Movie Review: Shrek 2

I've always loved hating the summer season of movies. Nothing arty at all, mostly sequels.

And we all hate sequels, don't we? I mean, everyone talks about, "it's not as good as the first part," or, "did you know Yoda dies?"

We detest them.

That's why they do so well and Hollywood keeps making them.

And so we arrive at Shrek 2. I wanted to hate it as well, but you know what? It's actually not that bad, kinda like Harry. The storyline has so much you can do with it, and since it's not being produced by Disney, you don't have to be concerned about a specific audience.

Really, it's kinda like a kids' movie made for adults. I mean, look at the casting. Jennifer Saunders as the Fairy Godmother. If you don't already know, she's from Ab Fab. When I heard her voice, I half expected her to pull out a smoke and paint stimata on her forehead and palms in lipstick. Alas, this is a kids' movie, so she's oddly restrainted. So then, why cast her? To bring in we adults.

The humor, I'd say is about half of the original, but if you are going to compare, the first movie was pretty freggin' funny, wasn't it? So, there's a good deal of humor here as well. Maybe not a laugh a minute, but still, good stuff. The scene stealer in this one is Antonio Banderas as Puss'n'Boots. I was reminded how Genie, when voiced by Robin Williams, arrived in Aladdin. The flick suddenly went up three notches. Same here. I noticed I'm still quoting him and only. He might be the main reason to pay full price.

The other thing I need to mention is, well, very personal. This movie has a great theme. Maybe it's because I work with tykes or that I'm partnered, but I really appreciated the message: It's okay to be who you are. And the coinciding message of: You will find love as is. That's so rare in kids movies. I liked it and felt it was something that needed to be communicated. Heck, Fiona is FAT people, and she is loved and happy. Shrek is as well.

Very good stuff, I have to admit. Worth the admission.