What the...?

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2003)

I thought the whole point of the movie, that is to turn Disney Fantasy archetypes and cinematic myths upside down with bad taste written all over it (on purpose!), was pretty clear to anyone. I thought the moral aspects were obvious either. I was wrong!... incredible.
From the comments I've read around here, many people simply didn't get it. It's quite amazing, as I don't think the movie is ambiguous in any way. Weak plot? Bad taste? Sure, guys, it's the point! Can't you simply forget about your beloved archetypes, your hunger for "beautiful" stories, and look at the film for what it is, with fresh eyes? Gee, there's even a intelligent moral point for children, i.e. heroes aren't necessarily beautiful or rich! If Fiona stays an ogre at the end, it's to demonstrate this! The filmmakers want us to love Fiona for what she is, not what she looks like, unlike the Disney productions, in which heroines don't have any choice, they HAVE to be gorgeous (even when pretending the contrary, as in "Mulan").
I never thought I'd have to explain this, it's so obvious. To my sense, people who only see bad taste and bad plot in Shreck have identity problems. They've been bread on Disney's productions and cinematic archetypes and myths, they consider these things as sacred, as a part of themselves, they take it personally, as if Shreck made fun of THEM (which is, to a certain extent, true..). Some may even be jealous of Fiona because they've been told since their childhood that heroines MUST be beautiful, so why on earth is Fiona a heroin though I'm not? Don't take it personally, it's the PROCESS that Shreck makes fun of, not you guys and gals.
One could describe, in a way, Shreck as being an UNfairy tale... and that's the good thing about it. In its insanity, Shreck is among the most sane movies I've seen so far.
Shreck is a parody of all modern cinematic myths, encapsulated in a pseudo-fairy tale as a mere pretext. Shreck is a movie-referential and self-referential clever story about the way people look at movies and the way they warship and praise cinematic myths, and that's the fun of it. The way people react to Shreck is quite interesting. It makes the movie even more meaningful, though I doubt the filmmakers were ever aware of that.
Now I'm not saying Shreck is a fine piece of art, and I can understand some critics I've read about the "cool" aspects of the movie. But I personally think that Shreck IS a good movie, and the interesting story it tells is not in the plot itself, it's in the WAY this "weak" plot is told... Thumbs up to the crew.
Well I know that for many of you all this was already obvious.
Substance 7/10
Technical aspects 8/10
Artistic aspects 6/10
Entertainment 9/10
Overall 7.5/10