The Oshkosh West Index - Dreamworks proves innovation entirely unnecessary in Shrek 2

Volume 100, Issue 8

Online Features

Dreamworks proves innovation entirely unnecessary in Shrek 2

By Chris Chulski
posted 7:40:49 AM CST, May 28, 2004

Editor's note: We erroneously reported that Shrek 2 was produced by Pixar when it was in fact produced by Dreamworks SKG. We apologize for the error and have corrected the mistake.

Ogres, monstrous princes, and shallow societies highlight the latest film from Dreamworks, Shrek 2. While not as ground-breaking as the original, Shrek 2 delivers more of the same hilarious humor and uses breath-taking visuals to immerse audiences in a fairy-tale universe.

The story focuses around the Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and the crude but lovable ogre Shrek (Mike Myers). After their wedding, the couple goes on a fantastical honeymoon that is straight out of Hansel and Gretel. All is wonderful and beautiful in the magical kingdom of Far, Far Away, until a moment from Meet the Parents disrupts. Fiona’s parents, King (John Cleese) and Queen (Julie Andrews) of Far, Far Away, finally meet the couple, but are outraged that Fiona is married to an ogre.

Along the way they meet up with Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) a feline assassin, and reunite with Donkey (Eddie Murphy). These two hooligans interact with Shrek to produce some truly gut-busting results.

The animation is what sets this movie apart. It has depth, shading, varying tone, and a realistic feel. Characters are vibrant and seem almost human. The development of wire frame models with a computer generated skin cover has also evolved into an excellent tool for movies too elaborate or surreal for conventional, analog methods. Viewers should not label this an animated movie, but rather a movie that is animated.

The voice actors filled their role well enough, but at points the speech falters. Although well synchronized, there were moments when the lips and the words did not match up, but not nearly as bad as watching the dubbed version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This did not lower the experience.

The comparison drawn inevitably between the first and second films shows the flaw in Shrek 2. The humor in Shrek 2 bleeds with forced laughs, more often imitating The Three Stooges for a more humorous skit. The spartan use of cultural allusions leeches the vitality that pervaded the first Shrek. Instead, the nauseating stench of fart jokes and toilet humor prevails against the hopes of the adult viewers.

The collage of fairy tales allows younger viewers to let their imaginations loose. It draws together characters from Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and many other famous tales. The use of characters almost every moviegoer knows gives Shrek 2 universal appeal.

Another reason the movie appeals to all ages is that it works in humor directed toward both young and old. The toddlers may laugh at the fart-powered jacuzzi, but adults watching the movie can laugh at the culture allusions, such as a Cops rip-off dubbed “Knights,” or encountering Farbucks at both sides of a street. Much of the humor is subtle and layered, so that when someone watches Shrek 2 for a second or third time, they will catch jokes they had previously missed.

The rating of PG given by the Motion Picture Association is mainly due to Mike Myers. The crude humor that he writes in Austin Powers oozes its way over to Shrek 2. Although a comic genius, four-year-old children are not suited for the humor of sexual innuendos. Such comments as “better out than in I always say,” seem a contrived way of getting viewers to laugh.

Shrek 2 continues the legacy formed by the first Shrek. Although the contrast is definite, the basic formula that made the first movie a box office smash is still evident. This comedy trancends age and is well worth the journey to the theater.

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