My Movie Review on Shrek 2 · 4:44pm Nov 26th, 2019
Ahoy, my good lads and lasses.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
And today, following my previous film review, I'm going to give you all my 10th "Thanksgiving Treat" by reviewing "Shrek 2".
Here's the summary of it:
After Shrek and Fiona arrive home from their honeymoon, they receive an invitation from Fiona's parents, King Harold and Queen Lillian, to come visit them at the kingdom of Far Far Away so that they may be given their blessing.
When they arrive to meet Fiona's parents, though, the king and queen are shocked to find that their daughter is an ogre and that her husband isn't whom they expected. A similar sentiment is shared with Fairy Godmother, who made a deal with Fiona's parents that their daughter's curse would be broken if she married Godmother's son, Prince Charming.
Amidst all of this, Shrek becomes conflicted on if he really is Fiona's one true love.
Accompanied by Donkey, and a new friend named Puss in Boots, Shrek goes on a quest to see if he can change himself for the better.
Will Shrek find what he's looking for? Or will it all be for nothing?
Before I fully get into what I think of this movie, I'd like to be upfront about something:
I didn't think this movie was as good as the first film. It was mainly because I felt that Eddie Murphy and Conrad Vernon weren't putting enough energy into the characters of Donkey and the Gingerbread Man like they did in the first film, and because it was hard to really take the character of Prince Charming seriously.
Nevertheless, I thought that this film was a fun installment of the franchise.
The voice acting, casting, characters, and character development were as excellent as ever. Heck, even though I did feel a little critical with how Murphy and Vernon's performances sounded, their comedic-chops were still as funny as before.
The new characters, I'd like to say, were excellent additions to the franchise. Their vocal performers had likewise fit their parts like a glove, especially that of John Cleese as King Harold, Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots, and Jennifer Saunders as Fairy Godmother.
The direction by Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon, and Kelly Asbury, and the screenplay by Adamson, Joe Stillman, David N. Weiss, and J. David Stem, were great too.
Even though the film may not have carried the same kind of spark that made its predecessor so special, it does have its own sense of fun and intrigue that makes everything worthwhile.
There was lots of great emotion and heart, which particularly came from the portrayal of true love. The humor and wit that the film contained was also quite sharp and well-done. Great enough to earn some laughs even.
The kingdom of Far Far Away was another excellent addition to the Shrek franchise. It was a great way to expand the world of the series, and its parodying of Los Angeles, California was humorously amusing.
When it comes to the animation, the film was great in that regard too. Dreamworks was not only able to continue the storybook appeal and essence that made the first film so unique and accomplished, but...they were able to kick things up a notch. The visual look was able to excel and be even more appealing than before, and that's something I'm proud to give Dreamworks a thumbs up for.
The music that was created by returning composer Harry-Gregson Williams was quite a nice touch to the film as well. And I'm not gonna lie, the film's versions of "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Livin' la Vida Loca" were extremely fun, and Saunders, Murphy, and Banderas showcased excellent singing chops.
In conclusion, "Shrek 2" certainly won't compare to the excellence of the first film, but it's still an entertaining installment of the franchise.
So, I rate "Shrek 2" 4½ out of 5 stars.
SHRÖK
Why Shrek 2 is a Perfect Sequel
For me Shrek 2 was better than the sequel.
5160699
What sequel? Or which one for that matter?
5160700
Sorry I meant to say the first film instead of "sequel" in that sentence.
5160705
It’s alright.
Thanks for the clarification.
5160709
No problem!
5160695
5160699
It’s okay if you guys think the film’s better than the first. I respect your opinions.
As I said in my review, I love it too. I just don’t think it’s as good as the first film, which is why I rated it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
Fair points, thouggh, I believe we WEREN'T meant to take Charming seriously. He's basically an entitled brat with some basic swordplay skills, his main weapons are his, well, charm, and good looks