Your Friendly Neighborhood Green Ogre

 SHREK (2001)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Viewed on January 25th, 2002

In ninety minutes, "Shrek" offers more laughs and giddy pleasures than most
movies of late do at that twice that length. It is a wondrous, comical animated
adventure that satirizes fairy tales and wears its heart on its sleeve without
ever winking too far to remind us that it is all a joke.

Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is a giant ogre living in isolation in his own
dwelling - a swamp. He wants nothing to do with anybody and scares as many
people to keep away as he can. But his isolation is disrupted by all creatures
great and small from a nearby kingdom, the kingdom of Lord Farquaad (voiced by
John Lithgow). The creatures are all characters from our favorite fairy tales,
including Pinocchio, the Big, Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, a tomb carrying
Snow White led by the seven dwarves, Tinkerbell and many others. They have been
banished from Farquaad's kingdom yet Shrek does not wish to hang on to any of
them, or provide housing for that matter. Shrek voices his complaints to
Farquaad, accompanied by a talkative donkey named Donkey (voiced by Eddie
Murphy). In response, Farquaad proposes a mission to Shrek: bring his
bride-to-be Princess Fiona back from a dragon's lair and he will allow the
creatures to come back to his kingdom.

After she is thrillingly rescued by Shrek and Donkey from the fire-breathing
dragon, Princess Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) turns out to be quite a charmer
- she is resilient, open-minded, funny and can deliver "Matrix"-like kung-fu
kicks. This woman appeals to Shrek but he would not dare admit it. Donkey knows
there is love in the air and pushes the green ogre to pursue her to his heart's
content. All Shrek can tell Donkey is to shut up.

"Shrek" is an undeniable pleasure from beginning to end. It is chock full of
great lines, numerous references to other movies, and is always exciting and
entertaining. Not a single moment is wasted, and the computer animation is quite
a marvel to witness. Every character seems to occupy a real time and place and
are as realistically conveyed as any animated film I have seen (excepting
"Monsters, Inc."). The movie is so wicked, clever, and imaginative that one may
forget what it really lacks: inspiration. "Shrek" is not so much an original
fairy tale as it is a spin on them - it mocks legends, ogres, and just about
every tale ever told by your parents during bedtime. Although it is cleverly and
wittily told, it does not quite find its own identity. "Shrek" feels like a
hodgepodge of fairy tale cliches, sometimes poking fun at them but mostly
placing credence on the notion that beauty can be found in any creature,
especially an ogre. Though it delivers its theme with some degree of surprise,
it nonetheless feels too simple-minded for its own good.

But what am I arguing about? "Shrek" is fun for the whole family (though some of
it may be a bit crude and wicked for the tots). And for major laughs, you can't
get better than the cynical Shrek and the comically droll Donkey arguing back
and forth. I was left smiling and in good spirits from the sheer number of
shrewdly written gags and one-liners. In terms of animation and characterization
in this workable genre, "Shrek" is simply real movie magic at work.