Not funny and not worth the time.

Rating: 1/10 (25 April 2001)

While Shrek presents us with a star-studded cast of comedic actors, such as Mike Myers and Eddy Murphy, the movie completely fails to be funny. Most viewers will probably eat this movie up and praise it, but most viewers aren't seeking films that require thought. To the general public, the movie will be great, but to frequent movie patrons who expect more than the usual mindless junk, the film is the same old boring material.
The film could have been an interesting satire. It starts out with Lord Farquaad, played by John Lithgow, banishing all fairy-tale creatures to the swamp, and introduces characters from such stories as The Three Little Pigs, and Snow White. However, the plot turns into the same old, cliché fairy-tale it could have mocked. Shrek must save the Princess from the dragon and stop the evil, power-hungry antagonist and blah blah blah. Shrek even delivers the most overused line of all: "It's quiet. Too quiet." As if the audience couldn't see that one coming!
The worst part of all is that, in this highly anticipated comedy, nothing is funny. Eddy Murphy's endless dialog presents bad joke after bad joke. After getting covered in Tinkerbell's dust, Eddy says, "You've seen a housefly! You've seen a Superfly! But have you ever seen a donkey fly?!?" While most laughed in the aisles, I yawned and checked my watch. With an hour and a half to go, I knew I was in for a long, painful ride.