Gone to America

Friday 18th 2004f June 2004

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Shrek 2

Review

, posted by Anthony around mid-afternoon.

It’s funny. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion, and was frequently surprised at the freshness and wit on display. But it’s not quite as good as the original, mainly because the story isn’t as polished, as cleanly worked out.

Antonio Banderas is quite brilliant as Puss in Boots (as an aside, when I talk about an actor’s performance, what I really mean is the actor and the animator) but his character makes no sense! He’s sent to kill Shrek, and then inexplicably switches sides. He’s so funny, and such an interesting blend of extremes (both straightforward and devious, both full of pride and willing to abandon all dignity in a fight, and both incredibly macho and cute as the dickens) that it almost passes by unnoticed. But not quite. No sense! None!

And how come it takes Shrek and party ages and ages and ages to get to the land of Far Far Away, but when his friends make the same trip it takes them only a matter of minutes? And what happens to the dragon when the donkey drinks the potion?

But anyway, none of that is really the point. It’s funny. Jennifer Saunder’s Fairy Godmother is brilliant. Eddie Murphy is great again. John Cleese is John Cleese, and the choice of songs is quite inspired throughout. And there are actually a few edgy jokes, which will sail above the heads of children (one hopes), but killed me (personal favourite: Knights finding a baggy of catnip on Puss in Boots, and his denial of ownership).

Good for quite a number of laughs, and certainly more than the simple rehash it could have been, but not quite the all around quality of the original.