So, I’m just going to rip the band-aid off guys- I don’t like Shrek. Is it awful? No but on the whole I don’t think it is a very good movie, and I will attempt explain in this review why.
It all started for me back in 2001 when I first saw Shrek and thought it was pretty funny. Particularly Eddie Murphy as Donkey made me laugh and since I wasn’t high on Disney then the parody of Disney films was funny. With anticipation I got it on vhs eager to repeat my positive experience, but to my surprise when I watched it again I realized- it wasn’t that funny any more.
Truly great comedies I can watch again and again laughing with each watch. For example, Monty Python and the Holy Grail I have seen I can’t tell you how many times and I still laugh. Even other parody films like Airplane! still make me laugh. From way back in 2001 that was never the case for me with Shrek.
And unfortunately when you take out the humor there isn’t that much going for it. The animation isn’t that great. Some of the voice work is shoddy (cough Cameron Diaz cough) and the story is actually pretty pedestrian and predictable.
Now that you all hate me let’s talk more about the movie.
Shrek is about an ogre in a fairytale land who likes living in his swamp by himself. One day he gets besieged by fairytale characters that have been evicted from the land by the evil Lord Farquaad. In order to get rid of said characters Shrek makes a deal that if he can rescue the Princess Fiona then he will clear his land.
Shrek goes on the quest with a sidekick donkey who drives him crazy but they put up with each other and they find her pretty quickly. Then the Princess and Shrek form a bond and she it turns out has a curse where she turns into an ogre every night. She must be kissed by her true love to break the spell. Fortunately at the end Shrek storms the castle and admits his love and she ends up remaining an ogre as her truest form.
I don’t know if you noticed reading that description that even with all its parody Shrek follows the basic princess movie formula perfectly. You have the damsel in distress that is rescued, cooky sidekick, evil villain, forced marriage, dramatic declaration of love and the breaking of a curse. I think this is why the jokes really aren’t that funny on rewatch because the story surrounding the jokes all becomes rote quite quickly. Real humor that lasts isn’t just parodying things of the moment but they tap into universal truths and themes any age can relate to. Again to use Monty Python as an example, their skits and movies will be funny for generations because they aren’t merely parodying but they are making fun of timeless institutions like marriage, love, warfare, sex, sports, and more.
The funniest scene in Shrek that still gets a laugh out of me is the gingerbread interrogation. This is because it is making fun of torture and torture scenes in movies we still often see today and it was separate from the more pedestrian narrative. It feels more surprising and relevant than the other humor.
As more of an adult, I also notice things that make me a little uncomfortable in Shrek like Snow White being described as “not easy”, Robin Hood making a joke about he likes to get laid, and Shrek teasing Lord Farquaad about his size and “do you think maybe he is compensating for something”. I hate that kind of humor in fairytales marketed to children.
I like Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Mike Meyers is fine but as I hinted at earlier Cameron Diaz is not a strong vocal performer. Her line readings sound the same whether she is happy, sad, angry, whatever. I really wish they had gone with a professional voice actress.
Other issues with the movie is the soundtrack. It has not aged well. Using pop music of the era by Smash Mouth and others immediately dates the movie. It would have been so much funnier if they had used the music to parody the Disney musical. This seems like such an obvious choice it is kind of baffling. Plus, the oddly sober choice of ‘Hallelujah’ thrown into the film does not fit at all.
The animation in Shrek is fine for 2001 but it is nowhere near the quality of Monsters Inc from Pixar that yea. In that film, Sully’s fur was so lush and vibrant and the world building still feels fresh and fun. There is no scene, for example, in Shrek that mirrors in animation quality the scene racing through the doors at the end of Monsters Inc. Not even close.
I also resent Shrek because I feel its success has really hurt animation. Ever since it became a phenomenon we have so many movies that put humor ahead of story, caring more about cheap cultural references and celebrity voice casting than crafting real art. Imagine in an alternate world if Prince of Egypt had been the Dreamworks’ film to really take off? Animation would be in a much better state than it currently is.
Oh what might have been…
Overall Grade- C-
Yeah, I never thought Shrek was that funny. Except for maybe that little presentation when Shrek and Donkey come into Farquaad’s castle.
Did you ever hear the story that Lord Farquaad was supposed to be a caricature of Michael Eisner? (Try saying Farquaad a little faster and see what it sounds like.)
Great review, Rachel! I was not impressed by Shrek, either (in fact, I didn’t watch past the first ten minutes). I did watch Shrek 2 and I thought that was tolerable though not outstanding. Both films are way too dependent on pop culture humor, which is hardly timeless. I think Monsters, Inc. should have been Best Animated Feature that year.
You did not watch past the first ten minutes? How can you possibly feel as if your opinions are valid on the subject if you did not even take the time to watch it. IF you had seen it, you could make an argument for the quality of the movies and the pop culture references. I may not agree with all of Rachel’s points, but at least there is a logical foundation behind them. Her opinions I can respect. Additionally, you cannot formulate an opinion on Shrek based on the second film as they are two completely different movies. The only points of your statement I can agree with is on Monsters Inc deserving the Best Animated Feature of that year (I watched BOTH movies) and your argument on pop culture not being timeless. There is truth to the pop culture argument, though there are many fairytale references within the film that are truly timeless classics in their own respect.
VHS? What is this VHS you speak of 😛 ?
I actually enjoyed Shrek even though I do agree with some of the stuff you said. I was way more put off by Shrek 2, 3 and 4. The sequels were way less funny to me.
Interesting I think Shrek 2 is funniest but oddly Puss N Boots is my favorite of franchise. It has the best story and most energy
I liked Puss in Boots too.
I totally agree! A pretty annoying film if I’m being honest due to the mediocre story, voice acting and animation.
I MUCH prefer Shrek 2 because I feel like the addition of more stable characters makes it more enjoyable. Shrek 1 just relied on a few characters to lead the story and they weren’t good enough.
Shrek 3 is forgettable and Shrek 4 I just want to forget because I think it’s awful! 😃
Thanks for the great review Rachael! I look forward to your future Dreamworks reviews
My history with Shrek is strange. When I first heard of it as a kid I wasn’t immediately attracted to the idea of a subversion of the fairy tale tropes and blatant riffs on Disney. I even made a point about vocally disliking it when I first saw it. However, as I watched it frequently on VHS and DVD with my brother I did get into it. We were on the hype train for ages. As recently as Christmas 2015, I suggested the idea of visiting Shrek to my brother and he wasn’t enticed at all, advocating Kung-Fu Panda and How to Train Your Dragon instead, which I happily obliged. Now the film kinda sits in a limbo, I have nostalgia for it (though not very strongly) and I still laugh at about 60% but that’s small potatoes compared to the old days. I kinda see where Doug Walker is coming through when he said he felt disappointed by it!
From a historical standpoint, Shrek stands accused of, and partly responsible for, the decline of 2D animation as a commercial medium. Just about every western animated feature trying to emulate its humor and CGI style, often to very poor results. This success was juxtaposed to the struggling 2D animated films, which now don’t really have much presence in America anymore. Now it’s like that high school kid who was very popular for several years, but struggled in the real world and now lives in the shadow of it’s former glory.
It almost makes you wonder what could have been if the film was made in it’s original form, which was hand-drawn, featured Bill Murray as Shrek and Steve Martin as Donkey, and produced by Steven Spielberg and his Amblimation division. Sure there’d be no Shrek 2 (not 3 and 4 are not exactly beloved), but it’s vast impact on animation could have been avoided, and the story could have been drastically different but still unique.
Every time I rewatch Shrek, I end up liking it less and less. Shrek and Donkey are not funny at all, and I like it when they’re trying to uniquely subvert certain tropes instead of the cheap pop culture references. It’s kind of slow-paced, and not much goes on. When they focus on the heart, it’s great. The movie benefits from the small cast, but it has not aged well whatsoever.
It’s kind of funny how I think less of both Shrek and Monsters Inc after recent rewatched. Definitely resentful for what this film did to animation overall, and it’s irreversible.
Omg I frickin loveee shrek! It’s like my comfort movie and go to family movie, the crude humour kids don’t really understand anyway!! It wasnt until I became an adult that when a crude line would come on I’d be like.. “ohh.. Oh omg” and then there’s something new to laugh at. Every time I watch it I notice something I missed the last time so there’s usually something new to laugh at, or I laugh at a few of the same things. I don’t really watch it for a laugh though, I just really like the whole movie in general.we must have a different taste in movies though lol
That’s so great. I’m glad it is a favorite of yours. Thanks for sharing your opinion
Thankyou 🙂 it was quite interesting reading your side of it I must admit!! I was so shocked to find someone who really dislikes it hahaha