Tag Archives: Jennifer Saunders

Shrek 2 as the name suggests in the sequel to Shrek. In a few ways Shrek 2 feels like a bigger movie, the humor is bigger and the plot has more stakes.

Note- Keeping this one short and not doing the other Shrek movies, I didn’t like 3 and 4 doesn’t exist for me.

The plot is that Newlyweds Shrek and Fiona travel to the Kingdom of Far Far Away to met her parents. Fiona’s dad doesn’t takes a liking to Shrek as he has a deal with the Fairy Godmother that Fiona would be saved and married to her son, Prince Charming as the Fairy Godmother help Fiona’s dad become King.

The King hires Puss in Boots, a hit man, cat to axe-off Shrek. However Shrek gets the better of the little kitty and Puss joins him. Shrek gets the idea to go the Fairy Godmother’s factory. Shrek and the gang steal a potion to make people/true love attractive, weird spell. Donkey and Shrek use it which make them and Fiona pretty, or Fiona her old human self, have to wonder what Dragon looked like. Godmother decides that she will try to convince Fiona that Charming is Shrek. Shrek and pals get arrested and the fairy tale pals of Gingy, Pinocchio, the three pigs ect have to save them.

They crash the big ball and defeat the Fairy Godmother but Fiona dad is revealed to really a frog which her mother accepts. Shrek gives Fiona the chance to stay in their pretty forms but she tells Shrek she wants the ogre she married and they revert to ogre and Donkey again. Same moral as the first.

Does this plot have issues? OH, Yes, first off why did Charming have to save her in the first place? If the king wanted to uphold the deal order an arrange marriage, Fiona was smitten with a prince before they met anyway. And what took him so long? Grooming? And is her a Prince or is that just his name. Nitpicks

But the way the humor way done, the pacing and the characters make up for it. Unlike the first Shrek, with movie doesn’t subverts Disney as much the first one, it subverts just pretty much everything while still subverting Fairy Tales as its mission point, and because of that the jokes do not let up. You just laugh more during this movie.

Speaking the Characters, the new characters in this movie are fantastic. They all have their ticks that make then fun. First off, the Fairy Godmother is diabolic but I’m bias as I’m a fan of Jennifer Saunders, Ab Fab for the win (though all the voice actors in this movie

are great). But you gotta love that a Fairy Godmother is the villain. Pretty boys as villain isn’t new but Charming is just such as smarmy egomaniac that he is delightful. Puss is great as he uses his cuteness to disarm his victim. While the King and Queen aren’t anything amazing or new they are still likable though I like the beauty and beast/ Frog prince thing they have. But the real character of this movie is Mongo, a Gingerbread Godzilla monster, what could be more awesome?

We also learn more about the other characters, like Pinocchio’s underpants preferences, that one my favorite jokes.

The animation and music like the first movie are great and you gotta love The Hero segment.

Speaking of the climax, compared to the first movie there is a lot more at stake. In the first movie the only stakes is that Fiona will marry some guy that she doesn’t really like that much. In this one if Charming lands a kiss Fiona will be in love with him and not with Shrek as the King was co-forced into slipping her a love potion, which didn’t end up happing but the audience doesn’t really know that until Fiona head butts Charming. But what are the ramifications? In the first one Lord Farquaad was already a ruler and didn’t seem like he was that terrible at it, no one in Duloc seemed to be wanting but Charming would have been a bad king.

Also in the first one aside from one throw away line about locking Fiona in the tower again, Farquaad wasn’t very threatening, Fairy Godmother legit tried to kill Shrek when she learned Fiona wasn’t given the potion.

Compared to original, Shrek 2 just has more going for it, more likable characters, more plot, more stakes and all around more silliness. And by the way, DONKEY!