Shrek
“Ogres are like onions….No! Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers…You get it? We both have layers.”
Summary:
Shrek is an ogre, who fits the description perfectly as he’s loud, noisy, ugly and smelly. Shrek enjoys living in his swamp alone with no one to bother him; spending his days scarring of villagers who try to attack him. After saving a talking donkey named Donkey, Shrek comes to learn that a man by the name of Lord Farquaad is rounding up the fairy tale creatures of the land and putting them in one location which just so happens to be Shrek’s swamp. Upon returning home to find the fairy tale creatures Shrek along with Donkey decide to go find Lord Farquaad and make him give Shrek his swamp back. Once Shrek arrives in Duloc, the home of Lord Farquaad, he finds that Lord Farquaad is trying to become a king by marrying a princess. Lord Farquaad decides to allow Shrek to have his swamp back if Shrek goes to the tallest tower that is surrounded by fire and guarded by a dragon to rescue the beautiful princess Fiona who is more than she seems. Shrek and Donkey accept rather quickly and they are off on their quest not knowing the adventure that lies ahead
Characters:
Shrek being a comedic film has many colourful characters that bring their own flavour of humour to the mix that makes for a great time. Shrek (as voiced by Mike Myers) is not your typical princess saving hero as he is loud, smelly, green, not particularly handsome, the opposite of charming and oh yeah not even human. We learn throughout that his rough exterior or his “layers just like onions” truly mask the fact that he is lonely and though he says he likes living alone, he really just wants someone to not judge solely by the way he looks. He provides a great deal of humour with his insults, (mostly directed towards Farquaad and Donkey), his physical humour such as burping and farting, and the jokes that he makes just for adults he makes a great protagonist. Donkey (as voiced by Eddie Murphy) is a fast-talking animal who gets the group into trouble about as much as he helps. After being saved by Shrek, Donkey is constantly trying to help Shrek on his quest and decides to be Shrek’s friend even though Shrek constantly insults him and talks about how annoying he is which shows Donkey’s loyalty. Princess Fiona (as voiced by Cameron Diaz) begins seeming like a bland and tradition following princess who was there to be the damsel in distress but as the story goes on she proves to be feisty character who’s got as many jokes as the boys and she proves to be able to handle herself in a fight. Fiona also shows that she is a hopeless romantic who truly believes in true love while at the same time she can burp as well as Shrek. Lord Farquaad (as voiced by John Lithgow) is a great villain for this film as he can be a menacing at times though he is better when being laughed at whether it is about how short he is or his lack of kingly skills, like how he will not even go save the princess himself, he makes for a comedic opposite to Shrek.
Austin: 9.1/10
Shrek comes as advertised, a family-friendly movie filled to the brim with comedy. This is a movie that will appeal to every member in your family, regardless of age. Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, is the injection of humour that brings this movie to life.
The details put into the animation is, by far, one of the biggest strengths of the movie. It truly brings the characters and surroundings to life, in a way that animation often fails to do.
As far as characters go, Shrek contains a very dynamic group of characters, with at least one character everyone will enjoy. This large variety in characters allows for a lot of character growth and gives the viewer reason to be excited to see the direction these characters will take in Shrek 2.
One of the few weaknesses Shrek displays would be the secondary characters. While Lord Farquaad and Dragon develop the main protagonists, they are still very one-dimensional characters. Very little is known about either character, and their traits are very limited. This limited information does leave room for new information in Shrek 2, but for now the viewers are left wanting more.
All and all, Shrek is a feel good movie, great for the whole family. It is quite enjoyable to watch, and it comes with lots of laughs. The loose ends at the end of the movie allow the viewers to imagine what the next movie will bring.
Nathanyal: 8.4/10
The main selling point of this movie is its humour. Shrek is a comedy that plays on common tropes found in any fairy tale story. With child-friendly jests to hidden innuendos for older audiences, this movie provides entertainment for viewers of all ages. This movie also provides a strong cast of main characters. The main trio starts as flat characters with only one trait to define them, but by the end of the movie, each character was given their own time to shine. These small events allow them to fully develop and become themselves.
On the flip side, the movie does not develop its side characters as strongly as its core trio. Lord Farquaad, for example, is left forever as a one-dimensional character. His motivations for his actions are only surface level and do not allow viewers to empathize with his character. Another aspect that could have been expanded on was the romance between Donkey and Dragon. Their hinted union and attraction to each other is never fully developed.
In the end, Shrek is a funny movie with a lot to offer. Its jokes and humour are perfect for all viewers and allows an enjoyable viewing experience for the whole family.
Sebastian: 8.2/10
The film has many strengths that all begin with the way that it changes the fairy-tale formula that is so well known. With its main character being a monster, it definitely is different than most stories like this and the motivation for Shrek to go on this journey is not the typical set up with Shrek just wanting his home back while not really caring about the princess or falling in love. The princess is also different than normal as in a lot of fairy tales the lady does not do any fighting and she waits to be saved by the hero. Fiona on the other hand gets in a fight and is not always the most lady-like. The humour of course is another major aspect as Shrek is a comedy and therefore there are many jokes throughout the film that will make anyone laugh. That is another great aspect as the movie has jokes for both kids and adults which is not something every kids film does.
As for the film’s weaknesses, a problem with comedy is that it is subjective and therefore there will be jokes that not everyone laughs at or find as funny as others. There are a few other complaints as I found the ending a bit rushed as after the adventure was over it moved on quickly to the finale and it felt like everything was moving rather fast with not tons of explanation and then the movie just ended.
All in all an enjoyable film for the entire family that is bound to make you laugh. I recommend this to anyone who wants a fun adventure with a twist on the fairy tale norm.
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sources: Adamson, Andrew, director. Shrek. Dreamworks, 2018.
