Great sequel

Rating: 8/10 (27 September 2015)

It is never an easy task to follow up such a big hit as Shrek was, however Shrek 2 does a truly fantastic job and you would have a strong case to argue that it is even better than the original. Taking everything that was so enjoyable from the first film, it places it in a different situation and adds a new set of interesting characters to interact with. Whereas I felt that the original Shrek film was content with parodying fairy-tales and letting its characters craft the laughs, Shrek 2 ups the adventure and adds all different kinds of jokes in order to making everything seem bigger than before. This method can so easily fail, but I'm very pleased with how well it works here.
This story is nothing new as Shrek and Fiona are summoned to Far Far Away to meet Fiona's parents who are the king and queen, and unsurprisingly Shrek and the king don't get along. Even the beats and events are nothing we haven't seen before, but it does them with such strong wit and style that it breathes new life into these tropes. But it quickly turns out that the Fairy Godmother plans to have her son marry Fiona as was originally foreseen. This is more of the same, but the idea to do it is very inventive. Shrek drinks a potion that turns him and Fiona human, which causes all kinds of issues. That is so creative and also a commendably brave decision in having the main character take on a different look for a lot of the film.
I certainly think the strong characters are what make Shrek 2 so good. Shrek (with Mike Meyers' fun Scottish accent) is still the angry ogre, but his kind heart shines through. Donkey is again the comedic highlight thanks to his naivety and accidental annoyance while Eddie Murphy is simply perfect. Puss in Boots almost steals the film by bringing so much energy and by being a lovable presence. Both villains are a ton of fun. The Fairy Godmother (an excellent Jennifer Saunders) is as charismatic as she is evil and gets a lot of laughs, while Charming is an enjoyably vain and snooty. John Cleese and Julie Andrews are both superb as usual as the king and queen.
As said the comedy is bigger and broader than before, with a great variety of jokes and nearly all of them work. The pop culture references littered throughout, the ironic use of fairy-tale heroines, all the villains hanging out at the 'Poison Apple' Inn and even the hilarious send up of Cops. Very few jokes fell flat and given how many there are that is quite impressive. The supporting fairy-tale characters, including Pinocchio and the Gingerbread Man, also make a welcomed return and provide plenty of laughs once again. The climax is outstanding. With nods to Ghostbusters and Mission: Impossible, it is both really funny and really exciting with some nice little twists thrown in too.
The romance between Shrek and Fiona was another strong point of the film. I genuinely cared about their relationship and wanted to see them happy, while the predicament they are faced with at the end is gripping and it does send out a very good message. The animation is very vibrant and energetic, fitting the fast paced comedy and even allows for some good atmosphere when needed. Even the smaller details such as the backgrounds are very well designed. I enjoyed the use of pop songs and all of the tracks used fitted in perfectly. The use of 'Holding Out for a Hero' in the climax and sung by the Fairy Godmother added even more drive to the scene.
Simply put Shrek 2 is a fantastic sequel. It continues in the same vein as the original and builds on to it as any good follow-up should do. It was smart to use a plot line that was familiar and could be altered just enough to make it feel fresh. The animation and music were uniformly excellent as usual from DreamWorks. Again though I think it's the characters that make the film work so well. The originals are great yet again, whilst all of the new characters fit in effortlessly and offer gravitas as well as comedy. Shrek 2 succeeds just like the original.