhaps I would have enjoyed "Shrek 2" more if the original had never existed. But as it is, I can only say that while I admire the sequel's artistry, it makes me miss the green ogre as I first knew and loved him.

Copyright © 2004 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.