Shrek

9 OUT OF 10!!!! We went to catch the matinee preview of "Shrek". We were still giggling by the time we got home afterwards. Two hours later, we dragged a friend out and went back for the evening show. Some of the shock value was lost, but we caught a few of the background sight gags we missed the first time, and anticipation of some of the other scenes had us in tears before they even happened. Interesting to see the different audience reactions of different age groups, too. This is a *very* funny movie, but it should be noted that most of the kiddy humour is on the burp/fart and yucky dining habits level - Shrek is rather closely related to Raymond Briggs' Fungus the Bogeyman without the orange mohawk. The dialogue and main action quips are mainly aimed at adults and sophisticated kids. One little voice in the afternoon audience piping up "WHAT's he compensating for?" cracked me up...

Be warned that this movie is a non-stop send-up of all things Disney. If predictability and saccharine is your cup of tea, you may not like it. On the other hand, if you are cynical about theme parks and like the idea of fairytale classics getting the Monty Python treatment, you'll love it. Every time a scene looks familiar, it means it is about to go pear-shaped. And it's not just old classics that get the treatment. I spotted (mis)quotes from films that are just being released, both Disney and non-Disney. You name it, it gets an affectionate pie in the face at some point in "Shrek".

As a fairytale, however offbeat, "Shrek" is tighter plotted and better characterised than most Hollywood dross.The parodic twists, a love story subplot that owes more to Shakespeare's comedies than fairytale formula, and the "ugly is the new beautiful" Message more than make up for the derivativeness due to extensive quotation.

As for the acting, confinement to voice-overs keeps the egos of Myers and Murphy in check, and they do a fantastic job as the big fat green smelly recluse and the obnoxiously manic donkey respectively. Diaz is great as a feisty princess who reminds me of Lloyd Alexander's Eilonwy crossed with Lara Croft. Lithgow's Farquaad is a wonderful Bad Guy, modelled on Olivier's Richard III apart from his Little Problem being different. And the Fairytale Creatures...excellent, all of them. The graphics, of course, are state of the art for at least another 2 weeks. We're talking freckles, skin pores and stubble, pupil dilation, and amazing light-and-shade. They had to tone down the realism of the humanoids to stop them looking creepily android-like.

Highly recommended, except for overly precious schmalz addicts.

Shrek is one hell of an animated ride, and right when you're certain you know where to expect the next gag it one ups you. If you need a reason to see Shrek, here is that reason: imagine Eddie Murphy as an annoying not to mention obnoxious talking donkey. Yeah. Eddie Murphy gives Robin Williams a serious run for his money in terms of greatest animated side kick. From there we get Mike Myers voicing a big green ogre, who plays off Eddie Murphy with perfect comedic timing like the two were meant to do this film together.

Shrek is merciless in its humor. Targeting everything from fairy tales to Disney films to narrative clichés to bad puns, sliding in its own commentary, all the while giving the typical fantasy story a few modern twists and turns to deliver a strangely original unoriginal story with original unoriginal characters . . . that doesn't make sense, but Shrek does, does it well, and doesn't care. And you never know where this humor is going to come from, either – either visual gag, musical nod, or spoken dialogue. All three provide their share of narrative and commentary to the concepts in Shrek.

I think the beauty of Shrek is it's taken the typical fairy tale (which all of us have heard), and it answers the silly 'what if . . .' and 'why don't they ever . . .' questions we tend to ask. But that's not the core of the story - the core of this story is the friendship between Shrek and Donkey, which works in a funny goofball, but touching and unique way. If the audience can buy into Shrek and Donkey's relationship to one another, then they can believe entire film (which more or less focuses on the adventure the two share together). True, Shrek has a love theme . . . but it's Donkey and Shrek who sustain the film through most of the picture.

As for Cameran Diaz and John Lithgow, while not on screen as much as our two heroes, still play an important role. I wouldn't want to downplay Lithgow and Diaz who do bring their respective characters to life, but Shrek is a tale about an enduring friendship with a romance story on the side.

The Simpsons has been one of my favorite TV shows, and for the same reason that I like the Simpsons is what makes Shrek so good. The Simpsons takes the children-only medium of cartoons and makes an adult show out of it, with jokes in it that only adults will find amusing, some for adult eyes' only. Shrek is animation, a beautiful computer animation that looks realistic and bold, has enough kiddy humor in it to make the kids like it, but has even more jokes that adults will love. It's the cross between childhood innocence and adult knowledge that brings Shrek so many laughs. Mike Myers supplies the voice of Shrek, an ogre who enjoys living by himself in his swamp on the outskirt of Duloc, a near-perfect kingdom ran by the insecure Lord Farquaad, voice with wonderful swarmy-ness by John Lithgow. When Farquaad begins to deposit all of the mythical creatures that populate his kingdom into Shrek's swamp, Shrek demands to see the king, and only the smart-ass Donkey knows the way. Donkey is a sassy talking, well, donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy and is the Lou Costello to Shrek's Bud Abbot--to say Shrek is the straight man in this odd couple is an understatement. After meeting the king, Shrek and Donkey then have a quest of finding Fraquaad Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), an imprisoned lady guarded by a dragon. I personally would have gone with Snow White, but to each their own. What also sets Shrek apart from other animated movies is the music, mostly rock music, mostly from Smashmouth. I do not think a Disney picture would have made the same selections. It gives it a different feel from the usual animated fare, Shrek for sure has it's own identity. Getting back to the animation, the computer generated scenery and characters are great to look at, very lifelike, even the human beings. Pixar, who has made films such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo, has made it clear that human beings are the most difficult objects to animate on computers, but I think DreamWorks got it right in Shrek--there is nothing there that makes me say "that does not look right." There are great in-jokes about the world of childhood stories, while sprinkling in some very adult humor. The best sight gags for me revolve around Farquaad interrogating a gingerbread man and threatening a magic mirror. Shrek will entertain and amuse the young and old alike.

Shrek is a movie like no other. It stands alone in its appeal to people of all ages and in its presentation of comedy, romance, and creative story line. Shrek is a delightful comedy about a crude ogre, an energetic princess, a witty donkey and an uptight ruler. The movie has a brilliant story line, following the path of an initially moody ogre as he discovers friendship and love all in the face of hysterical comedy. The story line is layered for different levels of understanding; it is an enjoyable film for people of all ages. One clever tool Shrek uses to humor the audience is its spoof on other fairy tales. In one scene, Princess Fiona's singing causes a bluebird to explode. And in another scene, the Magic Mirror's description of Snow White is "She may live with seven men, but don't be fooled, she's not easy." While these subtle comedic lines amuse adults, it is the simple humor, such as the movie opening with the ogre sitting in a swamp "farting," that amuses children. The amazing cast of Shrek, including Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers does a great job of living up to their comedic expectations. Shrek has something for everyone; it is a great animated tale that is wonderful for adults and children alike.

This movie really confronts the problems with society, such as the opioid crisis, domestic abuse, and donkey mistreatment head-on. It was a great way to talk about these issues with my teenage son.