Shrek (2001)

Shrek (Mike Myers) is a big, green ogre who lives in a swamp. He is very happy in his swamp, primarily because he lives there by himself, just the way he likes it.

But one morning, he wakes up to find his swamp is now inhabited by a whole bunch of fairytale characters, who have all been evicted from their own homes by the evil, diminutive Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow).

Furious at his personal space being invaded, Shrek sets off to confront Lord Farquaad, and on the way, meets up with a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy). Unfortunately for Shrek, Donkey decides he is going to tag along. Even more unfortunately for Shrek, Donkey never shuts up.

When they find Lord Farquaad, he tells Shrek he will return his swamp to its original uninhabited state if he frees the beautiful Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from the clutches of a dragon, so that he can marry her. Shrek agrees, and a great quest ensues.

The screenplay, written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Joe Stillman & Roger S. H. Schulman is adapted from a book by William Steig. I haven’t read the book, but I would probably be keen to do so; I am curious as to how much of the story and characters actually originated from Steig’s book, and how much is the creation of the screenwriters.

It is a very clever script, filled with countless references to all the various fairytales the characters of the film originate from. I can still remember the very first time I saw this film, sitting on a couch in Hamilton, New Zealand back in 2002. I loved it then, and I still love it now.

Director Andrew Adamson (with co-director Vicky Jenson), who would go on to direct the Chronicles of Narnia films, has made an immensely enjoyable film. There is so much here for young viewers to enjoy, but the real success here is that adult viewers can enjoy it just as much, if not more.

The quality of the animation is exceptional, and the entire voice cast are brilliant. The endless back-and-forth banter between Shrek and Donkey is hilarious; it is impossible to imagine Donkey being voiced by anyone else than Eddie Murphy, his tone and intonation is just so perfect for the role.

There are some big surprises in the later parts of the film (maybe not as much of a surprise now, especially for those who have seen any one of the film’s three sequels; stay tuned for reviews of those coming in the near future), but more importantly, there are some very good messages in here for parents and children to discuss together after watching it.

There isn’t much more to say about this film, except to encourage you to watch it, either for the first time (seriously, where have you been?) or for a second or more time; you notice more and more each time, and it really is brilliant.

9 out of 10.