Just because I liked it doesn’t mean I won’t acknowledge its flaws. I mean, heck, I also liked the Powers Rangers movie, but I sure win’t holding it up as an example of fine cinema, y’know?
And in a related vein, someone gave an IMO apt comparison of Dreamworks’ CGI movies versus Pixar’s CGI movies:
Dreamworks’ CGI movies are like a twelve-year-old who’s constantly trying to impress you with how cool he is.
Pixar’s movies are like a six-year-old who’s trying to charm you with a nifty story he just made up.
I have to disagree. In my opinion, one thing that made Shrek so disappointing was the number of excellent recent animated films that it suffered in comparison to; Antz, A Bug’s Life, Chicken Run, The Iron Giant, The Lion King, Mulan, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2 are some I can think of just off the top of my head.
Since I nev-ah saw either of the Austin Powers flicks, I thought Shrek was more like Mike Myers’ “dad” character in So I Married an Axe Murderer…but, otherwise, I agree muchly.
I also think I require a new movie rating system, one that warns me of fart jokes and the like, rather than nudity and foul language.
I thot the characters’ mouths didnt fit the audio well, I thot Mike Myers’ voice was not right for the character of Shrek, and that damn donkey was just annoying as hell.
The only thing this movie did for me was make me even more anxious to see Final Fantasy.
It is time for those of you who hated the movie to rent some kids. I saw it with the three nephews (6, 7, & 9) and they loved it. I enjoyed it on many levels–I laughed at the adult humor (had to tell the nephews to wait until they got older to understand the joke) and then laughed with them at the childish humor.
But the kids also made Rugrats in Paris an ok film. I guess it’s just something about the laughter of children at a movie and then discussing the picture afterwards that I enjoy.
She killed the bird by accident. After birdy blows, she gets a look of embarrassment. ‘Ooops, my cliched duet with nature killed that poor creature.’ Then she sees the nest. ‘Ooo…eggs…’
Not really. The message, such as it is, is that you should look beyond someone’s appearance to find who they really are. When you look beyond Shrek’s exterior, you find he’s a peaceful guy who just wants to be left alone. When you look into the Prince, you find a small, small man in terms of his character. When the villagers persecute Shrek, his appearance is the target. The Prince is a target due to his character, and the short jokes are a vehicle for attacking him. Two different things.
I don’t know why I’m compelled to despense this useless fact, but they originally had Chris Farley in mind when they started making Shrek. Of course, he died before they could start with the voice work.
We just rented this last night, and it went right on my Christmas wish list. I loved it.
I didnt think it trashed Disney, exactly. It made jokes about Disney, but I thought many of them were affectionate. I love Disney as much as the next red blooded American, but I also laugh at It’s a Small World, and how uber-clean the parks are.
One thing that I especially enjoyed was how detail-oriented this movie is. I love watching movies where it is important to look and listen for small details. It keeps me engaged for the entire film, and I’m looking forward to watching it again to see what I missed the first time.
I rented Shrek because my 2 1/2 year old kept pointing at the posters of it we seemed to be seeing everywhere just prior to the video release and saying “Dwagon!” and I was eager for a movie we could both watch. I didn’t expect him to understand the story, but I knew the animation would hold his attention.
I enjoyed it. The basic story was pretty standard fairy tale fare with the exception that the heroine was not rewarded for putting up with verbal abuse (see Beauty and the Beast), indifference (see The Little Mermaid), bad boy behavior (see Lady and the Tramp), foot fetishes (see Cinderella), etc. on the part of the hero.
Just because Shrek had a Scottish accent doesn’t mean he was just the “Fat Bastard” Mike Myers delights in doing a Scottish accent. I sure enjoyed hearing a lot more from Shrek than from the gross-out Fat Bastard character.
The short jokes were great! C’mon, didn’t the gingerbread man torture scene crack you up? And I loved the “Ogres are NOT like CAKES!” line. And the take off of the “It’s a Small World After All” ride.
I doubt it will be a classic, but it was decent entertainment.
That said, I will join some of the others in not liking the cheap shot short jokes about Lord Farquar.
And the final form of the princess was a little annoying to me-I know, the point is true beauty is not about looks, but I was left with this niggling feeling that there was a subliminal message that lovers should “match” Why can’t the ugly guy get the beautiful girl for once? Or vice versa.
I agree-there was a LOT of inuendo in there that was definitely NFBSK, as they say over at Snopes. (Not For British School Kids).
I just watched it earlier today-and I LOVED it! It rocked. I laughed, I cried-etc etc.
I loved the dragon-she was so cute! And am I the only one who actually thought Fiona was cute in her ogre form? She still had her pretty red hair, and she wasn’t nearly so skinny.
I MUST get this movie!
I thought I was the only one who thought Shrek was stupid! I knew it wasn’t going to be very good right from the opening credits, when they played that giant cliche of a Smash Mouth song that has been in pretty much every movie for the past four years. A lot of it was also really lame slapstick. During the Matrix parody scene where the Princess beats everyone up, everyone in the theatre was laughing hysterically while I just sat there and cringed. I thought that parodies of the Matrix slow-motion thing stopped being funny a very, very long time ago. The part where Shrek fights the guards in the castle wasn’t too funny either. It’s like- “ho ho, ha ha, he knocked the guy down.” Maybe as a kids’ movie it’s okay, but it sure wasn’t my cup of tea.
I’m 14, and I *loved it! I’ve seen it 3 times, and it’s still funny. Well… the second time I was really focused on the gorgeous girl I was seeing it with, but that’s not the point.
I’m going to have to voice a dissenting opinion here. The only “message” that I heard loud and clear is that Princess Fiona believed she was hideous when she was a fat ogre and that no one could possibly love her. This is NOT a message that I want to give to young girls.
I wasn’t impressed with Shrek, either, and I’m
glad to see others that share my opinion after
having to listen to an aquaintence (sp?) gush
about it since the trailers came out.:rolleyes:
I thought that the pop-culture jokes in the
fairy tale setting were rather jarring. It
didn’t set well with me. And I could see the
nightly-transforms-into-hideous-beast about
a mile away. I also agree with the other posters
who said it was a waste of great computer
animation on bathroom humor. And if I had children
I’m not sure I’d want them watching it
because of all the “adult” jokes in it- yet
another reason I wasn’t impressed myself.
IMO stooping to sex jokes is just as great
a lack of originality and creativity as bathroom
humor.(Call me a prude if you like- I wouldn’t
diagree.:))
Actually, the one thing I did like about the
movie was that insufferably annoying Donkey.
I think that Eddie Murphy has a great voice for
cartoon characters (I love Mulan because I get
such a kick out of his characterization of the
tiny dragon, Mu Shu.) That, and Donkey reminds
me of my cat.
I’m 41 and I love this movie.
I just watched it for the third time. The “Hallelujah” sequence left me in tears.
(Too bad that version of the song isn’t on the soundtrack CD.)
Ususally, I can’t stand Eddie Murphy, but I thought he was great here.
I mean, heck, I also liked the Powers Rangers movie, but I sure win’t holding it up as an example of fine cinema, y’know?