It’s a rare thing when a sequel is as satisfying as the original. “Shrek 2,” now playing local theaters, is the pleasant exception to the mediocrity most recent sequels have aspired to.
The success of the original, which won the inaugural 2001 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, is a hard act to follow. Unsuspecting adults took their children to see Dreamworks Studios first foray into computer generated animation three years ago, only to discover that like Pixar’s “Toy Story,” it was actually funny and clever on a “grown-up” level, too.
“Shrek 2” catches up with the Scottish accented ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) as he enjoys his honeymoon with Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), whom he rescued from the dragon in the previous film. Fairy tale icons are again put to clever use, from “Hansel’s Honeymoon Hideaway,” a gingerbread cottage, to a very Disneyesque red haired mermaid that Shrek mistakenly kisses — only to have Fiona fling the creature back into the sea where she is promptly set upon by sharks.
The pair return to their quaint ogre cottage in the swamp, where they’re greeted by Donkey (Eddie Murphy), who just can’t get the hint that they need time to themselves. That discussion gets put on the back burner when a royal messenger arrives on their doorstep, announcing that their presence is requested by Fiona’s parents, the King (John Cleese) and Queen (Julie Andrews) of Far Far Away, who are eagerly waiting to meet their new son-in-law.
Thus another adventure begins for our vivid green hero. The three friends set off for this reluctant reunion, along the way meeting the suave assassin, Puss-in-Boots (Antonio Banderas). The hairball afflicted Puss is probably the highlight of the movie, turning from cold-blooded killer to moon-eyed kitten in a blink of an eye (eerily similr to the real thing, I might add).
Puss joins them on their journey after reconsidering his murder-for-hire deal — with Fiona’s father. It’s revealed that in the first movie, the King actually made a deal with Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders, of “Absolutely Fabulous”) for Fiona to be rescued by Godmother’s arrogant son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). Shrek, as we know, got to the dragon’s castle first — and Godmother’s not too happy about that.
This gets off to a slow start initially, but the film quickly picks up speed and gives its predecessor a run for its money, with plenty of sight gags and its share of crude (but really funny) jokes. The gloriously colorful landscape is inhabited by a succession of imaginative destinations, including a bar called the Poison Apple, tended by a rather masculine ugly stepsister. Of course, the proceedings wouldn’t be complete without the presence of both familiar and new icons of fairy tale and pop culture (including an excellent “Ghostbusters” reference that can’t be missed) who find themselves in even more inventive and unconventional settings.
It’s a complete package, one that will prove to be the first runaway blockbuster of the summer — and leave audiences anticipating a “Shrek 3.”
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