Shrek 2

One of the greatest treasures humanity has come across. Breathtaking imagery, intelligent dialogue and well-thought-out characters. A tale of bravery, betrayal, murder and redemption. Shrek as a character is directly influenced by Jesus Christ. He is willing to take all the weight on his shoulders to make save the world from trouble. Shrek 2 is a great movie for family and drinking buddies alike. The "Pixels" of my generation. Shrek 2 is a gift sent by god to reward us for keeping faith. Checkmate, Atheists.

I know what you're expecting me to say. "If you liked Shrek ..." And it's so true. Fans of the first will be ga-ga over the second. The gang at Dreamworks was smart enough not to monkey around with a winning formula, so you have all the wit and charm of Shrek (Mike Myers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and all the fantastic fairy-tale creatures.

At the beginning of 2, Shrek and Fiona have been invited by Fiona's parents (John Cleese and Julie Andrews) to the family castle. Imagine their surprise when the honeymooning ogres show up! Seems the king and queen haven't heard that a) Fiona's an ogre and b) that her husband is one, too. Naturally, this doesn't sit particularly well with the king, and soon he's hired a hit man - Puss in Boots, no less, voiced by Antonio Banderas - to bump off his new son in law. Meanwhile, a Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) offers help to Fiona. And quickly, the main question of the film - conveniently, it was the main question of the first film - is whether love conquers all. Oh, perhaps it's a bit more complex than that - perhaps it's whether Fiona would love Shrek, no matter what he looked like. Come to think of it, that was the theme of the first one as well.

Shrek and Fiona journey to the land of Far, Far Away, where the stuffy king and the queen mum live. Far, Far Away is a clear knockoff of Hollywood itself (complete with the sign on the mountain), and the journey includes a pass through what looks like Beverly Hills. The attention to detail is marvelous, as always.

As with 1, 2 drops all sorts of Disney references, most resulting in full-out belly laughter. I was in stitches, although perhaps - just perhaps - some of the humor will zoom over your tiny tot's tiny head.

Shrek 2 is a beautifully done movie, perhaps even more entertaining than the original. Sure, at the end you know your emotions have been manipulated somewhat, but in the end you really don't care. Outstanding voice performances, flawless animation, and a crisp, moderately adult (but not mature, definitely not mature) script reign supreme.

The first time I watched this movie was in my living room with my husband, daughter, and mom. We all laughed so hard we had to watch it again to see what we missed (which turned out to be a lot!). Antonio as Puss was genius! As was Jennifer Saunders as the fairy godmother. Kudos to the casting director. Once again Eddie Murphy as the annoying and talkative donkey was perfect and even much more lovable. And Mike Myers as Shrek, what can I say? A perfect grumpy ogre. Cameron Diaz once again lets her personality shine through even in animation. Oh, and Rupert! With that voice being the narcissistic Prince Charming. I could go on and on about the characters in this movie but instead I implore you to watch it for yourself. I loved this movie as did my entire family. The jokes in this movie were absolutely delicious! For those naysayers who hated this movie, I say go buy a sense of humor!

In many ways, Shrek 2 is to fairy tales, what Kill Bill:Vol.2 is to the Kung Fu genre. Although these are very different movies, both spoof all previous movies of their type and are loaded with insider allusions (just look at the length of the IMDb trivia sections for each!). Both use latest technology to create a hyper-real quality which goes beyond their forerunners to create a feel that the viewer is seeing something that has not been seen before. But each also stays true to their genres' formula conventions of character and plot that, though seemingly worn out, we still love. As a result these movies are satisfying, meeting some deep rooted needs but in novel and refreshing ways.

2004 may signal a trend in this kind of treatment of well treaded genres, with Westerns and Film Noir as two other potential future candidates.

After Shrek (Mike Myers) marries Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in the first movie. Donkey (Eddie Murphy) has been watching the hovel while they're on their honeymoon. Then they get a summons from Fiona's parents (Julie Andrews, John Cleese) in Far, Far Away. The trio goes to Fiona's home to find an uneasy acceptance of what has happened. Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) returns after not finding Fiona in the tower. He and his mother Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) try to split Shrek away from Fiona. They threaten the King who in turn hires Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) to kill Shrek.

There are some great additions to the cast of characters in the Shrek world. The main trio's chemistry is maintained while Puss form a new trio with Shrek and Donkey. It is just as good as the first one. It takes the situation and spins it into a family drama. The main idea of acceptance is expanded as the parents try to accept the Ogre into the family. It's a perfectly fitting sequel after the happily ever after.