Shrek 2 (2004)

So, if you had seen my previous review on Shrek. You know that I love this film and appreciate time and time again. But how about a sequel? Is it good- YES IT IS! No overexcretion, this is one of the best sequel I've seen for a while! Its that good in my opinion and considering that film saved Dreamwork's after the box office failure Sinbad and the Seven Seas (also most a billion).

What makes a great sequel?: A great sequel (in my point of view) should establish the same theme from the first movie but also should put a new fresh spin on the over-arching story and experimenting new things (e.g. tone, location or giving it an unexpecting twist) giving a movie a personality with its vibe. It should also put new faces and new challenges to our protagonist, conquer their fears, struggles and flaws in a meaningful way. All of this had to be worthy to you and there audiences, in that way it makes us to tell a story, to have a life being reflect on us, this is cinema.

If you asked me what are the greatest sequels out there my answer would have been Toy Story 2 which dives in a new perspective what is like to be a toy and friend and us putting our shoes on to our toys we played with. Stinky Pete taught Woody about the out-come if you are still being played with which challenge Woody to make a choice and not releasing its selfish and not wanting to repeat his actions again from the first film. The movie also questions audiences and giving more development to new characters like Jessie.

If you seen my review on The Dark Knight (I should clarify that Batman doesn't kill but Harvey Dent was and that was the movie's fault, so might bad) which the film have gone outs its way the people of Gotham need Batman or not and Batman may win but the Joker had already done the damage. This movie taught us about morality, chaos, justice etc about the real world we live. I had already talk about the brilliant character arc of Harvey Dent about his perspective and not getting a chance and happens to be the unfortunate one.

I would also say Star Wars Episode 6: Empire Strikes Back (just a name a few) which brings a new darker tone which change Star Wars forever and also adding so many Iconic characters like Lando and our first reveal of Palatine. Its also a movie that the villains won and not the heroes.

What makes a awful sequel? A truly god awful sequel to me is when a movie doesn't follow up from the first and instead trying to re-invent the wheel from the first but its completely makes the execution neutered and makes us frustrated of the experience. It also lacks understanding to the first film and instead of taking bold risky story that we remember long ago, they played it safe and become more of a distant memory. We want to forget because it got things wrong and telling things that is untrue to ourselves.

If you seen my review on Ralph Breaks the Internet, you already know that I hate every second of this movie. Its a movie that I can't bare and it makes me upset because how much they screwed up and completely missed the point of the first movie and why I love that film in the first place. This bloody movie would not shut up with its cringe inducing outdated memes and thinking the internet is the coolest place on Earth even though that Twitter , Discord and Tiktok is known for its people to act immature wild animals that thinks they are gods and people would attack you for not agreeing their opinions and absolutely creeps every where.

So its no wonder the only website I have is YouTube , google and WhatsApp and that's it. I would never go out of my way to own this apps I mention and the over-reaction the people have is underwhelming.

Since I said all of that without a further-a-do lets get some layers;

So I think the best place to start is the plot of the movie (sorry if one of those people who had to tell the whole dam summary of the movie), its taking place after the first and now Shrek and Fiona is now married and on their honeymoon, when they head back their home Fiona's King and Queen invent her and Shrek to the Royal Ball. This causes Shrek to be concerned about it because humans always hate ogres and when they reach to Far Far Away the humans and Fiona's dad was underwhelmed.

After Shrek and Harold fight during dinner Fiona runs to her room and meets her Fairy Godmother WITH SEXY BEST MAN KYLE! Harold was annoyed but confront to agree with Fairy Godmother that Fiona and Prince Charming will be together and Harold told Puss-In-Boots to murder Shrek.

Shrek discovered that Fiona's diary as a girl she wants to married Prince Charming as she is an adult, Shrek fears this until Harold asked him to go out with Donkey but meet Puss-In-Boots and after the fight Puss told Shrek he works with Harold and it makes Shrek feel more isolated that his not getting respect. When he has the card that he snatches from Fairy Godmother he went to her factory and the Fairy Godmother told Shrek that Ogres don't get a happily ever after and Shrek with the gang steals one of the potions he and Fiona turns into human and the society once hate him now likes him but Shrek gets the better of him when Fairy Godmother trap Shrek and Fiona is now with Prince Charming-

I mean Shrek (the other one), after Shrek left he saw Harold works with Fairy Godmother and gets capture and send to jail. Until the other fairy tale character rescue him and the third act happens which I would get to and they defeat the Fairy Godmother and the dance ending song hits hard. What I like about the plot of the film is that it doesn't follow a fairy tale formula, don't get me wrong I love the first one but it stuck with a formula that is not bad but I don't its the greatest plot line but here this is completely original its that its more memorable that way in my opinion.

The less thing I had to say is the animation, I'm not saying its terrible (it doesn't holds up super well but Toy Story 2 in my opinion looks better and that came from the last century) way I'm saying is that the animation is an improvement considering this film is 20 years old now (I can not believe that I missed out when that film was re-released in cinema) by the slightly more detailed sets and the humans in the movie is far better made but even then it was 2000's and CGI animation is very new at the time.

One of the biggest aspects of Shrek 2 for me is that; this film is Iconic, and I asked you do you forget a moment in this film? I think not! That mainly the performances of the casts and love every single one and not one character made me forget it. A lot of of them bring so many characters to life and the execution of the dialogue is amazing and not one feels fake or basic. Okay this is the part where I take about the dialogue:

I love the scene where Shrek and Fiona and King Harold and Queen Lillian talking to each other while approaching and one is over-lapping one to another is so funny and the brilliant comedic timing:

Shrek: "So (laugh) do you think this an good idea?"

Fiona: "Of course, look mom and dad look happy to see us."

Harold: "Who on Earth are they?"

Lillian: "I think that's our little girl."

Harold: "That's not little that's a really big problem wasn't she supposed to kiss Prince Charming and break the spell?"

Lillian: "Well, he's no Prince Charming but they do look-"

Shrek: "Happy now? We came, we saw them (laugh), let's go before they light the torches."

Fiona: "They are my parents."

Shrek: " Hello they locked you in a tower."

Fiona "Hey! That was my own-"

Harold: "Good! Here's out chance! Let's go back inside and pretend we're not home!"

Lillian: " Harold! We have to be-"

Shrek: "Quick! Well they are not looking we can make a run for it!"

Fiona: "Shrek! Stop it! Everything's is going to be-"

Harold: "A disaster! There's no way-"

Fiona: "You can do this."

Shrek: "But I really-"

Harold: "Really!"

Lillian: "Really!"

Fiona: "Don't-"

Harold: "Want-"

Shrek: "To-"

Lillian: "Be-"

Shrek and Harold: "Here!"

I think what I like the dialogue is because like the first very witty.

The movies' comedy is peak gold: The movie's comedy is amazing, not one moment that I didn't laugh and sure I'm not one of these people who laugh out loud in a cinema but not this! I laugh out loud every time they made a joke!

The movie's comedy is one of those comedies that show not tell. Like where the guy playing the trumpet and he's humped, get it! Its one of those films that you blind and miss it, well yeah there are some s3x jokes but in my opinion they done well and not in your face say Means Girls constantly and it didn't made me laugh (to be I can't be too harsh to this movie because it is 2000's its the decade of the edge side but even then I still prefer adult to be subtle not obvious to us). The movie is constantly making pop-culture jokes from but it works so well because Far Far Away is a parody of Hollywood and the references the movie make is not just ha-ha get the reference, I think the movie balance very well how they pop up one but its not over-exaggerated and doesn't over-shadow the more emotional moments and thing is that they aren't the focus, its just there but its not the focus. Get what I mean?

Shrek's character arc: So how dose the sequel challenges Shrek? Remember in the first that Shrek is hated by society and because of that Shrek doesn't need anyone but until he meet Donkey and its a person who looks up to him and Shrek opened his mind about this (sort of) and that's until he meet Fiona, a person that he can romances and subvert the society and kills of the Lord farquaad but let's not worried about and they get an happily ever after, but its not the end yet. The movie challenges Shrek of his self-worthy, not being society's hero and not being the son Harold wants to be. And just not the Prince Charming that everyone loves.

When Shrek was turn into a human every likes him but not accepted deep down because society is not ready for and Shrek too. Shrek's character journey is trying to fit in society and this film personality speaks to me deep down because once of our life we don't deserve something because you are disappointing people and look a pond by that thing you have. Its really heart ranching that Shrek and Fiona after getting married they are closer then ever and yet he still has this fear in mind. When Godmother told him that he is an ogre and she is a princess and there is to change about.

Donkey and Fiona character: I don't have much to say about Donkey since every time I mention him he is this funny side character and I don't want repeat again but what I do had to say about Donkey is that Puss is kind of his rival collage guy that tries to one up to each other like he throws Puss off him, like come on he did it on purpose and that's because Puss step on him and the cool cute things that Puss have but Donkey don't so he drinks the potion.

I also included Fiona because unfortunately she gets less screen time and less things and I do miss her spunky side in the first movie but that doesn't mean she never exist, I like in the scene where she and Shrek argue about the society not accepting them (on a side-note I finds this funny where Shrek roars at the puppy but when I got a bit older I realised that supposed to be more on the serious side).I like that she almost leave her kingdom for her true love one. I love that in the final climax where she pick up a rose to Charming and basically saying she wants a dance a bit more "Cherry flavour, want a taste".

Puss-In-Boots is the weakest character in the movie: I'm not saying that I hate him because I would be a wooden puppet "I'm not a puppet, IM A REAL BOY!" but the thing is that this is the less then I had about the character because this character is over-shadowed by Puss-In-Boots: The Last Wish which is not todays film and it makes the movie character a bit odd like he said he would repay is strange because for what? For the most part in the Shrek films he is basically a side character and I don't much to say other then Last Wish has better character and that's it.

The few grips I had with this film: This is rather nip-picks then critic-tics and like about Puss and looking back is kind of jarring

King Harold character arc: If you ask me what is the most funniest casting, I'm going go with Harold by John Cleese, I don't know I love his delivery and that's because of an amazing script.

I like that Harold saw Shrek and just like what he said it's going to be "A Disaster!" and started to get ticked off in the dinner when he saw how the way Shrek eats and living in a swamp. You can tell that he wasn't happy that Shrek turns his daughter into a monster and all these years he lock her away to a tower, when Lillian said about the children (other then Shrek spits out a spoon, "Not the Spoon Flint!") that's when he hates Shrek's "type" and the two fights over in a comedic way.

After Fiona left there is small camera shot where he turns his head furiously at Shrek and when he heard about Shrek's and Fiona's argument he complain to his wife about this (on a side there is this detail of their bed covered in green and Lillian says "You act if its love is totally predictable! Don't you remember when we were young and oh we used to walk down by the lily pound, they were in blue." so please remember that).

Fairy Godmother had a word with him and I like that he kind of fear Fairy Godmother and the decisions they make is under Fairy Godmother control and he controls Harold because, well his the King he is the big guy of Far Far Away and so he agrees and asked Puss to assassinate Shrek. After he told Shrek and Donkey to get out however since Shrek is gone Fiona asked Harold about it and she said Shrek was her love one.

After Fiona turns into a human, I like that Harold didn't know about this and he says Prince Charming instead saying Shrek and I like soon he realised how much of a bad father he is for not giving Shrek his royal blissing and this also make Fiona leave Far Far Away. I like the scene where he had enough with Fairy Godmother but yet again she threatens Harold to do it and if he tells it to everyone she would have killed him.

Fairy Godmother is the best Shrek villain: I feel this is no one's surprise, so why is she such a great villain. I love that the film first introduce us in the opening and at first she sounds like a person that would be helpful and guide anyone with their worries and the film later establish that society loves her and she grant her worries is such a great person, right? Well when Shrek came in she was a bit furious and says it can't be right and leaves, it makes the audience think she is the villain of the story and not Harold but by the next scene she IS the villain and thank goodness there is no stupid Disney twist villain (or ironically), I said Disney not Pixar. King Candy is on top!

I love that you can fear her because I mean she is only Shrek character to have magical powers and she is not bad for the sake of it, she is trying to get control over the kingdom and that's because of the looks of society in the right (what she believes), if its ugly its bad, if its beautiful its a great person.

The third act is the best scene in the entire DreamWorks library: After Fiona says this is not the one she feel in love and there is this is the moment that Harold listen to his daughter and grab the tea with the love potion and there is this funny subtle hint that he looks at his wife.

I adore every scene in the finale Act and its so Iconic how can you call this lame?! Fairy Godmother singing "I NEED A HERO! IM HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO 'TIL THE END OF THE NIGHT! HE'S GOTTA BE STRONG AND HE'S GOTTA BE FAST AND HE'S GOTTA BE FRESH FROM THE NIGHT! I NEED A HERO!" Now there is this big over-sized gingerbread man destroying Far Far Away and completely rip its arms open in both a comedic way and a sad way at the same time. I love the Puss makes the men glance at him and kicka$$.

I love that he sacrifice him self to Fiona's real love interest and kills off Fairy Godmother. He died. He croak. Harold finally give his royal blissing to Shrek and finally society listen to the king and accepts of self-worthy Shrek. It was midnight and Shrek and Fiona (along side Donkey) accepts themselves and it feels so earned because Shrek accept what he is and who he is. A musical number happens with Livin La Loca with Puss and Donkey ya'll with a freeze moment with the characters hits so hard and the cherry on top is I NEED A HERO by Frou Frou .

Final thoughts: So yeah Shrek 2 is amazing hilarious masterpiece, as an autistic person I heavily relate to this film and similar to Wreck-It-Ralph (don't label me as a Disney adult or a person with nostalgic because you if are, then you need life support) deep down and I find it a bit hard to compare because this a sequel and a one and done film. But outside of that I still adore Shrek 2 as a whole and defiantly earn of the spot of the Oscar animation nominees and just to end of an special note its my Birthday Tomorrow and I'm 17 by now, so that means IM A REAL MAN! NOW, IM MAN!

So that's all of the layers I had to tear-a-part and makes some delightful onion cake- "NO! OGRES ARE NOT LIKE CAKES!".