Dreamworks #8: Shrek 2

Shrek 2 - 8.7/10

Rarely do I come upon a sequel that I like more than the original. I could probably count them on my hands. Shrek 2 is definitely one of them.

This movie takes everything that was good about the first movie and turns it up to eleven. The writing is tighter, the jokes are funnier (and there’s more of them), and the characters have really hit their stride. It also helps that they’re lampooning not just fairy tales anymore, but Hollywood culture as well. And the pop-culture references...wow. I usually hate them, but they were so brilliant here that I couldn’t help but laugh. There are a couple near the beginning that were obviously just copying the popular movies of the time (Spider-man and Lord of the Rings to be specific), but the rest were spot on. And they’d sneak up on you. Something serious would be happening and BAM! Starbucks joke. And like the first film, they don’t stop to call attention to the fact that they’ve made a joke; they just move on and trust that you got it.

There are some new characters in this as well, all for the better. John Cleese was pretty good as the king, though sadly they didn’t give him much to do. Same goes for Rupert Everett as Prince Charming. Jennifer Saunders was fantastic as the villain, who I’m going to go ahead and spoil because who honestly hasn’t seen this that would want to? Having the Fairy Godmother be the bad guy was just one more punch that helps bring this excellent parody world home.

Of course the one who really stole the show was Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots. A truly great addition to the cast, and it’s no wonder that he eventually got his own spin-off movie.

I was also a much bigger fan of the soundtrack in this one. Instead of relying on modern pop songs, they went a little off the beaten track and found success with songs you probably wouldn’t expect. Everything from Funkytown to Holding Out for a Hero was used surprisingly well in the context and did nothing but add to the overall experience. There were a couple of original songs too, which of course maintained the whole spoof thing in their lyrics and delivery.

All in all, unlike the last film there isn’t really anything for me to complain about. Even the clunky animation was cleaned up. This was a really funny movie that I think most people would enjoy. Oh, who am I kidding? Everybody already has.