A Good Movie that Appeals to Many

Rating: 10/10 (7 December 2004)

With a budget fifteen million dollars greater than that of the original, Shrek 2 needed to appeal to a large and diverse number of people to maximize viewer numbers. The better visual effects are appealing to all audiences but probably moreso to the younger ones.
Movie references are littered through the movie to give movie fan a reason to like Shrek 2. Many movie fans enjoy picking out movie references. When a movie fan picks up on a reference, he or she usually likes to show off to others, and in the process of showing off he inadvertently advertises the movie even further.
The theme or message of the movie is similar to the original. It is about imperfection, about not fitting with in the ideal image. Psychologists understand that what is common to many people is the desire to fit in and not be rejected. This applies not only to minorities but also to fat people, skinny people, ugly people, women trying to make it in the labor market, and many more groups. A vast proportion of the population has some form of characteristic that society deems a defect. Shrek 2 attempts to exploit the vastness of this psychological phenomenon by structuring its plot based on the steps that people typically take to gain acceptance among the dominant culture. Shrek the ogre feels embarrassed when he meets with the in-laws, so he tries to change himself. While conformity has its rewards, those who conform generally do not enjoy it. One typically exerts much effort to fully conform to an ideal image and to maintain it. The movie exploits the people's desires to throw away the shackles of conformity.
A few picky reviewers mention that the plot is too "convoluted." This may be a valid criticism as a complex plot is certainly not going to be appealing. My opinion is that unless you are extremely intent on picking up flaws in the movie you probably won't notice this.
The sequel grossed much more than the original (from memory it earned almost double as much). This may be due to the awareness created by the original Shrek. The sequel appealed to a variety of different people and to a variety of emotions. The movie did very well outside of the US as it did in the US, showing that the themes were universal rather than restricted to one location.