So what's the big deal about SHREK? (1 Viewer)

[Holadem]

The somewhat negative opinion I expressed in this thread at this time last year has morphed into a very positive one.
It really grew on me, I now consider Shrek one of the very best movies of last year. Go figure... :rolleyes
--
Holadem

 

[Bryant Trew]

Shreck did so well because despite being an animation, lots of the tongue in cheek humor was accessible to adults. The matrix spoofs, Robin Hood innuendo, modern music and kickbacks to all the fairy tales were great. Add to that Eddie Murphy's hilarious donkey, John Lithglow's pompous arrogance cast against his height, Mike Meyers being the reluctant hero and Cameron Diaz just being cool. It all worked together.

Not to be forgotten, it was up against crap films like Swordfish.

 

[Kenneth Cummings]

I have to agree with you here. This movie is just very poor, with bad jokes and generic characters. So he a donkey, haha he said arse. And to make it worst is the ending.

With the acually good character, the Lord Farqued getting eaten alive and the princess turning into a orge, making a weak ending. Plus the Smash Mouth doesn't help either.


At least I don't have to explain why I hate it this time, unlike when I told my friends, who needed every detail on why.

 

[Steve Christou]

Wow, some of you guys must have been in a seriously bad mood when watching Shrek, not often I encounter opinions that are totally out of whack with my own. Shrek had a hysterically funny script and fantastic CGI that must have sent shockwaves at PIXAR which unfortunately has resigned itself to making kiddie movies forever, if its not talking toys than its cute furry monsters or their next one which apparently is about cute little goldfish, nice!
Shrek richly deserved the best animated movie Oscar, and Eddie Murphy should have had gotten a nod for his talking ass [!].

 

[Dave_P.]

^^ what he just said ^^

 

[Adam Horak]

Wow, I can't believe how many of you dislike this movie. It is one of my favorites and gets alot of play in my system. So what if the humor is a little low brow. It's still funny. I think its one of the funniest movies I've seen.

Shrek isn't supposed to be high art. Its just supposed to be a funny movie that you can get a good laugh from. It excels at that.

I don't care if Farquaad interogating the cookie is irrelavent to the plot. It's still funny as heck. I don't sit around and analyze this movie. Just enjoy it.

I enjoyed Shrek MUCH more than either Toy Story movie, and a little more than Monsters, Inc. I did not find the TS movies to be nearly as funny as Shrek, and Woody annoys the heck out of me.

 

[Seth Paxton]

I agree with Steve on this.
I never saw it as Best Pix Oscar caliber and that talk confused me (animated yes, but best overall??), but it was a fun comedy that had humor ranging for many age groups. I would not put it above Pixar's work simply because I think they are doing more than just comedy and their stories seem to be more inventive (like the bedroom door warehouse in Monsters).
It seems to boil down to what type of humor you like, I think. I don't think it was terribly clever but I liked it's fun spirit.
BTW, funniest joke for me was the "Big Head" attendent running for his life but following the line ropes.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Quote:
--Shrek isn't supposed to be high art. Its just supposed to be a funny movie that you can get a good laugh from. It excels at that.
We know it isn't supposed to be high art. It is supposed to be funny. But those of us who didn't like it didn't find it funny at all. I did not laugh once in this movie, it just constantly made me do this:
Quote:
--It seems to boil down to what type of humor you like, I think.
Yep, you nailed it Seth. Although I also found the animation a mixed bag and the story weak.

 

[Steve Christou]

I did not laugh once in this movie, it just constantly made me do this :rolleyes

Really? Hmmm strange? When I watched it, it was making me do this...
Have you checked the box, it wasn't 'Shriek' was it?

 

[Randy Korstick]

Steve
Now that was funny and I did check the box

 

[TheLongshot]

I'm really confused about all the hate for this film. I thought, and still think, that it is a really good film. I still bust a gut over it. It goes out to be a fun movie, and never loses the point throught.

Also, all those compairing it to Toy Story I + II, please stop. No one in their right mind would say that Shrek is better than those two films, but that doesn't by definition make Shrek a bad film. I do think it is better than Monster's Inc. (Which relied a little too much on cliche for my taste, and the leads didn't really do anything that they haven't done before. What saved it for me was the kid.)

Jason

 

[Richard Kim]

I'm really confused about all the hate for this film. I thought, and still think, that it is a really good film.

It's all a matter of taste. Personally, I didn't laugh once throughout the entire film (Monsters Inc on the other hand had many moments that made me laugh out loud). The humor didn't really click for me. I think they were trying too hard to be "hip" and going for an "adult" sensibility, and failed (the excessive Disney bashing, the tired Matrix gag, Smashmouth).

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Comparing the Toy Story films to Shrek is comparing apples to oranges

I agree with that to a large extent. But, the comparisons are inevitable given the fact that they are both animated movies geared towards both kids and adults.
I loved Shrek, and think it is quite superior to the very "kiddie" oriented Monsters, Inc.
This movie is very much like The Princess Bride. I have a theory that people who loved The Princess Bride will also love (or at least like) Shrek. They are very similar in that they are both unconventional (perhaps "revisionist" is a better word?) fairy tails, making fun of the very genre that the film itself falls into.
Of course now that I have stated my theory, everyone who hated Shrek will chime in and say they loved The Princess Bride! :rolleyes

 

[felix_suwarno]

no no, i hate the princess bride but loved shrek very much.

 

[Stephen_L]

I really enjoyed Shrek for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the pleasure Shrek took in skewering the conventions of Disney and American cartoons in general. After years of Snow White singing with the birds, it was hilarious to see the bluebird explode and Fiona cook up the eggs. The Gingerbread Man torture scene was a riot. Even the ending which is a twist on the frog turning into a prince was refreshing.

Oh, and to those folks that feel Farquad was not evil. He forces hundreds of creatures from their homes, tortures and dismembers another creature, plans to marry only to advance his position, holds his new wife at knifepoint. Hmmmmmm, kinda evil to me.

All that being said, I don't think Shrek holds up to the Toy Story films. One reason is all the emphasis on inside humor and topical references is going to date the film quickly. The Toy Story film's humor and heart are timeless and will be enjoyed just as thoroughly in twenty or thirty years as they are today.