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The Shrek phenomenon has always been a bit of a mystery to me. Not that I hated the first movie. In fact, my computer tells me I gave it two and a half stars (out of five). But I just didn't get what all the fuss was about. What's funny about Shrek acting as if he's a big-time wrestler? Why did the scene have to go on for five minutes? How many burp and fart jokes does any movie need, and why were adults laughing so much? I was in the minority, though, as audiences flocked and flocked again to see the big green ogre and his soon-to-be-wife Fiona.

So it goes without saying that I wasn't exactly counting down the days to Shrek 2. But when the sequel started out with a brilliantly animated sequence in which Prince Charming rushes through rain, fire, and other obstacles to reach the bedside of his beloved, well I sat up in my chair. Maybe this would be ok, even an improvement on the original. Then I laughed as Shrek and Fiona took their honeymoon in a secluded gingerbread house. Maybe this would be beautiful and funny. But then came the newlywed montage, set to a Counting Crows song. In and of itself, there's nothing wrong with that. But this is only the first of at least six musical montages Shrek 2 includes in its 100-minute running time.

A musical montage is a dialogue-free scene in which we see brief snippets of various scenes structured around a common theme. So in the newlywed montage, there's Shrek and Fiona cavorting through the meadow, laughing at each other's jokes, and basically making googly eyes at each other. Musical montages are a staple of animated films, as they're designed to communicate some basic emotion which is reinforced by the choice of music. In the Toy Story movies, this would usually be a sad or nostalgic song, something that would tug on the heartstrings of the parents in the audience.

Musical montages are often a sign of unimaginative filmmaking. If you can't find a way to manipulate the audience's emotions, throw in a music montage and that'll do the trick. They can also function as virtual advertisements for the soundtrack--look at all the great songs you'll get if you buy the cd today! That Shrek 2 includes at least a half dozen of these scenes is a serious drawback. Furthermore, unlike the first movie which had the good taste to choose songs by Leonard Cohen and others, the sequel relies on tunes that are already desperately familiar: "Changes," "Le Freak," "Funkytown," and "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." Talk about a lack of creativity.

Fortunately, the parts of Shrek 2 that aren't advertising for the soundtrack are pretty good. There aren't as many gags as in the first one, though there's a priceless parody of the "Cops" television show. But there's an even stronger emphasis on the story. Shrek and Fiona return to Fiona's parents to receive their blessing. The latter aren't thrilled to find out their son-in-law is an ogre. John Cleese and Julie Andrews are marvelous as the voices of the parents, and the family conflict is handled nicely. Even better, though, is the introduction of The Fairy Godmother who, in a wonderful turn of expectations, turns out to be a manipulative witch creating potions in her sweatshop factory. Her entrance is a brilliant song that parodies our culture's fascination with possessions and plastic surgery.

The best new character of all, though, is Puss In Boots, hilariously voiced by Antonio Banderas. At first, he's Shrek's nemesis, but then he becomes the new sidekick, a development barely tolerated by the Donkey. The interplay between Banderas and Eddie Murphy as the Donkey is fantastic. And when Puss coughs up a hairball, the animation is staggeringly funny. Actually, the animation is pretty much fantastic across the board. The animators still haven't figured out human characters' facial expressions, but everything else looks as true as can be. The background scenery is particularly awe-inspiring, worthy of hanging on someone's wall.

If the movie ended with the focus on story and animation, Shrek 2 would be a delightful summer movie. But instead it returns to the music montage, with not one but two final scenes structured around the music instead of the tale. First is "Holding Out for a Hero" (made famous by Bonnie Tyler) and then "Livin' La Vida Loca." That last one is wrong for so many reasons. Still, when all's said and done, I liked the sequel better than the original. It's not a great movie, but its good parts make up for the bad.   

J. Robert Parks  5/22/2004