Yawn and Chortle, Chortle and Yawn

Rating: 6/10 (30 May 2004)

Shrek 2 follows the old Joe Bob Briggs maxim of movies sequels: just make the same darn movie again. Yes, all the issues, plot points, and gags of the original Shrek are here--acceptance of people (or, in this case, ogres) even though they're different from you; good-looking people looking down on what they perceive to be ugly; Shrek having to rescue Fiona from a marriage-related event and becoming more "human"; Shrek constantly telling Donkey to to shut up; flatulence jokes; and, of course, Disney bashing (such as easy target these days). This makes for a pretty slow-moving story, at least compared to the original. There are some amusing moments (mostly from Antonio Banderas's Puss-in-Boots), but as a whole, the movie seems a bit tired; your average episode of The Simpsons has more laughs.
Dreamworks Animation has to move beyond Disney-and-fairy-tale bashing. They hit the bullseye so often in the first Shrek, that there's little left to hit (especially now that Disney is getting into the act, too).