Review of Shrek

Introduction

What happens when the two teenage boys of a film producer browse a library and come across a book called, "Shrek"? The producer in question, John H. Williams, makes a movie, that`s what. Based on the book by William Steig, Shrek is the story of an ogre living in a swamp doing his own thing, living life according to his own rules. He`s very untypical of a fairy tale character. Shrek (Mike Myers) saves Donkey (Eddie Murphy) from being evicted with all the other fairy tale characters and gains an unlikely motormouthed wisecracking sidekick in the process.

All these fairy tale characters are then dumped into Shrek`s swamp and he`s having none of it. Unfortunately someone by the name of Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) is the man responsible for the dilemma facing Shrek so off goes our green friend to sort it out. It transpires that if Shrek wants his swamp back, he`s going to have to do something for Lord Farquaad in exchange. Hence the quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and bring her back to the kingdom so Farquaad can marry her and become king.

Nothing is ever simple so we have to learn a few home truths along the way. The unlikely assumption of Shrek as the hero with human feelings is well played and a hook that we`d be familiar with. He`s the one that doesn`t fit in with others for one reason or another and prefers to live the life of a recluse. We soon find much to identify with as we forget Shrek is a mere ogre and is like a lot of us. Ogre rescues the princess and gets on really well with her that...you can kind of guess what else happens along the way.

Time to rescue the fair maiden!

Video

Astounding! The transfer is really astounding. I could rattle more superlatives but I think you know what I mean when I say Shrek has a flawless digital transfer. The 1.78:1 anamorphic video is bright, colourful, well balanced and just spot on. Even the fullframe version of the film is well done and is perfectly watchable if you insist on a fullscreen version. There`s lovely use of colour throughout with an impressive amount of detail. No signs at all of any problem. I particularly liked the scenes in the dragons` castle which are rich, detailed and simply gorgeous!

Audio

The sound for Shrek is very good. There`s a huge soundfield and both the DTS and DD soundtracks deliver a punchy and effective soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and delivered well for the most part. Ambient sound too is well catered for and adds a little sparkly where required. All speakers get used when called for and it sounds very satisfying in both DTS and DD when the action gets going on screen.

Features

This region 1 version comes on two discs and is absolutely packed to the gills with extra features and has nice animated menus.

Disc One:
HBO First Look: The Making of Shrek is a 24 minute featurette. A light programme that`s worth watching at least once. Sneak Peek shows a trailer for the forthcoming film, "Spirit", which looks quite nice.

The DVD-ROM portion features 13 games if you have a Windows PC and DVD software. I have to admit that I quite liked going through these games for novelty value. Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party is a bit of fun with the characters (also featured on Disc Two). Once you`ve seen this once, you`re not likely to watch again and again, unless you`re a child that is...

Games. These are aimed squarly at a younger audience as I can`t see many 30 year olds getting much fun from it. I did enjoy the trivia game though, just to test my first time viewing knowledge! Production Notes consists of dozens of pages that you can read on screen. The same goes for the Cast and Filmmakers options here too. While this in itself is interesting, I can`t help but feel that it`s just too much hard work reading all this stuff on screen. I want a booklet containing this stuff that I can peruse at leisure! I wouldn`t mind paying a small price for the inclusion of a nicely produced booklet. Couple this with little `Shrek Fun Facts` which are dotted around the place and what we have is quite a comprehensive package.


Disc Two:
The Filmmakers` Commentary is simply great to listen to. It was both informative and amusing as the two directors and producer just rattle on and on. Very entertaining and it made the film more enjoyable too. The Storyboard Pitch of Deleted Scenes is a multi-angle feature with three deleted scenes told in storyboard pitch fashion where you can select between the storyboards or the artist describing the storyline. Interesting, but I didn`t laugh like the audience did.

The Tech of Shrek is a 22 minute featerette and is interesting and also re-uses some of the HBO featurette from Disc One. If you`ve seen this stuff before on other CGI movies, then you won`t glean much more from this. It`s worth a watch at least once though. X-Box Game Playing Hints are for those with X-Box, I guess. Even just flicking through it doesn`t reveal much to those without. While the Production Notes, Cast and Filmmakers options are exactly the same as Disc One. Production Notes is presented differently but it`s all the same text.

Technical Goofs is a 3 minute short with just, erm...technical goofs. Dubbing Featurette lasts for 2 minutes and shows the dubbing talent from around the world when DreamWorks produced localised versions of Shrek. Progression Reel is concept art and models for the main characters/locations of Shrek and this is quite nice to look at.

Theatrical Trailer is a nice if revealing trailer. Don`t watch this unless you`ve already seen the movie. Lastly there are lots of nice touches in the animated menus, though it`s a shame that the extras aren`t anamorphically enhanced.

Conclusion

Shrek has sold and sold and sold through by the truckload and it`s not surprising to see why. One of the top grossing movies of 2001, Shrek was one of those movies that I missed at the cinema. I was quite pleased at being able to own it on DVD though and having watched it a lot since it came out, I know I like it but I also know it could have been better. I thought that the story was a bit lightweight for my liking. The villain in Lord Farquaad isn`t evil enough for me to really dislike. He`s nothing like in Disney`s Beauty and the Beast for example. Now there was a villain. Shrek does have some nice one liners in the script though, enough to make even me crack a smile.

The casting seems well suited, though Mike Myers` accent is odd and not in keeping with what I had expected, but as Shrek he became endearing as did John Lithgow playing Lord Farquaad. Diaz isn`t bad either as the princess, but hats off to Eddie Murphy`s Donkey. This is a notable standout with extra ham, definitely one of Murphy`s better performances, including his live action work, of recent years. The filmic references to movies such as Star Wars, The Matrix and Bond movies adds to the proceedings and is a nice touch.

Technically the film is impressive. The characters are well modelled with some very good looking environments and textures. The fairy tale setting here is ideal for CGI. The DVD is no less impressive with what looks like a flawless video transfer with perfect colour balance throughout. In terms of CGI movies, Toy Story 1 & 2 are films that I rate higher than Shrek since these seem to have a more balanced storyline, but Shrek is very close to these.

Shrek is a cool feel good movie with some great music (though I never liked The Proclaimers). After more than six months since its release, this DVD is still an enjoyable film and something I`ve grown to like more and more with each viewing. There`s something for children and adults alike here and I know there`s still mileage left in this DVD for me. PDI and DreamWorks have assembled a packed DVD which oozes quality in every pit. This two disc set is great value and a worthy addition for those that love animation, CGI or those that just enjoy thoroughly fun and entertaining movies.