Great. Just great!

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2004)

I can't wait for my grandkids to see this funny, witty film. The message is clear: be who you are because who you are is beautiful. We have the old shrek crew reunited and add the talents of John Cleese, Julie Andrews, Rupert Everett and Jennifer Saunders. Tony Banderas brings in some extra comedy relief and the Poos in boots, a hired hit-cat, brought in to do in our hero. The action is lively, the exchanges snappy, the dialogue is humorous and Eddie Murphy doesn't lose control, for a change. The landscape is filled with visual and thematic puns, the CGIs are seamless and the story works. This is a very different film than the original, much less "down and dirty," albeit they do have lots of fart and body function jokes, but the film has a maturity in tackling issues like sacrificing for someone you love, accepting who we are, and refusing to be beaten down by prejudice.
My wife and I enjoyed it thoroughly and we're sure we'll be seeing it again with the grandkids. In fact, we're looking forward to it.