I bet the suspense was killing you. There I went making promises I couldn't keep again. Well, I'll just say that hopefully, I'll be updating more this coming week. I still have quite a bit to get through, including Saved! and the new Harry Potter. Come on back and check it out. You know you want to.
I also want you to know that on the homepage, on the bottom left hand corner, you'll find a link to my top ten of 2003. It's a few months late, but it's there.
Shrek 2
Review by Jon Waterman
****
Big ogre Shrek and his new wife Princess Fiona just returned from their honeymoon. Now they’re going to take another trip. This time, they’re off to the land Far, Far Away. There, Shrek will become acquainted with Fiona’s parents, the king and queen. But will the disgusting beast of a husband win the approval of such esteemed royalty?
I’ve sort of oversimplified the plot, because, honestly, it’s all over the place. It jumps from one conflict to the next and follows tangents to other tangents, yet somehow comes back around to wrap everything up. I liked that. It was almost like a collection of shorts starring the same characters. It’s a much welcome change from the original where the story was pure A to B featuring a huge gap without conflict. The jumpiness and on a dime plot changes take the predictability out of what could have been a very typical story. It also allowed more freedom to play with settings and jokes.
The humor has improved as well. There are many more laugh-out-loud moments. Fairy tales and childhood stories are referenced of course, but the best stuff comes from other pop-culture references and just non-related material. Dull spots don’t last long, and most of the time, even if there aren’t jokes to be heard, there’s something amusing in the background to be seen. The tangents I mentioned before are even nicer, because you know you’ll have a brand new set of jokes coming at you from all angles. Very few films can say that.
The animation looks smoother and shows much more detail in faces and objects. It’s still not the best, but no one has really been able to master it yet. The human characters are looking a lot more human, but still the cartoonier they appear, the less noticeable the awkwardness in appearance becomes.
The direction, once again, worked very well. The camera placement and transitioning convey the mood of the scenes in which they appear. They aren’t afraid to let scenes play out. You can expect some longer pauses than you would normally see in a family film. The emotions and motivations of the characters come before the comedy. Thus, the storytelling is better, we get to know the characters better, we’re more invested in the story and the humor gets funnier.
If you liked the first “Shrek,” you’re most likely going to like this one more. Even if you didn’t really like the first one, you’ll see great improvements this time out and start to appreciate it. Just like before, this one is fun for all: kids, parents, non-parent adults and everyone else. It’s shorter, but funnier than its predecessor and just about as charming. I loved it.
I also want you to know that on the homepage, on the bottom left hand corner, you'll find a link to my top ten of 2003. It's a few months late, but it's there.
Shrek 2
Review by Jon Waterman
****
Big ogre Shrek and his new wife Princess Fiona just returned from their honeymoon. Now they’re going to take another trip. This time, they’re off to the land Far, Far Away. There, Shrek will become acquainted with Fiona’s parents, the king and queen. But will the disgusting beast of a husband win the approval of such esteemed royalty?
I’ve sort of oversimplified the plot, because, honestly, it’s all over the place. It jumps from one conflict to the next and follows tangents to other tangents, yet somehow comes back around to wrap everything up. I liked that. It was almost like a collection of shorts starring the same characters. It’s a much welcome change from the original where the story was pure A to B featuring a huge gap without conflict. The jumpiness and on a dime plot changes take the predictability out of what could have been a very typical story. It also allowed more freedom to play with settings and jokes.
The humor has improved as well. There are many more laugh-out-loud moments. Fairy tales and childhood stories are referenced of course, but the best stuff comes from other pop-culture references and just non-related material. Dull spots don’t last long, and most of the time, even if there aren’t jokes to be heard, there’s something amusing in the background to be seen. The tangents I mentioned before are even nicer, because you know you’ll have a brand new set of jokes coming at you from all angles. Very few films can say that.
The animation looks smoother and shows much more detail in faces and objects. It’s still not the best, but no one has really been able to master it yet. The human characters are looking a lot more human, but still the cartoonier they appear, the less noticeable the awkwardness in appearance becomes.
The direction, once again, worked very well. The camera placement and transitioning convey the mood of the scenes in which they appear. They aren’t afraid to let scenes play out. You can expect some longer pauses than you would normally see in a family film. The emotions and motivations of the characters come before the comedy. Thus, the storytelling is better, we get to know the characters better, we’re more invested in the story and the humor gets funnier.
If you liked the first “Shrek,” you’re most likely going to like this one more. Even if you didn’t really like the first one, you’ll see great improvements this time out and start to appreciate it. Just like before, this one is fun for all: kids, parents, non-parent adults and everyone else. It’s shorter, but funnier than its predecessor and just about as charming. I loved it.
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