SHREK REVIEWED
“Shrek” turns 15 and I can still remember when I first saw it. My friend Jon forced me to go see it because he wanted to see it and I was resistant. At the time, I was still firmly in the Mike Myers sucks camp. Well, I was also in the it’s funny that Eddie Murphy picks up cross-dressing hookers camp, but that got old. For those that haven’t seen the film, here’s the breakdown. Large green ogre doesn’t like his swamp becoming gentrified. He takes a challenge to the local government and they Mariel boatlift tons of undesirables into his neighborhood.
The ogre accepts an offer from the local government figure to rescue a political ally and along the way picks up an animal indentured servant. Dragons happen and then we get three undeserved sequels. Watching the film now with a small child in tow, I have to say that it set a precedent for kid movies to come. I’m just not sure if it was a good one. Shrek did push the American animated feature away from the musical and into far more aware pop culture laced humor. Honestly, it’s not that different than the WB vs. Disney Golden Age shorts.
In the attempt to pander to kids by seeming adult, the material becomes slightly dated in a way that is just now starting to become relevant again. Short-term gains with hopes of historical relevance is quite the long con. Especially, when it’s an adaptation of a tale that didn’t quite crack 35 pages. Oh well, at least there was no Puss N Boots.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Deleted Scenes
- Commentary
- Featurettes
- Musical Moments
A/V STATS
- 1.85:1 1080p transfer
- Dolby TrueHD 7.1