Shrek is almost impossible to evaluate at face value. You can mark it lower for creating the lazy “celebrity voice cast + pop culture reference” formula of animated comedy; you can mark it higher for millennial nostalgia (this was the default movie substitute teachers turned on when I was in high school); you can mark it lower OR higher for its over-saturation in memes and pop culture.
I ultimately land on the positive side for the movie, but nowhere near the exuberance I felt towards it at age 18.
Let’s start with the movie’s problems: Much of the comedy boils down to “Hey, you’ve heard of this! Might be funny with farts!” Lazy anachronistic reference comedy, amplified by long-exhausted shock value of including irreverent Disney allusions.
The low-effort gags are all the more frustrating because the writers do show occasional cleverness: When the writers lean more into actual parody (like the “It’s a Small World” riff or the exaggeration of Robin Hood’s homoerotic undertones) the movie can be legitimately, enduringly funny.
I’m not sure the movie’s animation ever looked good, but — as with just about any pre-2008 non-Pixar CGI film — today, it looks horrid for the majority of the runtime. Shrek himself is fairly well-designed and -animated, but every human looks like a horrifying putty doll.
At least the movie has a coherent plot and memorable characters. Unlike other movies in the Dreamworks formula, the lead characters undergo at least some development, and the outing feels like a proper adventure, aurally enhanced moreso by John Powell’s score than the pop needle drops.
It’s a flawed, uneven romp, but a romp nonetheless. Perhaps its cultural reach and influence has surpassed its worth, but it’s still a modestly pleasant, occasionally grating, way to spend an hour and a half.
- Review Series: Top 100 (2009 List)
Is It Good?
Very Good (6/8)
Note: This review was published early in The Goods' history and is a candidate for an expanded review in the future. Please excuse brevity or inconsistencies in style.
Dan is the founder and head critic of The Goods. Follow Dan on Letterboxd. Join the Discord for updates and discussion.