"Another Whirlwind Adventure?" Kind Of...

Rating: 7/10 (25 May 2004)

At least one animated film per year is worthy of the highest praise. One of the best cartoons of recent years, one of the very best films of 2001, and one of my favourite movies of the past few decades was the original 'Shrek'. Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney for DreamWorks and we finally got to see what kind of smart & hilarious film he was capable of spearheading in DreamWorks' animation department. A windfall at the box office ensured this sequel, which is a rock-solid movie in its own right. The first time out for the big, green ogre and his chums was definitely better, but 'Shrek 2' is still a happy piece of entertainment.
So now Shrek and Fiona are married, they've returned to their lovely swamp, and Donkey is their own Kato Kaelin. Fiona's parents---the King and Queen of "Far, Far Away", which looks a lot like Beverly Hills---want to meet their ogre-in-law (although they expect Prince Charming). In fact, that jackass Charming himself mucks things up for our heroes, as does a malevolent Fairy Godmother. They both intend to knock Shrek out of the picture and let the Prince weasel into Fiona's heart. The unhappy King even pays Puss In Boots to whack the big guy, which doesn't go quite as planned. Fiona is hurt that her husband and father won't even try to get along. From there, as the ass says, "Shrek and Donkey, off on another whirlwind adventure".
Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), and Cameron Diaz (Fiona) are back. Antonio Banderas (Puss), John Cleese (King), Julie Andrews (Queen), Rupert Everett (Charming), and Jennifer Saunders (Godmother) have joined the cast of computer renderings. That sounds like a dynamite team, and they bounce off each other pretty well. Murphy's act isn't nearly as funny this time and the zing of the original movie just isn't there. Banderas is having a blast parodying his Zorro personality, though and his Puss character is a highlight. 'Shrek 2' does not fall flat on its face. I enjoyed myself and did plenty of chuckling.
Still, it takes a long time for the truly funny stuff to get going. Eventually, Pinocchio, the Gingerbread Man, and some other "fairy tale...things" arrive to help out the good guys. Then the laughs are aplenty. The climax has a lot of stuff to sort out at once, but it's nice to see that no character is forgotten. I don't think you'll be very stunned by the ending, which is not much more than a rehash of the first film. All the same, tykes will enjoy themselves, their parents will too, and quick-eyed viewers will have a great time trying to spot the amazing detail that went into this project. Indeed, the animation is awesome. You should see 'Shrek 2'. I just wish it lived up to its famous name with a bit more daring and originality.