Do you smell gas?

Rating: Null/10 (21 May 2001)

SHREK is DREK
A bumbling, abomination of gas and low brow hijinks, Dreamworks second CGI comedy seems neither animated or comedy.
Based on a children's book by William Seig, SHREK (Mike Myers) is the ugly ogre who is at odds with the changing world and anachronistic times. Lord Farquaau (John Lithgow) is the short, repugnant ruler vying to be crowned King. Farquaau who¹s been banishing all fairy tale folk out of his realm to make way for his vision - industry (A visual joke at one of Dreamworks animated rivals popular theme parks and merchandising bonanzas, the joke was good for a second until falling as flat as the screen it projected on). Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy round out the top billed cast as the token damsel in distress and talking animal sidekick, a donkey. With some visual reminiscent of the Bros. Hildebrant and Maxfield Parrish, it¹s a shame the contrived humor of the piece owes more to HALF-BAKED then HOMEGROWN.
Murphy continues his patented hammy delivery, carried over from Disney's MULAN, and it works. His donkey had the best lines and always the best delivery. If only it was the donkeys¹ movie to carry and not Mike Myers as an ogre. Myers, a newcomer to animation, carrier over his Fat Bastard brogue as the voice of Shrek. The soft, rich Scottish tones seem as out of place as out of place as anything else.
The film scores itself with a variety of performers from Dreamworks stable of popular recording artists including SMASH MOUTH and the EELS. When Ogre and donkey get into a mock wrestling match with some of Farquaau¹s men and a Joan Jett cover by Half-Cocked plays, I couldn¹t process what I was seeing. The juxtaposition of so many labored, dissimilar devices didn¹t equate good humor or even entertainment. It became an annoying convoluted mess of grade school laughs and poor storytelling.
Only in the brief scenes involving the banished fairy tale creatures did fresh, invigorating humor begin to appear. The three little pigs break dancing, the Gingerbread Man under interrogation, even tired jabs at Pinocchio seemed funnier and worthy a guffaw. The fart, ear wax, booger, ass humor of the ogre/donkey rapport registered a lackluster harumpff. Considering the time and talent spent on the production of these types of films, one would hope the creative process would give way to fresh thinking, new ideas, and most important strong, impressive entertainment. Given the films reliance on flatulence to carry a scene though, it¹s no wonder the film ultimately stinks.