a delight from beginning to end

Rating: Null/10 (2 December 2001)

`Shrek' is the ultimate fractured fairy tale, a film that manages to simultaneously honor and lampoon the conventions of its genre without becoming smug or condescending in the process. For while it is sardonic, `Shrek' is never cynical, so confident and assured are its makers in establishing and maintaining just the right tone for a revisionist exercise such as this one. The film certainly conveys a modern sensibility, yet it is a gentle sort of iconoclasm that allows us to enjoy the more conventional aspects of the story (the happily-ever-after ending, for example) even as we are laughing at the obvious absurdities contained within them.

The revisionism begins with Shrek himself, as unromantic a figure as has ever earned the title of `hero' in a fairy tale adventure. For Shrek is an ogre, plain and simple, an ugly, cranky, decidedly standoffish beast who wants nothing more than to rid his swamp of all the classic fairy tale figures (Pinocchio, the Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, The Three Blind Mice et al), who have been consigned there by the dastardly Lord Farquaad, who is attempting to purge his land of all those bothersome folkloric personalities. To earn the deed to his land and thereby have authority to evict the squatters, Shrek agrees to go in search of the beautiful Princess Fiona, rescue her from her dragon-guarded castle, and bring her back for Lord Farquaad to marry (thereby earning the latter the legitimate title of Prince of the Land). Of course, every valiant hero needs his own wisecracking sidekick to accompany him on his journey and Shrek finds his in Donkey, a companion whose sardonic humor serves as both a thorn in the side and as a source of moral inspiration for the unlikely, often socially backward hero.
It is hard to overestimate the seemingly boundless originality, ingenuity and creativity that have gone into the making of `Shrek.' Here is a film that can truly be enjoyed by viewers of all ages. Children will revel in the glorious animation and the assorted lowbrow comic antics of Shrek, Donkey and even Princess Fiona, while more seasoned adults will delight in the sly in-jokes, bawdy innuendoes and clever anachronisms that pour forth in amazing abundance from the mouths of the characters. There is never a dull moment, since the writers, William Steig and Ted Elliott, and the directors, Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, always seem to have new and clever tricks up their sleeves. Donkey, in particular, is the most amusing and endearing sidekick since the Robin Williams genie in `Aladdin.'

The script pokes marvelous fun not only at the whole fairy tale mentality, but also at the romanticized conventions of medieval life. There are jousting knights, damsels in distress and an Inquisition-like rounding up of all those caught demonstrating any proclivity for the supernatural and the magical. So much seems to be happening throughout the course of the film that a second viewing is surely in order, just so one can catch all those delicious details that might have slipped by on the first go-round. (The gingerbread man interrogation scene is particularly hilarious).
Despite its tone of sardonic playfulness, `Shrek' is, happily, not afraid to indulge in a bit of heartwarming sentimentality at times. The romantic feelings that develop between the Princess and the Ogre are genuine and heartfelt, made palatable by all the flippancy going on around them. In fact, Princess Fiona is very much a modern heroine, shrewd, matter-of-fact and able to roughhouse with the best of the boys this strange land has to offer.
Special note must be made of the superb voice work, which is largely responsible for bringing these extraordinarily well-delineated animated characters to life on the screen. Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), John Lithgow (Lord Farquaad) and, especially, the brilliant Eddie Murphy (Donkey) all turn in bell ringer performances.
In every area of the filmmaking process, `Shrek' excels like no general audience film since `Toy Story 2.' Like that earlier work, `Shrek' provides audiences of all ages and all types with the joy that comes from seeing a superb idea superbly executed. `Shrek' is an intelligent, witty and imaginative family film. Be sure to catch it. Films like this don't come along very often.