The references and some good performances keep it funny but the plot leaves a bit to be desired

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2004)

After their fairytale romance, Fiona decides that it is time to return home (to Far, Far Away) to get Shrek to meet her parents. Despite him thinking it is just one big bad idea, Shrek agrees but is proved right when the sight of two ogres is greeted with fear and dislike by the people and the Royals. Thigs get more complicated when the Fairy Godmother gets involved to help push Shrek out and get her son, Prince Charming, into Fiona's heart with the help of the King and some magic. Will true love out?
Within seconds of this film starting it was apparent that the film would continue the mould of the first by being full of cultural references and in-jokes  indeed the title sequence contains some none-too-subtle attacks of Disney! However what was less sure was how the story would hold up when compared to the clever fairytale from the first. Sadly the story is the film's main weakness as it is just not as well written as it could have been  it still works well enough to support the film but too often it feels too busy and forced  it is still a love story with an emotionally warm ending but the plot is overly complicated and, dare I say it  convoluted. Like I said, it still worked well enough but too often a few moments pass without a laugh or reference and the plot is exposed as the deadweight that it threatened to be. It still manages to have heart and laughs but it shows the importance of good writing. I'm not sure if they can correct this flaw for parts 3 and 4 (supposedly already green-lit) but they gotta work out something with a better structure.
Reference fans will love it of course and there are so many! Let me see: Little Mermaid, Mission Impossible, Spiderman, Zorro, Hawaii Five-O, Spinal Tap, Fabulous Baker Boys, Indiana Jones, Alien, Garfield, Cabaret, Flashdance, From Here to Eternity, Lord of the Rings, ET, Ghostbusters, Blazing Saddles, Wizard of Oz, Rawhide, Annie, Beauty & The Beast, Snow White  and those are just off the top of my head! Many of these are funny, some of them are just amusing but none of them fall flat. My only complaint about the many references is that quantity is not the same as quality and, in a way, some of them are too obvious and just not as clever as one would have wanted.
The cast is yet another reason that the film works. Myers delivers a sturdy role  but he must be straining at the bit for more humour and improvisation. Diaz is again a bit flat for my money and she shows her limitations in bits that require more heart. Murphy is great in a role that has given him his best material for years  maybe it is his supporting function but he is free and fun and one of the main attractions. Banderas is great fun  his character is great and he has great lines all the way through. Cleese is OK but has little to work with  but not compared to Andrews, who simply is wasted. Saunders is so-so but could have been better; not all her fault though as her character is part of the plot problems. Everett doesn't match his Beckham-esque character but he is still good. The original fairytale characters are all funny but some 'local' talent would have been better kept with the US voices in place.
Overall this is an enjoyable film but the plot is not as good as the original film. The weaknesses in narrative are partly covered by the increase in references but not all of them are as funny as they really should be. Still a very enjoyable film for kids and adults but they really need to put in more work on the plot rather than the 'knowing jokes' if they want to stop Shrek 3 becoming a series slide.