Review: Shrek

In 2001, Shrek won the very first Best Animated Feature Oscar, bearing Monster's Inc and Jimmy Neutron for the prize, it signalled the arrival of Dreamworks Studios as a contender to Disney and Pixar and unknowingly brought a new cultural icon into the public consciousness. After 20 years, three sequels, a spin-off and some fucking weird YouTube videos I figured I should look back on the original - having been more familiarised by the sequel rather than this one - to see if it still holds up.

Believe it or not, the internet was right for once about this.

Set in a land where fairytale characters all co-exist in the same universe, the film follows title character Shrek, a grumpy, cantankerous and happily alone Ogre who lives a quiet and singular life in his swamp. However that life is interrupted when a host of fairytale creatures are forced into his swamp by the cruel Lord Farquaad who has evicted all of them. Not wanting his loneliness interrupted, Shrek - with help from a talking Donkey that refuses to leave him alone - goes to see Farquaad in order to get his home back.

As it happens Farquaad is looking for a princess to marry so that he can become King of his land, he offers Shrek a deal, if Shrek will find Princess Fiona and rescue her from her dragon guarded tower, he will remove the fairytale creatures from Shrek's swamp. Shrek agrees and along with Donkey goes off to save Fiona. But as they soon find out, the princess isn't exactly what they expected.

It's a good plot because it plays out like the Anti-Fairytale, even though it's set in a world where all these characters from childhood stories are real it takes on a very different style than you would expect. Focussing instead on an Ogre (usually a cruel and violent creature) as it's hero and showing that appearances aren't what they appear, it shows kids that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, a simple story for children but executed in a way that means adults won't get bored.

Characters were the strongest part of the film, they were all memorable and interesting in their own way. The inclusion of recognisable fairytale characters was a great choice as it allowed faces like the Three Little Pigs, The Gingerbread Man and even Pinocchio to all show up in some capacity plus they left tons of room open for the sequels to explore. If I had one complaint Lord Farquaad isn't that great of a villain, John Lithgow makes him suitably funny in his complete blindness to the fact that he's too short to be a competent ruler and only gets by through fear and intimidation but he's not in the film enough to make much of an impact, although in hindsight that's for the film's benefit since it allows more focus on Shrek and the gang.

Shrek himself is a great lead character for this film, not just because he's a grumpy Ogre that just wants to be left the fuck alone but his arc across the film is one that is simple but very effective, for the longest time Shrek is mean, sarcastic and completely what you would expect an Ogre to be but the longer you spend with him (and the longer Donkey slowly breaks down his defences) you see that behind that thick green skin is a guy who's gotten so fed up with people judging him for being an Ogre that he's just kept up the stereotype so he doesn't have to deal with anyone anymore. Mike Myers and his thick Scottish accent are great at making Shrek a funny if slightly sarcastic creation but it's later in the film when they allows Shrek's emotions to shine though and we see there's more to the Ogre than first thought.

One of the few not to judge Shrek at all is Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy who is so energetic in the role I can't help but think they just let Murphy do his own shtick and just animate him afterwards. Donkey is the annoying sidekick but he's so good as the annoying sidekick that you can overlook the annoying part, it's part of his character that people don't like him because he can't stop talking so it makes sense plus this allows him to connect with Shrek due to their shared ostracization, even if initially Shrek wants the annoying sidekick to fuck off. Donkey's a lot of fun and Murphy is clearly having a blast with the role, getting to let loose and do his own thing, he makes the role his own and turns into one of the best parts of the film.

And finally, Cameron Diaz makes a strong impression with Princess Fiona, stuck in a tower her entire life due to a childhood affliction that has stayed with her. Like a lot of girls she had an idea of what her Prince Charming should be like and Shrek is not it, but he surprises her with his hidden sadness about being prejudged (something she's had to deal with herself) and it eases her up to reveal a truer but less princess-y nature to her that included burping, eating and a ridiculous amount of Kung-Fu. Much like Shrek came to accept that he could invite friends into his life, Fiona came to accept herself for herself and ignore what everyone else thought, a great arc and a role model for kids.

The film is exceedingly well made with a humour that appeals to adults and children, there's plenty of jokes that are more... grown-up that means it doesn't pander to kids, it's nothing rude but there's several little sly nods and winks that will appeal to adults who'll understand them but are vague enough to go over kid's heads, it's subtle but fits in with the tone of the film and the type of character Shrek is. And besides there's plenty of childish humour in there as well including a couple fart jokes and some physical humour that's always a lot of fun, it's a funny movie with plenty of moments that still make you laugh even after seeing the film several times over.

One of the biggest compliments I can give the movie is that it has a post-modern feel, I don't mean that in a pretentious arty way, I just mean that the film takes the concepts of fairytales and turns it on its head, it embraces the clichés (such as the princess being kept in the highest room of the tallest tower) but also sets to break them as well, it pokes fun at the Disney standard and allows itself to become a fresh and fast-paced journey with unlikely heroes, insider jokes and a surprisingly pop-cultured soundtrack with the likes of Smash Mouth, Joan Jett and The Proclaimers, all helping to set this apart as the Anti-Disney film.

Much to my surprise the animation has held up really damn well, sure it's improved but this is still a very good looking movie with bright vibrant colours and several different settings that each have their own unique feel. Shrek's swamp is a gross and mud-filled hole but it has that homely quality that makes you understand why he loves living there while conversely Farquaad's castle is clean and straight-laced but far too cold and sharp to be welcoming. Fiona's castle is the highlight, feeling lifted straight out of a Castlevania game, it's covered with ash and dust and lava, it's a hellish place but is exactly the sort of castle you'd expect to find a dragon guarding a princess.

Shrek has held up for the test of time and if the memes are anything to go by it'll stay relevant for a long time to come, fairytales are timeless and Shrek's ability to embrace that world while still poking fun at it will never get old. The story is simple enough for kids but can still draw adults in, the characters all a lot of fun with Shrek and Fiona subverting expectations on who they should be and Donkey providing a great comic relief and the post-modern style mixed with clever humour and strong animation make this one for the ages. Definitely a highlight for Dreamworks and one of the animation greats.

8.5/10