Fantastic

Rating: 7/10 (7 November 2004)

Shrek 2 is simply one of the best comedies of the year. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz are fantastic once again in the roles of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona. The writing is superlative and witty and the film itself is absolutely hilarious. It all begins when Shrek and Fiona are summoned to the magical kingdom of Far Far Away by Fiona's parents, who are appropriately titled the King and the Queen. It is apparent from the start of the film that Shrek and the King don't like each other and that no one seems to care about Fiona's feelings. There is also the appearance of a Fairy Godmother, who would seem to care about Shrek and Fiona but really doesn't. It turns out that she is the Fairy Godmother from Hell and she wants her son, Prince Charming, to marry Fiona instead of Shrek. That way, she can obtain more power for herself. As a result, the King and the Fairy Godmother hire an assassin called Puss in Boots to kill Shrek. The assassination attempt is perhaps one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a long time. Antonio Banderas is absolutely wonderful as Puss and should garner the same type of praise that Ellen Degeneres got for Finding Nemo. The story plays out with some other clever and totally funny sequences, including the appearance of a giant ginger-bread man named Mongo, and ends up with the King accepting Shrek and everything turning out to be happily ever after. The film is filled with great performances from John Cleese as the King, Julie Andrews as the Queen and Rupert Everett as Prince Charming. Shrek 2 is not as original as the first Shrek, but it comes pretty damn close.
Lenny's Grade: A