A Film I expected to hate, but is one of the best films ever!

Rating: 10/10 (28 November 2002)

This is one of the best films, ever!
Ya gotta understand, with all the media-marketing hype and the terms "family oriented" and "Kids Film" I grew to dislike this film, without seeing it. That was until I saw it all the way through for the first time on cable tv. Lesson learned: ignore the hype, view for yourself, make up your own mind.
That's when I found out, this is a wonderful film for children, families and adults. Smart, witty and funny, a brilliant re-tread of fairy tales that will live on for a long time, to be included with all those "other" well-known timeless fairy tales.
Shrek the Ogre, as voiced by Mike Myers was wonderful. He had all the elements, kids like. He's gross, he's loud, he's green and ugly. But he also possessed many traits adults liked, he was valiant and he had a heart. Everything a movie hero is made up of!
I'm with everyone here as I cannot stop loving Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy. He should have won an Oscar for this. His vocal comedic stylings with this animation was brilliant, you cannot help but love Donkey.
Princess Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz, was also wonderful and who could forget, Lord Farquaad voiced by the ever talented John Lithgow. I cannot tell you how hard I laughed throughout this film...and I loved the ending...I loved the "twist" of Princes Fiona and how, at least in this telling of the beautiful Princess fairy-tale story, beauty and love is in the eyes of the beholder.
This film is a Dreamworks animation division triumph. Mr. Katzenberg out did himself in producing this one, an excellent choice and project well done. The Animation was superb. For those who don't believe me, take a look at "Donkey" during the film, or Lord Farquaad's hair for example. This type of Computer Animation is so "scary", you just KNOW real actors now have a "shelf life" and in the coming decades, this technology will advance and become a Hollywood norm. Good or bad as this "shelf life" for real actors may be, I am just commenting on what a great accomplishment, great entertainment and I hope as the technology progresses, it is used "with" and not "instead of."
Anyone who hates this film, in my humble view, has a personal problem with it..because as far as an achievement, it is a great one, it is a spectacular film for all audiences -- loaded with adult jokes but in keeping it in line for children, which keeps everyone interested and very much entertained. Bravo!