Shrek 2 (U)
Posted by Guest Writer on Fri, 02 Jul 2004.
Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, Julie Andrews and Jennifer Saunders
The ogre is back! And it's time to meet the in-laws! Newlyweds Shrek and Fiona are summoned to Far, Far Away, the home of Fiona's parents.Accompanied by the ever-faithful Donkey, they travel miles and miles to reach the fairytale equivalent of Hollywood, amidst the likes of Versarchery and Abercrombie and Witch and the homes of Cinderella and Rapunzel. The plot focuses mainly on whether Shrek and Fiona are truly in love and whether they can withstand the onslaught of the evil Fairy Godmother who is intent on breaking up the marriage and setting Fiona up with her son, Prince Charming.
As with the last film, no motion picture is safe from the endless spoofs ranging through Lord of the Rings, Spiderman and Ghostbusters to name a few. Yet again, Shrek is full of subtle digs aimed at the adults to keep them amused while the toilet humour gags keep the kids entertained.
The writers of Shrek 2 truly had their hands full with introducing a new cast of characters who play various roles in the film. The in laws, the King and Queen of far away (Cleese and Andrews) who, well, let's just say they're a little 'surprised' with their daughter's appearance. Puss in boots (Banderas), a serious contender for Donkey's wisecrack crown, joins up with the duo and proves himself to be an invaluable member of the team. The Fairy Godmother (Saunders) is downright evil, manipulating and blackmailing people as she sees fit, determined that the King of Far, Far Away fulfil his part of a deal made years ago, the specifics of which are never discussed. And last, but by no means least, Prince Charming (Everett), a character who cycles through moods of being evil (in my opinion anyway), *very* arrogant and, well, charming. I don't think that Dreamworks went far enough into Charming's character, so he appears more than a little shallow on screen, unless that was their intention. Despite all this, the story holds and all the characters, both old and new, have an element of believability that stays with the viewer.
An interesting piece of trivia for you; whilst the writers were working on the scripts for Shrek 2, they were toying with the idea of bringing Fiona's parents to the swamp and calling the film 'Fiona'. Would have made an interesting twist...
With Shrek 3 and 4 being works in progress, it looks like the next instalment isn't so far, far away (I'm sorry - I couldn't resist) but can the creators try to veer away from the opportunity to cash in and remain faithful to their original idea? I hope so.