I Liked This Better Than Shrek One (So Sue Me!)

Rating: 8/10 (17 December 2006)

Shrek and Fiona travel to meet Fiona's parents, who are less than thrilled that Fiona has married an ogre (though they seem to ignore the fact she has turned into one). The King devises a plan with the Fairy Godmother to get Fiona to leave Shrek for Prince Charming (which seems brilliant if we ignore all the laws about marriage, possibly inapplicable in the fairy world). Shrek won't sit back and let Charming steal his bride, though. Heck no.
I liked this movie better than the first one. It was another great combination of humor, adventure and romance. I found the humor much funnier and more consistent this time, really pandering to the adults. The catnip joke and the subtle use of the word "pussy" (related to Puss in Boots) are noteworthy. The movie was fast-paced and ended so fast, it could have been much longer, whereas the first film needed more time for character development.
My favorite aspect was that Eddie Murphy's character wasn't played up as much, meaning less abrasive shouting in this film. No offense to Murphy, but he is annoying and I really didn't need him in the movie at all. Giving him the back seat he had this time was an improvement. If only "Shrek 3" had him removed.
I watched this with a 5-year old child, who loved Puss in Boots. Personally, I love the Gingerbread Man the best. And I think this movie has that going for it: almost everyone should be able to find a character that stands out for them. Besides the child, I watched the movie with three other adults who all loved the movie.
I also enjoyed the Shrek = black man element. Much of this was like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and that's always an important message (that racism is stupid). Has this been overdone? Yes. But this is an animated sequel, cut them some slack. Compared to the sequels Disney pumps out (like "Little Mermaid 2") this was like the movie of the year.
The American Idol scene ruined the movie for me, but I was able to block it out for the most part and hopefully will some day forget it entirely. Ignoring that, this movie is a charmer and very spectacular. See this, even if you have no kids.