Season 1: Shrek (2001)

A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.

Jess' Review

I’d spent the week sick and feeling very sorry for myself, so Sam very kindly let me jump ahead and choose today’s film. You didn’t think Sam would choose Shrek (2001), did you?!

If you haven’t seen Shrek, you must be living under a rock and I truly pity you, because it’s an absolute masterpiece. Everyone, adult and child, should have the opportunity to bask in its swampy glow. This is a perfect film.

Smash Mouth’s super-hit ‘All-Star’ introduces us to our grumpy, ogre lead (voiced by Mike Meyers), and with that first “somebody once told me..”, I’m pumped. I have to start by praising the incredible and iconic soundtrack of this film. It’s fun, it’s sad and sweet at times too, but each track forms a perfect backdrop to the scene. I remember listening to the CD on repeat as a kid and on this viewing do I realise just how right the filmmakers got it. There’s such amazing energy through the choice of music.

The plot is simple but effective, shaped in a way that pokes fun at traditional fairy tale tropes, whilst completely subverting our expectations. Our ‘damsel in distress’ Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) is the OG lady badass, and the ‘monstrous’ Shrek is entirely lovable through his tough, green exterior. The characters are brilliant. Cooky and exaggerated as they should be in an animation targeted at a younger audience, but grounded enough for adult viewers to engage with too. Eddie Murphy’s voice acting as Donkey might well be the pinnacle of his career. And the jokes! I am truly impressed by Shrek’s ability to make me laugh. And maybe that says more about me and my juvenile sense of humour, but I would argue there is plenty of adult comedy tucked away in here too.

Perhaps my love for this film is rooted in nostalgia, but there is no denying it’s place as one of the greats. The animation was groundbreaking at the time (though understandably a bit dated by today’s standard) and paved the way for a whole new kind of genre that gives audience more than a basic ‘happily ever after’. Shrek’s message is sweet, the scenes are action-packed, often-comical and always gripping, and there is an emotional depth simmering away beneath the frivolity. Shrek might be the greatest animated movie of all time. And I reiterate, this is a perfect film.

10/10

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Sam's Review

An almost perfect film. Actually, it is so unerring that reviewing Shrek is a little difficult. An imaginative story, that flirts with mocking the conventions of fairy tales whilst giving its own take on the format. The story is playful and witty. At its heart, it isn’t a grand tale, it’s about a grumpy ogre who simply wants his swamp back.

The titular character, Shrek (Mike Myers), is a brilliantly nuanced personality – as we all know, “ogres are like onions” because of their layers – especially as a protagonist in a children’s film. He’s not conventionally attractive, he has a mood, and he struggles to make friends. A refreshing break from the hero archetype. And, his flaws are not flaunted. They’re displayed subtly, in a very accepting way. Similar to Shrek, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) breaks the mould. Opposed to a typical damsel in distress, Fiona is a strong character, who can look after herself. Though, Eddie Murphy as Donkey is the MVP of a stellar cast. Murphy’s heartfelt comedic timing steals the show.

I’m sure Jess will touch on the soundtrack in her review, as she mentioned numerous times through the film how good the songs were. And she is correct. I don’t think there was a skippable song played.

Some of the CGI has not aged well. But considering it is over two decades old, and how far technology has advanced since then, it is unfair to penalise it for something so trivial. All of my problems with the film are trivial, in truth. How/Why does Fiona’s dress change when she does? Is it part of the spell? And in the credits, the three blind mice seem to be in multiple places at once. Easy things to forgive. But the dress size does niggle at me. I’m nit-picking, I know. But I was so blown away by the film, and how it holds up decades later, even viewed through the eyes of a 30-year-old, that I wanted it to be perfect.

A delightful story, with an intriguing cast and a good message. It’s a modern fairy tale, and a pleasure to watch.

9.5/10

P.S. Having just read Jess’ review, as great as Eddie Murphy is in Shrek, what are we doing here?! His pinnacle is Delirious (1983). One of the greatest stand-up specials of all time.