Movie Reviews

Shrek 2 isn't a great step ahead of the original in terms of the original's qualities, nor does it take the franchise (and with two more sequels already in production, it definitely is a franchise) into an entirely new and different direction. Instead, it feels very much like the original, which is a very good thing, and adds just enough new characters to keep things interesting.

The plot revolves around two of these new characters: Princess Fiona's (Cameron Diaz) parents. The start of the film involves Fiona and Shrek (Mike Myers) travelling to the King and Queen's land (appropriately named "Far Far Away" -- a bizarre and funny cross between the Hollywood Strip and Disneyland), where Shrek is coldly received by the King (John Cleese), who had expected his daughter to marry a handsome prince. In fact, the King had made a secret deal years ago with a certain Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), promising that, one way or another, Fiona would eventually marry the Godmother's son, the vain and dopey Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). Knowing that Fiona has married an ogre (and has since reverted back to her original ogre-ish appearance), the King decides to hire a skilled assassin -- the deadly but oh-so-cute Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas).

There's more to it than that, but a big part of the story should remain a surprise. Suffice it to say that it's an interesting take on a twist that was originally important in the original Shrek.

Again, there's nothing exceptionally new about this sequel. But it is a very good, very funny movie (there's tonnes of little throw-away jokes and gags scattered around the edges of the frame. It's the kind of movie that you need to see a few times to catch it all!), and the new characters are fairly entertaining (especially Banderas as Puss in Boots -- hopefully he'll stick around in future sequels). If you enjoyed the original Shrek, I can just about guarantee that you'll enjoy this one too.