Intellectual Defenestration

Quick takes on Shrek 2

Amy and I went on a (rare) movie date last night to see Shrek 2 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sure, the semi-existentialist babble about choices became a little incoherent after a while. And it would be really nice if Hollywood took its own message concerning external beauty seriously. But the movie was still genuinely funny and well-done. The voicing was well selected, the movie references were hilarious (particularly the Alien bit), and the humor was consistently better than many "grown-up" comedies I've seen lately (we won't even talk about Hollywood Homicide).

I particularly liked the Puss In Boots character. Antonio Banderas and the other obvious Zorro connections, combined with the overdone kitten cuteness was classic.

I was also impressed by the CG. The human faces were much more detailed and intricate than I expected, but still cartoonish enough to not be too photo-realistic.

Lastly, if nothing else, Larry King as "The Ugly Stepsister" was a great move.

May 28, 2004 10:21 AM