intertextual piece of ogre sized fairy tale fun

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2004)

Granted, the CGI in Shrek is different from e.g. Ice Age, Monsters Inc. or Final Fantasy but that doesn't make it bad CGI, it's just different, Ice Age had super cool Water Surfaces, Monsters Inc. had super cool Fur effects and FF had the hair but Shrek has an Ogre and a talking Donkey and that's hard to beat! i.e. effects aren't all in fact in Shrek these are secondary. As the plot thickens - and there's little time wasted before it does - we get entangled in so much cross references to well known fairy tales and popular movies that it's pure fun to watch (even if you don't get all the intertextual references).
The voice acting is simply hilarious and I urge anyone to go see the original version if possible. While localized versions surely have their own style and touch it will not be the same as with Eddie and Mike on the helm. Let's just say voices like these "come in short supply".
If you expect CGI mayhem and a genuine ogre fairy tale you might well be disappointed but if you like a fast paced fun ride through fairy tale land and if you want to know more about the Muffin Man then this is for you and please watch out for unwanted physical contact from she dragons.
Fun for the whole family. 8/10