Smog

Wow!

This one caught me completely off guard. I did not see it in the theater, so this was my first viewing tonight. From the opening song "Allstar" my spider senses were tingling. OK, big ugly Ogre living alone in the woods, mmhmm, donkey with really short legs, talks incessantly, mmhmm, Meglomaniac ruler with real short legs, mmhmm, Ok that could work. But the music selection grated on my soul, I cringed, I closed my eyes. I turned it off. I didn't finish Shrek. My nine year old daughter is gonna kick my butt.

Well I popped it back in and didn't last long, who knew Mushu would grow up and become an even more annoying character; a minature Donkey!

I'm sorry but this is just plain grating. The music is some of the worst I've experienced ala Knight's Tale. The buddy film with a disgruntled Ogre and a wisecracking Donkey is so cliched I couldn't stand it. I am afraid I will never finish this one, which is a rare case for me. I have a young daughter and we have watched just about every animated and live action film intended for children and this is the first one I couldn't finish. Anyway, I am probably one of the very few that did not care for this one.

Should I make an appointment with Oprah?

Lokimok

You're not alone. This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It was torture to get through the whole thing. I can't believe so many people seem to love it. The only part even remotely entertaining to me was John Lithgow torturing the Gingerbread Man. I went to Borders last night to look at DVDs & I couldn't even do it because they had Shrek blaring from a tv above me. I had to leave after about 2 minutes.

askewed

It would be nice if when people say they did or didn't like a movie they could give some examples of films they do or don't like. It would give the reader a point of reference and help us decide if we would agree with you or not.

Thanks!

m0nk3ybutl3r

I really enjoyed the movie. It definitely was a bit too cookie-cutter fairy tale stuff (and considering they were spoofing fairy tales you'd think theyd be a bit less cliche). But what can you do. The movie itself was very good. It never shouldve made more than Toy Story 2 but its appeal was for both kids and adults so it had a huge appeal.

Okay. The last poster wanted specific things we didnt like. I really dont want to say it because its not a spoiler thread so dont read on if you haven't seen it yet.

Music
- Horrible. Smashmouth is a band I love to listen to in the car. Not in every single movie and trailer for 2 whole summers.
- The rest of the tracks on it are annoying as well. Really, really annoying.

Eddie Murphy
- I love Eddie but thats the same act he had in Mulan. Not slightly the same, or kinda similar. EXACTLY. The overtalking, very annoying Donkey. And great... he sings every 4 seconds too.

Spoofs
-The spoofs on the fairy tales was great. But not nearly enough. They shouldve cashed in on the humor there more.

Ending
- I wont say too much, but I was dissappointed at how predictable it was. And I really didnt like how she looked.
- That final song was horrible. Nice cover and all but it turning into a party was just too much. At least at the end of Toy Story 2 then it was a bit more timely and all but this was just over the top. If it wasnt the end I wouldve walked out when that part started.


Okay. Thats my thoughts. I did like it despite my complaints and the DVD is really well made. I cant get the DVD-Rom features working on WinXP. And also I almost puked during the singing part. Who thinks that is funny again? But anyway, its a good movie that is way overrated. But the DVD is fun so I'd recomend it.

Smog

askewed that is an impossible request as all reviews are subjective. What I like or don't like couldn't possibly have any relevance here. The point is I didn't like Shrek. The only way for anyone to know is to view it themselves. Reviews can be a guide but I see what I want to see regardless of anyones likes or dislikes.

askewed

If you (or anyone) says "I don't like movie X" and I disagree with that view... it would be helpful to know that you (for instance) hated 'Pulp Fiction' (as an example). Because in this example I would then disregard you as an idiot.

So, I think it would be helpful. As they say in court "it goes to the defendants line of thinking".

Scott

fukasawa

I have to agree with the general dislike of the movie being expressed here. I remember a dvdtalk thread awhile ago ("if you only had one movie to buy in november") everyone under the sun was picking shrek. So I decided to pick it up and give it a whirl.

NOTE: I was going into the movie thinking it was a tongue-in-cheek take on traditional fairy tales. This is true but only on a very superficial level.

This is a cursory review:

I loved the animation and their attention to detail (textures on noses and the like). I loved John Lithgow, I have always thought he has been underappreciated in the industry (so few can play comedy and drama so well). Mike Myers and Eddie Murphey really give mediocre performances, the character quirks (donkey's contsant talking and Shrek's accent) reach annoyances levels similar to the Jar Jar debacle.

The story line was good and some disney mocking is always appriciated, however, they fail to monopolize on that thus resulting in a mediocre movie at best.

fukasawa

Yes but prior bad acts (or should I say, prior preferences) are not admissable. It would skew your thinking some may immediately discount a review because of prior reviews. You and I disagree about pulp fiction (hypothetical) so you give no creedence to what I say, so we will never know if we agree on other movies.

The merits of the review should be the issue like being overly technical or superficial. In the end movies are deeply personal and I don't think two people have the same "love/hate" lists.

Groucho

I agree that it's not necessary to list off how you feel about every movie you've seen whenever you post a review. The reviews in this thread from Smog et al are fine. They each explained how they felt about the film, and why. I've already seen Shrek myself, but had I not seen it I think these reviews would have been quite helpful...far more helpful than:

Lokimok

Ok. I admit that my post does not belong in this forum. I have not seen the DVD - & will not see it. I had avoided all the Shrek threads in the DVD Talk forum because I knew I hated the movie & reading about it would've been a waste of time. I noticed Smog's thread here & avoided it too until I noted that it had been posted for half a day with forty-some views & no responses. I got curious, clicked on it, & was surprised to see someone else who hated the movie. So I wasn't writing a review, just replying to Smog. It wasn't until after I posted, that I saw there were a couple of threads in the Movie Talk forum where my comments would be better suited. Sorry.

I haven't seen the movie in awhile & have been able to erase much of it from my memory, but I will try to come up with a few comments.

The music. I hated it. I never need to hear Smashmouth again. It's on the radio, in movies, in trailers, in commercials geared towards kids... 1 of the most overplayed songs of the last couple of years - but little kids like it so I can understand it being in the movie. But Joan Jett? The Pina Colada Song? What are they thinking here? Are these the songs parents of young children grew up on? Are they for them? Or are the Shrek creators just hopeless nerds? They added nothing - except a hollow feeling somewhre in my gut.

The characters. I hated them. None of them were enjoyable to be around. I didn't care about them. I think Mike Myers is ok, but I'd like him to stop doing Scottish accents. I don't think I've enjoyed anything from Eddie Murphy since the 80s...

There was no wit to the movie and no soul - just lame references with no meaning. Why would the donkey say, "Tic-Tac"? Isn't it a fairy tale? If he's going to say Tic-Tac, then I want to see a 7-11 somewhere in the movie. I know that sounds trivial & stupid but it really bothered me for some reason. There was nothing fresh, nothing new. With or without fancy computer graphics, it just felt like a cheap, tired, old movie. If they had ripped more on Disney, they might've gotten a little credit, but this felt more like a Swan Princess or Nutcracker Prince type movie. I had my doubts from the commercials, but had heard almost nothing but good things about it & had even read strange hostility towards those who didn't like it much so I took a look. I wish I hadn't.

& for reference... I love Toy Story & Antz. They both have heart & are very funny. I thought A Bug's Life & Toy Story 2 were just ok. Most people that I've read have said that Toy Story 2 is better than the first, but I disagree. It just didn't do much for me. Maybe it was the splitting up of Woody & Buzz.

I also really like the tv show, ReBoot. Of course, the animation is more limited, but still very good. The story is cool, the characters & voices are very likable, & most of the references/jokes/parodies are right on.

Tscott

This is similar humor to the Hercules and Xena shows, where a character talks like a valley girl or someone tells Hercules what he really needs is a good theme song. You know that it's absurd in the context of the story, thus it's amusing. Some people like this sort of humor, some don't.

As far as the music, I have a personal dislike of Smashmouth just like most people here, but a little at the start and end of the film didn't seem to intrude too much for me. Also, I was pleasantly shocked when I heard Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' (covered by Rufus Wainwright) used, let alone used with such an emotional impact in this film.

Personally I liked this film and was very pleased with my purchase.

mh4268

I can't agree more everytime I put in the disc I get an urge to fast-forward it, and Hallelujah was great. With the new karaoke bit, I think having an ass sing "I like big butts" by Sir Mix-A-Lot is priceless.

mh4268

I can't agree more everytime I put in the disc I get an urge to fast-forward it, and Hallelujah was great. With the new karaoke bit, I think having an ass sing "I like big butts" by Sir Mix-A-Lot is priceless.

necros

Sorry, but I must disagree.. I think Shrek is the best movie I've seen in a VERY long time. Of course different people have different tastes But I thought it was incredibly funny, the acting was just fine, the animation/art was incredible, and the music fit in just fine for me.. though I would have rather had the original Monkees song, then a cover by an eMpTyV slave band. But it still wasn't all that bad to me...

Fixxer

I thought it was an alright movie. I have seen worse, thats forsure.

JaxComet

Agreed, the movie was great. The music wasn't the best but it sure beats most of those awful Disney tunes......Dreamworks may have been a little sneaky in their marketing as I don't really believe this to be a child's movie at all........

Dazed

I enjoyed the film although its not up there with the likes of Toy Story or the new Monsters Inc.

I think a better ending was needed but oh well, it sure beat Tomb Raider which i was forced to watch and hated.

jimp

My 2 years old daughter loves it, she watch it twice a day. personally, I thought it was o.k

dknight04

Excellent. The funniest and most original animated movie ever.

exConn

These 2 quotes actually amaze me:

You couldn't finish the movie or had to leave the store because of a song in the movie?

Admittedly, the song kinda sucks and admittedly you have every right to make these choices. But wow, I can't comprehend a song having that much of an impact on myself watching and finishing (or having to get away from) a movie.

I'm sure there are plenty of movies, great ones, that have a lousy song or two in them but I wouldn't (personally) ditch the movie just because of this.

This is just my opinion and I respect those quoted opinions above which differ from mine - it just seems so laughable to me. Again - not trying to knock anyone...

My personal take on the movie:
Audio - 3/5 (nothing to write home about)
Video - 5/5 (beautiful)
Movie - 3.5/5 (just slightly above average, but enjoyable)
Extras - 4/5 (some really good stuff, but some fluff too)

My kids loved it of course. And my wife enjoyed it more than I did. So if you take their values and average them with mine, overall it made for a great family purchase for us.

-exConn

rwolhar

For anyone who hasn't seen it and doesn't have kids rent it or get it for 17.99 at Walmart. The movie is cute, the making of is ver interesting an for kids, they'll love it. I bought it shortly after release and watched it at work. the making of, is wonderful some of the other extras suck but to see what 300 people did for three years so we could critique this movie is definately amazing.

The Bus

I liked Shrek a lot... I thought it was a very funny movie and I can't wait to see it again. It might not be great film but I thought it had some cute humor in it and it was entertaining to watch. Not every movie you see or own has to be Fitzcarraldo [imdb.com].

Movies I Liked More: Toy Story 2, Iron Giant, Jungle Book

Movies I Liked About the Same: Monsters Inc., A Bug's Life

Movies I Liked Less: Hercules, Tarzan, Toy Story

moviegeekjn

Feel free to argue with Oprah... Vastly overrated movie for sure.

Hard to believe the buzz I'm hearing from some critics who plan to list it in their top ten lists, and early buzz that it may garner some Oscar nominations... Really bad reflection of 2001 movie releases when such drek receive this much positive notice.

edytwinky

I rented this one on DVD and I have to say this movie is "good". It wasn't worth all the attention is received, however; it was a pretty good movie. It had it's jokes and moments. Out of five stars, I'd give it three.

etp

All ten of my thumbs are up!!!!