Full of verve and wit
Shrek is a computer-animated adaptation of William Steig's delightfully fractured . Our title character (voiced by Mike Myers) is an agreeable enough ogre who wants to live his days in peace. When the diminutive Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) evicts local fairy tale creatures (including the now-famous Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio and the Gingerbread Man), they settle in the ogre's swamp and Shrek wants answers from Farquaad. A quest of sorts starts for Shrek and his new pal, a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy), where battles have to be won and a princess (Cameron Diaz) must be rescued from a dragon lair in a thrilling action sequence. The story is stronger than most animated fare but it's the jokes that make
Shrek a winner. The PG rating is stretched when Murphy and Myers hit their strides. The mild potty humour is fun enough for the 10-year-old but will never embarrass their parents.
Shrek is never as warm and inspired as the
Toy Story films, but the realistic computer animation and a rollicking soundtrack keeps the entertainment in fine form. Produced by DreamWorks, the film also takes several delicious stabs at its cross-town rival, Disney.
--Doug Thomas,
On the DVD: DVD could have been invented to showcase Shrek's stunning computer animation--admirably served here by 16:9 anamorphic widescreen presentation--while the exuberant soundtrack comes alive in 5.1 Dolby Digital.
There are plenty of extras to choose from on this DVD, from The Tech of Shrek and fake Character Interviews to the amusing Swamp Karaoke Dance Party featuring the whole cast. However, none of these features have much depth, nor do they last long and it would be easy to feel slightly disappointed--were it not for the excellent Shrek's ReVoice Studio. This first-of-its-kind feature requires a computer running Microsoft Windows 98SE or higher, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, an Internet connection and a DVD-ROM drive. However, once the DVD-ROM is up and running, the instructions could not be clearer and within minutes the whole family will be dubbing their voices over favourite characters and scenes--rendering the other extras almost irrelevant.--Helen Baker
Product Description
Post-modern animated comedy-fantasy. Shrek (Mike Myers) is a reclusive ogre living in a swamp on the edges of a fairytale kingdom. The vain yet diminutive ruler of the land, Prince Fahrquaad (John Lithgow) decides to streamline his kingdom by getting rid of all the fairytale characters who promptly decamp to live in Shrek's swamp. Faced with these unwanted tenants Shrek strikes a deal with the Prince, promising to find and return with Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), marriage to whom will finally confer on the Prince his kingly status. In return the Prince promises to evict the various characters living on Shrek's land. Shrek's task is further irritated by the unwanted company of a tirelessly wise-cracking Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and while their adventure bears all the hallmarks of a classic fairytale, nothing in 'Shrek' turns out quite like you expect.
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