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The Shrek Movies
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Release Date
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July 27, 2022
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Running Time
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21:50
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Previous Review
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Next Review
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Link
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Video
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(After the opening, we cut to NC in his chair.)
NC: Hello, I’m the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don’t have to. (An image of the title card for NC’s review of the Austin Powers movies appears in the upper left corner of the screen.) Guess I’m on a Mike Myers kick.
(Clips from the Shrek movies play as NC talks.)
NC (VO): Yeah, I know, another YouTube critic talking how amazing and groundbreaking Shrek is. How original. This film has been praised left and right over the years and has become such a part of pop culture. It still churns out merchandise (shows a picture of Shrek toys), memes (a picture of Dwayne Johnson with a Photoshopped Shrek-like green skin and ears is shown), and everyone seems to say most animated films nowadays owe a lot to either Toy Story or this. Whether it be the animation, dialogue, jokes, moral, story, almost every CG has something that traces back to the style of one of these two films. So what the hell I can say about this movie and its sequels over 20 years after its release in 2001?
NC: Well how about...I don’t really get into this film. (As a thumbs down icon is seen going down, NC pushes it back up.) However, that has changed a little bit over time. A little.
NC (VO): I want to bring the point of view of someone who did not fall in love with the first movie, but over time, acknowledged there is an importance to it. The film was one of the earliest animated features of DreamWorks'. Even Shrek’s theme is still played whenever you see the DreamWorks Animation Logo.
Shrek: (narrating) “She waited in the dragon’s keep in the highest room…”
(The theme, “Fairy Tale”, is then played during the DreamWorks logo.)
NC (VO): It stars Mike Myers as a gross-loving ogre teamed up with a fast-talking donkey – played by Eddie Murphy – performing the task of saving a princess – played by Cameron Diaz – for a selfish king – played by John Lithgow – and in return, having a bunch of fairy tale creatures removed from his swamp.
Shrek: Attention all…fairy tale things, do not get comfortable.
NC: So I'll guess I’ll start what didn’t like about the film, what I do like about the film, and despite my thoughts, what relevance it has on today’s culture.
NC (VO): And after that, I’ll move onto the other films to see if they had the same effect.
Shrek[]
NC: So, first off, let me say I was one of the few people that was legit excited to see this movie.
(Clips from the first film are shown.)
NC (VO): Everyone complained how the trailers looked really lame and it was gonna be nothing but fart jokes. But I could tell by the attitude of how it looked and how it sounded that there was gonna be a bit more bite to it.
NC: So, while a lot of people were surprised it has as much of an edge as it did, I was surprised it didn’t have even more.
NC (VO): I guess my first thought was this was going to be like The Simpsons telling a fairy tale – a very self-aware, self-satirizing, mean, and adult take on what we grew up with. Think what (we are shown a promotional image for…) Disenchantment would become.
NC: When I saw the film, I definitely got elements of that, but not as much as I was hoping.
NC (VO): I guess I just didn’t think a lot of these jokes were that funny. I love hearing Eddie Murphy talk, but I’m never hearing any good writing out of him.
Donkey (Murphy): And if you don’t mind me saying, if that don’t work, your breath certainly will get the job done. ‘Cause you definitely need some Tic Tacs or something, ‘cause your breath stinks!
NC (VO): Myers is the same. I feel like it’s just his Scottish schtick – which I want to laugh at, but it’s just not giving me any material to latch onto.
(We are shown the scene where Shrek and Donkey are on the rickety bridge leading to the Dragon’s Keep – a run-down fortress surrounded by lava.)
Donkey: Don’t do that!
Shrek (Myers): This?
(Shrek sways the rickety bridge.)
Donkey: Yes, that!
Shrek: Yes? Yes, do it. Okay.
NC (VO): I had a similar experience with… (a shot of the Sanderson Sisters pops up) …the witches from Hocus Pocus or… (a shot of Dr. Robotnik pops up) …Jim Carrey from the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
(A shot from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 pops up, with the text “Sequel is SO much funnier” underneath.)
NC (VO): They’re funny performances, just not saying funny things. Why is Donkey finding out the dragon is female and charming her that great?
Donkey: Not emotionally ready for a commitment of this – uh – “magnitude” really is the word I’m looking for. Magnitude.
NC (VO): Why is Shrek explaining how an onion has layers that hilarious?
Shrek: Ogres are like onions! End of story! Bye-bye. (whispers) See ya later.
NC (VO): Why is Fiona saying “there’s an arrow in your butt” such amazing material?
Shrek: (The Princess) here was just… (Fiona yanks out the arrow.) Ugh!
(Fiona waves the arrow in front of Shrek.)
Shrek: Ow.
NC (VO): I’ve seen this movie so many times because people always say I’m missing something with the humor. And all these years later, most of it just never grabbed me.
NC: Now that’s not to say nothing is funny, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
NC (VO): At least the cynical world and offbeat characters could stand out, and… yeah, they do for a time. It loses me again, though, when it tries to act like it’s giving this heartbreaking romance that’s just the usual third act breakup with no laughs. There’s absolutely nothing new to it, yet they’re acting like they’re giving us something new. If it was something that was really interesting, like a relationship issue people could identify with – honestly, a little bit more like in the later films, I’d be okay. But the mishearing of what the other says confusing them for not loving each other? God, I hate these!
Shrek: I heard enough last night.
Fiona (Diaz): You heard what I said?
Shrek: Every word. Who could love a hideous, ugly beast?
NC (VO): (sarcastically) Yeah, let’s see him sulk. This is really gut-wrenching. I haven’t seen this in a million other half-assed rom-coms. We just stay on the moping and doping for a while, and again, nothing funny or new is added. I don't follow why it’s so emotional for so many people. I guess for a lot of audiences, they just accept this as part of the course, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t understand. I mean, I have clichés I put up with to get to the stuff I really like.
NC: Sometimes those clichés are the things I really like. (An image of a woman and a man is shown, with a massive explosion in the background.)
NC (VO): These, though, just push all the wrong buttons for me. Everyone has their pet peeves that are hard for them to look over. These clichés are some of mine.
NC: Okay, I’ve laid into what I don’t enjoy about the film. Well, let me get to what I do, because there really is quite a bit.
NC (VO): I don’t wanna give the impression that I hate this movie, because there are so many good things in it. And the good things are whenever they try to do something different.
NC: When it goes dark, it goes mad dark.
NC (VO): I’m never seeing this with an audience and watching the scene where Fiona sings to a bird and, instead of tweeting along, she sings so loud she blows it up. That’s already great, but then she looks down at the nest of eggs.
NC: Everyone in the audience was like, “Aw, is she gonna raise them?”
NC (VO): Nope. She cooks ‘em right up. That is some great shit. The edgier moments in the film are where it comes alive. The Gingerbread Man saying…
Gingerbread Man (Gingy) (Conrad Vernon): Eat me! (He spits icing in Farquaad’s face.)
NC (VO): Blowing up innocent animals just for amusement.
(Shrek and Fiona catch a frog and a snake and blow them up like balloons.)
NC (VO): Even almost dropping a few swear words here and there.
Robin Hood (Vincent Cassel): ♪ I like an honest fight and a saucy little maid. ♪
Merrymen: ♫ What he’s basically saying is he likes to get… ♫
Robin Hood: ♪ Paid! ♪
NC: The look of the film is also very unconventional. It’s both kind of pretty and kind of ugly at the same time.
(Clips from Frozen are shown).
NC (VO): Disney famously goes out of its way to make everything as pretty as possible.
(Back to Shrek.)
NC (VO): But here, even the pretty stuff has something a little off about it, and I’m sure that’s intentional. Like it’s a fairy tale, but it’s a very disturbed fairy tale. You can tell something's up.
NC: But probably the thing I like the most? The moral.
(We are shown clips from Disney films such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Frozen II, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Pinocchio.)
NC (VO): How many times have you seen a Disney film where they say “don’t judge a book by its cover” and then the cover is changed? I love Disney, and most of us get the messages they’re trying to get across, but they do renege on a lot of stuff. A sacrifice isn’t always a sacrifice. Think you’re too ugly to get the woman? You’re right. But, hey. Believe hard enough, and you can transform how you look.
(Back to Shrek.)
NC (VO): Well, here, the happy ending isn’t both people turning beautiful – it’s both people turning into monsters. And they’re okay with that.
NC: I remember – again – when I saw this with an audience…
NC (VO): …and the scene began, everyone around me was kind of whispering…
NC: “Wouldn't it be kinda cool if she stayed an ogre?” But they’re like, “Nah, they wouldn’t do that.”
NC (VO): But they stick the landing and stand by their message, and it’s still a happy ending. It isn’t the physical beauty that changes; it’s the perception of it.
NC: And this gets to one of honestly a few reasons why I think this film is still relevant today.
NC (VO): On top of the ending that doesn’t cheat the audience, over time, I feel like there’s more you can draw from it. There’s been a lot explored in terms of identity in the past few decades, and when you see how Fiona acts with her love of – well, ogreish stuff – Shrek loves it. Makes sense; her outside now represents how she feels on the inside. Like most good lessons, it’s one that gets stronger the more you can connect it to both past and present predicaments.
NC: But on top of that, when this was released, PG had a little bit more of a bite to it.
NC (VO): On that note, so many parents are showing their kids this movie, thinking it’s the same level as G movies that most PG movies have become. I’ve talked about this endlessly in the past, but this is a situation where it might work to everyone's advantage. This is – for lack of a better term – a hard PG. Sometimes it’s even borderline PG-13. But everyone presents it as a kids’ film, because PG means practically G now. They show it along with Disney and Pixar movies. In fact, I think the understanding is… (shows a still from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) …kids kinda start with simple fairy tales of Disney… (shows a still from Coco) …move on to the more adult ideas of Pixar… (back to…) …and then the meaner and more satirical humor of Shrek. Shrek is that movie I’m hearing more and more kids are shocked they’re allowed to watch, and they’re being shown it left and right. I think this is what (poster for…) Return to Oz or (poster for…) Secret of NIMH was for me, except the adult elements isn’t how scary it is.
NC: It's how “inappropriate” it is.
NC (VO): Dick size jokes, animal cruelty jokes, countless innuendos. There is a rite of passage to seeing a film like this as a child, but what makes it even more special is that it isn’t just the humor that’s more adult; it really is the message. The message is really good, and I’m almost shocked it isn’t done more often. But part of that is, kids love buying… (a shot of Disney Princess merchandise is shown) …their pretty merchandise. And in the end, the characters aren’t pretty.
(Images of Shrek-related merchandise are shown as NC goes on. There’s even a photo of a Shrek and Fiona meet and greet at Universal Studios.)
NC (VO): But Shrek kind of changed the mold on that as tons of Shrek toys, dolls, shirts – even people dressed up like the characters – are still popular because everyone fell in love with them so much. Shrek went from what I thought was gonna be a more adult-geared family film to a kid’s film that has out-of-nowhere adult jokes. And I think that makes it even funnier to kids. Tonally, I guess it’s a little inconsistent, but comedically, kids probably do laugh harder when they think they’re being told a lesson but a surprisingly dark joke is told at the same time. So, yes. Even though a lot of it doesn’t land with me, I can see the importance of it and why it’s such a good film for kids to grow up with. It’s the naughty Disney. The more cynical Disney. The Disney that says, “Yeah, you know what? You are a monster.” But monsters are cool – they’re not boring – and maybe we all are in some unique way. It’s both pessimistic but kind of optimistic at the same time. And in the end, I think that means a lot more than whether or not it made this reviewer laugh.
NC: I’m the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don’t have to.
(NC gets up and leaves, but then quickly goes back to the chair after remembering the sequels.)
NC: Wait! Shit! Still got three movies!
(At this point, we cut to a commercial break and the sponsor.)
Shrek 2[]
NC (VO): Three years later, in 2004, Shrek 2 was released.
(Clips from Shrek 2 are shown.)
NC (VO): And I know. You might think if I didn’t get into the first one, I probably wouldn’t be able to get into this one.
NC: Actually, it’s not only my favorite Shrek film, but it is one of my favorite comedies of all time.
NC (VO): This is what I thought the first film was going to be, and while it arguably doesn’t have as big a cultural impact as the first one, it’s touching, clever, charming…and it is so goddamn funny! They throw kid jokes and adult jokes at you every chance they can – in the foreground, in the background, verbally, visually – and all of them work in one way or another.
(Several examples of these jokes are provided.)
Knight: We got a white bronco heading east into the forest. Requesting backup.
Donkey: I say we take the sword and neuter him right here. Give him the Bob Barker treatment!
Shrek: We represent the workers in all magical industries, both evil and benign.
Shrek: (in human form) Someday, I will repay you! Unless, of course, I can’t find you or if I forget.
NC (VO): The story is, Shrek and Fiona have to meet her parents (Queen Lillian and King Harold), who don't yet know Fiona’s still ogre and, on top of that, she married an ogre. While trying to fight off her parents’ prejudice, the Fairy Godmother and her son Prince Charming were originally slated to wed into the royal family – and try to find a way to still make that happen.
(Prince Charming is shown pulling back the curtains at Fiona’s Tower, only to find the Big Bad Wolf reading a magazine. The Wolf tells Charming that Fiona is already married and is currently on her honeymoon.)
NC (VO): This leads to a hitman – or hitcat (Puss in Boots) being unleashed, everybody getting transformed into beautiful alter egos, and, naturally, people finding out what really matters to them and who they are.
NC: Putting the humor aside for a minute, everything flows as perfectly as it could in a movie like this.
NC (VO): I love everybody in this flick. They are so much more charming and likable to me. I really like Shrek and Fiona as a couple in this one. They're kind of like Gomez and Morticia. They find comfort in the things many don't find comfort in, and they have great chemistry. Donkey's writing finally matches his energy – with so many hilarious lines, but also a pretty fun rivalry between him and Puss in Boots – played by Antonio Banderas.
Donkey: Yeah, well don’t go projecting on me! I know you’re feeling bad, but you gotta let your own –
(Puss stomps on Donkey’s hoof, causing him to scream in pain.)
Donkey: You little, hairy, litter-licking sack of…
NC (VO): Yes, the evil plan is a little formulaic, but even when they’re being manipulated in kind of a third act breakup, you can still sympathize with it. Shrek and Fiona want to see each other happy, and they’re tricked into thinking they will be if they stay apart.
Shrek: (in human form) I love her.
Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders): If you really love her…you’ll let her go.
NC (VO): To me, that’s much more telling and heartbreaking…
(The third act scene from the first Shrek is shown.)
NC (VO): …than just misunderstanding what the other said.
(Back to Shrek 2.)
NC (VO): They’ll legit sacrifice their happiness for any others. That’s really pretty touching; it makes the villains look even more evil. This film is also crazy creative. The different ways they get across different jokes and even action sequences is so outside the box and even get your adrenaline up. I could watch the “I Need a Hero” song sequence a million times and never get bored of it.
(The “Holding Out for a Hero” scene where Shrek and company try to stop the royal ball is shown.)
Frou Frou: ♪ I need a hero / And it’s gotta be soon… ♪
NC (VO): The new characters are great, the dilemmas are great –even on the rare chance a joke doesn’t get a hard laugh, it’s still cute because it’s always tied into something interesting or likable about these characters.
NC: I love when the bartender says “why the long face” to the horse.
(The scene where Shrek, Donkey and Puss are at the Poison Apple – the local bar in the kingdom of Far Far Away – is shown.)
Ugly Stepsister Doris (Larry King): Hey. Why the long face?
NC (VO): That's maybe one of the oldest and corniest jokes in existence. But donkey gives a look like, “Cute. We’re going through something here, but cute.” If he didn’t give that look, I don’t think this would’ve worked. This movie has so much personality, so much energy, so much ingenuity, and so much better writing, it’s one of the few flicks that comes dangerously close to being a perfect film for me. I could put it on right now, knowing every joke that was coming and still laugh my ass off – as well as feel legit emotion for the characters, too. I know I probably lost a lot of you with my thoughts on the first film; just know though that not only do I love the second one – in my opinion, it's a comedic masterpiece.
Shrek the Third[]
NC: And then, you know, this happened.
(Clips from Shrek the Third are shown.)
NC (VO): In 2007, Shrek the Third was released and, while not a god awful movie, it’s definitely not a good one either. Shrek discovers not only that he’s going to be a father, but also he might be king of Far Far Away after Fiona’s father passes. Desperate to escape his responsibilities, he tries to find another king in young Arthur, voiced by Justin Timberlake. Along the way, he warms up how to be a father while looking after him, but on top of that, evil forces from the past return to seize control.
NC: This is a film that – on paper – should work. All the pieces are there.
NC (VO): It seems like this is the next logical step, but everything is just…off. Not in a funny or clever way, just in an…off way.
Shrek: Well, somebody better be dying.
(Everyone has gathered around in the master bedroom. King Harold, in the form of a frog, is close to death.)
King Harold (John Cleese): I’m dying.
NC (VO): The timing is off, the pacing is off – even the villain is kind of off. It’s Prince Charming again! Yeah, every film has a unique villain… except this one, where they just repeat the previous one – hell, half the previous ones! There are some good bits like Eric Idle as the less-than-sensitive Merlin is pretty funny.
Merlin (Idle): Proper head case you are, aren’t you? Really messed up. Whoa.
NC (VO): The princesses using their dainty powers as a weapon isn’t bad, and occasional moments like Pinocchio trying to double, triple, even quadruple-talk to make it sound like he’s not telling the truth.
Prince Charming (Rupert Everett): You don’t know where Shrek is?
Pinocchio (Cody Cameron): It wouldn’t be inaccurate to assume that I couldn’t exactly not say that is or isn’t almost partially incorrect.
NC: But for the most part, it just feels like an obligation movie.
(Clips from Shrek 2 are shown.)
NC (VO): In Shrek 2, everything felt upped. There was a passion and even a thankfulness that the first movie was such a hit. So they went out of their way to make the funniest, heartfelt, but still edgiest comedy a family film would allow.
(Back to Shrek the Third.)
NC (VO): This feels like they’re just doing...the third one. “We have a franchise now. What do people want to see?” As opposed to “What do we want to make?”
NC: It got a couple laughs, but it felt soulless.
(The scene from Shrek 2 where the page and trumpeters appear is shown.)
NC (VO): And whatever you thought of the first two, you definitely couldn't say they were soulless.
(Back to Shrek the Third, where Shrek and Fiona are now parents and are spending time with their three babies.)
NC (VO): While the film still did well at the box office, nobody was really repeating any of the lines or talking about any of the scenes they just watched.
Shrek Forever After[]
NC: Which is probably why the series ended on a better but still not that great note in 2010 – Shrek Forever After.
(Clips from Shrek Forever After are shown.)
NC (VO): This is probably the most…okay…out of the series. It’s not insulting, but it’s not hilarious. It’s…just another Shrek sequel. But I will say you can feel them trying to get the original magic back. Shrek is getting sick of his daily routine being interrupted by fatherhood, so he makes a deal with the schemer Rumpelstiltskin. He says he’ll give him a day of relaxation if he can erase one day from his life. Having clearly never read anything in his life, he just trusts him and doesn’t see any tricks to it. He accepts his offer and Rumpel erases the day he was born, resulting in the future being ruined for many as he becomes king. Shrek teams up with an army of rebel ogres – led by Fiona – and obviously comes to grips with how good he had it all along. My biggest gripe is, despite how sympathetic we are to Shrek losing his free time, he is way too mean to Fiona in the opening, saying he wishes he never saved her from the tower or had kids.
Shrek: Back when the world…made…sense!
Fiona: You mean…back before you rescued me from the Dragon’s Keep?
Shrek: Exactly!
NC (VO): That's probably the biggest hurdle the film has, because it’s very hard to root for him after that.
NC: With that said, the jokes are better.
NC (VO): The different ways people are affected by Shrek’s absence are familiar but still pretty humorous.
Shrek: What are you doing???
Gingerbread Man: Collecting my bounty!
Donkey: (to Gingerbread Man) What are you talking about, cracker?
NC (VO): Even some of the action is creative, like the ogres trying to fight the Pied Piper while being forced to dance to his flute. You can definitely feel the effort, but it’s pretty impossible not to just see this as another film in a franchise.
(The scene from Shrek 2 with Mongo is shown.)
NC (VO): There was always a feeling the first two movies were doing something new and exciting.
(Back to Shrek Forever After.)
NC (VO): And this one, while better than the previous, is just kind of doing what’s been set up as the “Shrek Formula” now.
(Examples of said formula are shown to prove what NC is saying.)
NC (VO): Shrek has an issue with his family life; he’ll learn to be thankful for what he has. Puss in Boots has to do the “big eye” thing. Some spell transforms something, and comedic consequences ensue.
NC: It’s not bad, but it’s not special any more.
NC (VO): Apparently, everyone thought the same thing, because they haven’t made another film since. And honestly, they don’t have to.
Closing thoughts[]
(Clips from each of the Shrek movies play as NC gives his closing thoughts.)
NC (VO): Even someone like me who’s not in love with the original acknowledges the positive impact it’s had. And even then, I did find a Shrek film I fell in love with; it was just off by one.
NC: It’s always rumored there’s going to be another one, but…I don’t know if people really wanna see that.
NC (VO): While the fourth one isn’t great, it’s a better send-off than the third one. And the first two won over so many, we don’t need the table scraps. It’s kinda funny to think these raunchy, mean, kinda twisted movies are developing so many kids who are growing up right now, but I really do see that more as a positive than a negative. I like that they’re the kids’ films that both children and adults can come together on and say, “We know you shouldn’t be watching this, but we’re gonna show it to you anyway.” There’s something special watching something that feels a little naughty compared to other kids’ stuff but still makes you laugh and even teaches you something rather important. There is, surprisingly, a long-lasting power to them, and as long as parents and kids understand – eh – that inappropriate joke is okay. It’s Shrek. Maybe it really is okay. Maybe even a lot better than okay.
(As the review ends, the storybook from the first film is shown closing.)
NC: I’m the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don’t have to. (He gets up and leaves.)
Channel Awesome tagline – Donkey: What are you talking about, cracker?
(The credits roll.)