Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a little look at DreamWorks' SHREK 2.
I enjoyed the first flick. I gut laughed a few times, chuckled a few more... and mostly enjoyed it. The strange thing is, I've not been able to watch it since. I've seen 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, but I haven't watched the whole movie once since I saw it in the theater. I was one of those people who felt it dated itself severely and I found myself rolling my eyes when I'd stumble upon the film on cable.
So it was that I entered the theater to see SHREK 2. The early reviews were very, very positive, so I hoped that the film would be a little more timeless... It's not, really. But for the time it's released it's going to entertain a lot of people. The animation is brilliant (although Dreamworks' Animators can't seem to get the mouth movements right... it bugged me a bit, especially in the first act, that it seemed like none of the characters were saying their lines... it looked like a bad chop-socky dub at times), the characters are undoubtedly the same from the first film and the situation lends itself to comedy.
Having said that, I think the movie is a lot more misses than hits up 'til one crucial moment when a key character is introduced. Before this moment, I'd venture to guess that 75% of the jokes fall flat, the other 25% just made me kind of chuckle. Then, we are introduced to one of the two reasons this film succeeds. Puss-in-Boots (as voiced by Antonio Banderas) steals the show. Hands down. After he's introduced, you start to think to yourself... why couldn't this movie be about the Puss? His anti-ferocious attack mode is about the damnedest thing I've ever seen in my life.
The other reason to see the movie is a character called Mongo. I won't spoil this one or what he means to the story... Let's just say that I guffawed (yes, guffawed) when he was onscreen, although I do have a penchant for laughing at mildly... slow people. I know I'm going to hell, but at least I'm up front about it!
The movie is always pretty, the voice cast is top notch (with the new additions of Mary Poppins and John Cleese, among others) and has a few solid laughs. It's far from perfect, missing the mark about as much as it hits it by the end, but is quite entertaining. The rescue involving Pinocchio, the blind mice and the gingerbread man is an example of how entertaining this movie could be. Pinocchio's lies and truths, while straight out of Mr. Show, had me rolling, as well as his MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE entrance.
Will SHREK 2 be dated in this time next year? I guarantee it. That's the pity of these movies... I hate to be that asshole, but Dreamworks' animated films seem to always go for the joke, not the heart. Even when they go for the heart it feels kinda thrown in there. Pixar has the market cornered on these kinds of films. Without a doubt there's a subtlety missing in this film that is in all of Pixar's flicks... yes, including A BUG'S LIFE.
After seeing both SHREK 2 and that new INCREDIBLES trailer... Well, excuse me for being crass, but that trailer alone makes SHREK 2 look like VEGGIE TALES. That's right, I said it. VEGGIE TALES.
All in all, SHREK 2 has enough laughs to recommend a matinee. If you absolutely love the original film, you'll absolutely love this one. If you're dragged to this film by the kiddies, don't feel too shitty. It's got enough to keep you from wanting to blow your brains out after murdering the noisy little bastards that keep kicking the back of your seat.
I'll be back soon with some interesting stuff, including the interview that I'm probably looking forward to the most out of every interview I've ever had lined up... It's hush-hush now, but I'll let you know as soon as I can... Plus I got some BUBBA HO-TEP interviews and giveaways lined up for the very near future. 'Til then, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
