Good film but not as great as the first!

Rating: 7/10 (22 May 2004)

The cast of Shrek returns for another adventure. Shrek (Mike Myers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Donkey (Eddie Murphy) reprise their roles and are joined by Antonio Banderas, John Cleese and Julie Andrews. Shrek and Fiona are invited by her parents to a ball to celebrate their marriage. But to her parent's surprise their daughter is a still an Ogre and has even married one!
It is always a challenge for filmmakers to come up with a sequel that at the very least comes close to it's predecessor. So many great films have come up with substandard follow-ups which in a way has tainted it's great reputation. Well it looks like you need not add the name of Shrek to that rather dubious list.
I thought the animators of Dreamworks did a great job once again in terms of coming up with a quality animation picture. The visuals were so good that sometimes you actually forget that you are watching an animated film. The very colourful visuals and stunning detail makes you appreciate the painstaking work of the animators over the many months.
I thought the story was much better and deeper than the first movie. The story more complex than the first. You are able to see more of the personality of the main character his strengths, and his insecurities.
I think because of the relatively intricate story line that it contributed to the movies being less funny. The few funny scenes were mostly made by Donkey and Prince Charming. Shrek I felt was a lot more serious in this film and his occasional wisecracks didn't do it for me. Also some greats cameos by Larry King as the Ugly Stepsister and Joan Rivers. Don't get me wrong this is still a funny movie but it pales to the original.

Great film not as good at first but a good film nonetheless. Well I heard that they are already working on Shrek 3 and I'm looking forward to it already.