Dreamworks computer-animated masterpiece

Quite possibly the best movie of 2001. This 93 minute hell-bent-for-leather fairly tale will make you smile, laugh out loud, maybe shed a tear, and clap your hands together at the end. Mike Myers does the best job of voice since Tom Hanks did "Woody" in "Toy Story". Instantly likable as the ogre "Shrek"... his wit and subtle humor is drawn out by the fast talking donkey (also played to a tee by Eddie Murphy). Cameron Diaz does a good job as the Princess and John Lithgow plays the mean villain Lord Farquaad (Lithgow is exceptional at "bad guy" roles - if you haven't seem him in "Cliffhanger" - that is one to rent or buy). Farquaad's kingdome is a spoof on everything Disney... naturally this film is made by an less than happy ex-Disney employee (Katzenburg). Check out all the Disney characters and listen to the funny remarks that are said about them... one for example regarding Snow White - the Magic Mirror says: "She lives with seven men, but she's not easy." Other memorable lines... Princess: "What kind of knight are you?" Shrek: "One of a kind." Donkey: "I'm a donkey on the edge!" and "Hey, what about Shrek? He's ugly 24/7!" and "I ain't never met someone who didn't like parfait. You never hear someone say, 'Hey, you want some parfait?' 'Hell no, I don't want no parfait!'"... the donkey had so many great lines - great comic relief. Also note a great time had by the entire cartoon cast singing "I'm A Believer" (made famous by the Monkees) at the conclusion. Fact: Chris Farley was slated as the original Shrek. When he died, the lead role was given to his SNL buddy Mike Myers. Myers changed the voice 3/4's the way thru the production - from English to Scotish. Great flick... excellent widescreen visual effects, sound & music. Great extras as well - film featurettes & commentaries, interactive games, karaoke, fun facts and technical goofs.

Thank You, Thank You..I'm Here Till Thursday...Try The Veal!

Shrek is without a doubt one of the most fresh and original films to come along in a long while. While some might frown upon its rather "adult oriented" material (something that helped Dreamworks's last computer animated movie, Antz, work so well) others will realize this movie is more for us adults in the first place. Sure, we've all seen the Disney films like Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty etc. The thought of turning those classics on their ears with a comic twist is enough to entice many of us to see Shrek, even if only out of curiosity. And with comic talents such as Mike Myers (as Shrek), Eddie Murphy (as Donkey), Camerine Diaz (as Princess Fiona) & John Lithgow (as Lord Farquaad) you know you're going to be howling all the way through the picture.

The story, like most great animated features, is pretty simple, but with added intrigue. Because of Lord Farquaad, all the fairytale creatures have been banished to Shrek (the Ogre)'s swamp. So to get them off his land he goes to the kingdom of DuLoc (accompanied by a talking Donkey) where Farquaad offers him a deal...free Princess Fiona from the clutches of an hideous dragon, and he will give him back his swamp as well as get rid of all the fairytale characters. Then you have your typical "Quest Scenerio" (with a twist) having Shrek (w/Donkey) going to save the Princess. (see the movie to learn more :-)

Even the background characters such as the Gingerbread Man are a hoot. And to any "Red Dwarf" fan out there...doesn't Farquaads's magic mirror look a whole lot like Kryton (the robot)'s head? From the Fantastic computer animation that just makes you say "WOW" to wonderful Fairytale surroundings, Shrek is an instant classic that kids & adults alike will be watching for decades to come.

The DVD is a 2 Disc set, mostly 2 discs so the filmmakers could make everybody happy by giving us both a Full Frame (Pan & Scan) version of Shrek to watch (1.33:1) as well as a Widescreen (Letterboxed) version (1.78:1). A very cute scene is added at the very end of the movie (after all the credits have finished) that is just hilarious! The DVDs have quite a lot of special features, such as a Behind the scenes featurette with interviews from the cast & crew. The Tech of Shrek: a small look behind the creation of the revolutionary visual computer anmimation, is quite interesting. Plus there are technical goofs (the Chia Pet Donkey is just a gas!) and much much more. But not everything came out perfect. The Game Swamp section is somewhat disappointing. With any game you play, not only do you not receive any type of reward or congradulations for winning, but for many choices you make in the game, it's mostly up to chance to get them correct (choose 1 out of 3 doors to continue your quest...but they all look the same!). Dreamworks should take a look at the fun games Disney has been giving us, namely Dopey's Wild Mine Ride, which is a lot of fun. Disney has even done DVD games where the winner gets to see a bonus cartoon as his reward. Take notes, Dreamworks. And the audio commentary is pretty good, but what I wouldn't give for an "Actors commentary" with Mike, Eddie, Cameron & John altogether (for the first time it would seem) discussing the film with hilarous anecdotes and laugh out loud humor. But don't let this in any way stop you from buying the movie. It's still very much worth it! Plus id you have a DVD-ROM, there's even more fun!

Shrek - An Computer Animated Classic!

"You may have seen a house fly, maybe even a super fly. But I bet you ain't never seen a donkey fly!" - Eddie Murphy as Donkey

Forget Your Prejudices

This 'kid's film' is a winner. I swore I did not know what all the fuss was about until I saw it on the telly one night. I LAUGHED OUT LOUD! Wish I'd done it ages ago! Roll on Shrek 2.