As a fan of Shrek, I was afraid Shrek II woulddisappoint, as most sequels do. Instead, I found the hugelysuccessful Shrek II to be just as talent-filled, well written andwitty as the first.
In the first film lovable ogre Shrek (Mike Myers) battles afire-breathing dragon and Lord Farquaad for Princess Fiona (CameronDiaz), his now wife. The princess had been cursed to turn into anogre after dark until she realized Shrek was right for her. Taking"true love's form," Fiona becomes a permanent ogre.
The second film picks up where the fairy tale ending left off.The honey moon is over both literally and figuratively, whenPrincess Fiona's parents invite the not-so-lovely couple to theircastle in the kingdom of Far Far Away. Donkey (Eddie Murphy) comesalong for the trip, with some great sidebar comments about the cityof Far Far Away, a spoof of Hollywood's vanity and costliness.
I got a laugh out of the puns on famous designer boutiques andthe Starbucks knockoffs right across the street from eachother.
Fiona's parents are not very pleased to see their new son-in-lawogre and their daughter's new physique, especially since PrincessFiona's father (John Cleese) had arranged with the Fairy
Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) for her son, the vain and dashingPrince Charming (Rupert Everett), to sweep Fiona off her feet andbreak her ogre spell. Thinking it would be best for Shrek todisappear, the king hires legendary assassin Puss in Boots (AntonioBanderas) to do the job.
The ogres' love is again tested against the world's condemnationof the unattractive, and again Shrek comes up with the courage tobattle years of fairy tale cliches equating beauty withhappiness.
I hope the casting director wins an award because the actorsproviding character voices do a wonderful job and are all stars intheir own right, keeping you guessing throughout the film. You mayrecognize the Fairy Godmother as Patsy from the British sitcomAbsolutely Fabulous. My favorite unexpected voice was Larry King asthe voice of the ugly stepsister who keeps the local pub.
Banderas' portrayal of Puss in Boots, playing on his former roleas Zorro, is hilarious -- the cat with a super ego is only kneehigh and uses his "cute face" to disarm potential enemies and thensprings to attack -- if not stopped by a crippling hairball.
I think this will be one of the rare movies that I will watchagain and laugh as much as I did the first time.
