'Shrek 2': Far, far and away your best bet for all-ages fun
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Here, in a nutshell, is why I love the "Shrek" movies: In an early scene in the new sequel "Shrek 2," the grumpy ogre (voiced by Mike Myers), his new bride Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and the ever-chatty Donkey (Eddie Murphy) must hurriedly leave Shrek's beloved swamp to answer a summons from Fiona's royal parents. Shrek is anxious about leaving his home, but a troupe of assorted little pigs, blind mice and other fairy-tale creatures assure him, as they rush into his house, that they'll take care of everything just fine.
A nanosecond later, the funked-up jitterbug of the disco tune "Le Freak" is heard from the house, along with sounds of china breaking and general revelry. It's the unexpectedly perfect music choice (or maybe it's just because almost everything involving disco music is funny), and it's an irresistible moment. "Shrek 2," like its predecessor, zooms along at a breakneck speed, piling on the sight gags and the one-liners, and you may as well just surrender to it. It may not be great art, but it's funny stuff for all ages — and that's a rare treat.
It's inevitable that "Shrek 2" feels a little less fresh than the 2001 original, partly because it has an identical theme and almost-identical plot. (Shrek and Fiona, once again, must come to terms with their unattractive exteriors and learn that it's what's inside that counts.) And even more so than the first one, "Shrek 2" is a collection of funny moments rather than an organic whole. Ponder the credits and you'll find three directors, four screenwriters, five "additional dialogue" writers, two creative consultants and an entire story department, lending possible truth to the impression that this movie was crafted on some slick funny-fairy-tale assembly line, rather than being someone's artistic vision.
But hey — sometimes you go to the movies for great art, and sometimes you just go to giggle, and "Shrek 2" fulfills the latter function splendidly. Everyone will have their favorite funny moments in this movie; mine also included a throwaway reference to a shrub that looks like singer Shirley Bassey (it really does), a surprise appearance by Joan Rivers as a shrewish fashion commentator, a blues-playing Captain Hook, a kiss right out of "Spider-Man," and Prince Charming (Rupert Everett, with a voice like chocolate syrup) cheerfully owning up to wearing cherry lip gloss.
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Myers and Murphy continue their appealing back-and-forth shtick, as Donkey finds endless ways to be as annoying as possible and Shrek remains exasperated but, deep down, tender-hearted. (Alas, Princess Fiona continues to be a bit of a bore.) And there's a new talking animal in the mix: Puss In Boots, an extremely self-possessed orange feline (suavely voiced by Antonio Banderas) with an uncanny ability to look really, really big-eyed and cute when it's useful. Kudos should also go to the unknown Foley artist who made — and I speak from grim experience here — easily the most authentic hairball-retching noises ever to reach the silver screen.
The animation is, of course, first-rate; with the human characters looking so real they almost spook you, while the animals are detailed down to the last whisker. But you don't really go to "Shrek 2" to admire its technical achievement — you go to enter a charmingly skewed fairy-tale kingdom that balances carefully between kids' entertainment and grown-up humor, and to have a wonderful time there.
Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com