Media Coursework - Shrek Review

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Shrek – Once Upon a Time There Was … An Ogre you say?

‘Shrek’ is a brilliant CGI fairytale master-piece, which is full of heroics, shocks and ‘fairytale things’, like the lovely Snow White, or the lying Pinocchio as examples. This computer animated movie truly represents the modern day family, proving how much closer families have become in the last 50 years through the use of both toilet humour and clever innuendos attracting audiences of many generations. This motion picture also contains the welcome return of some of the Disney classics, a few of your favourite and most loved fairytale characters, appearances ranging from the fabulous Three Blind Mice, the scrumptious Gingerbread man, and the mighty, but maybe slightly camp, Robin Hood.

Although this feature length animation is set to be the biggest blockbuster this year, it is not through the usual fairytale conventions. Sure, it has the cliché ‘Once Upon a Time’ beginning and all the usual twits and turns, but here are many other aspects to ‘Shrek’, that are quite controversial. ‘Cinderella’, the old, non-politically correct Disney movie is a great film to compare ‘Shrek’ to. The Prince, as usual, was a slim, polite, beautiful, and most importantly human, while Shrek, the hero in this DreamWorks movie, is not, with him being a disgusting, rude, ugly ogre. Even the heroine isn’t the conventional Princess, unlike Cinderella who is blond, weak and dainty, which, to be honest, is not politically correct in the slightest. On the other hand, we have the strong, invulnerable yet gorgeous Princess Fiona in ‘Shrek’.

The film itself is about a big misunderstood ogre named Shrek (mike Myers) who lives in contented solitude deep in the heart of a forest’s swamp, until his home is invaded by fairytale creatures fleeing the rule of evil Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Farquaad agrees to re-locate the pests on the condition that Shrek rescues Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) – whom Farquaad desires to wed – from a far off, dragon inhabited castle. Grudgingly, Shrek sets out, joined in his quest by his unwanted companion, Donkey (Eddie Murphy).

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‘Shrek takes great pleasure in lampooning fairytales and nursery rhymes of all sorts, and reserves a few delightful knocks at Disney in the bargain, as well as some well placed innuendos. At some points, some opportunities for some terrific fairytale satire are bypassed for a stronger storyline, but that doesn’t matter because, even then, one can always sit back and enjoy the beautiful computer animation, whose remarkable use here represents yet another dazzling leap forward for technology, and is a much greater improvement on ‘Cinderella’ and other such movies.

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