We also saw Shrek 2, which was a far more enjoyable experience than Troy.

Not quite as strong as the first overall, but still very enjoyable, and quite funny. Eddie Murphy was actually funny (which only ever seems to happen in animated films anymore), and Antonio Banderas absolutely stole the show as Puss in Boots. The animation continues to get better and better, of course (some of the facial expressions are stunning to watch, especially Fiona’s as she faces the trial of introducing Shrek to her parents).

The real fun, though, was everything in the background. There is so much going on behind the actual action that it will easily take multiple viewings to catch it all, from references to other movies (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Mission Impossible, and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, among others) to the stores in Far Far Away (Abercrombie and Witch, Tower of London Records, Old Knavery, and — of course — multiple Farbucks coffee stores [one of my favorite gags, in fact, was panicked people running out of a Farbucks under attack from a giant Gingerbread Man — directly into another Farbucks just across the street]).

The humor felt to me like it was pushed a little further to the adult side of the spectrum than the first Shrek was, too. Not so far that parents should question taking their children to the film (though do keep in mind that it is rated PG, not G), but definitely a lot for the adults to laugh at.

This one’s definitely worth checking out.

iTunes: “A Question of Time (New Town/Live)” by Depeche Mode from the album A Question of Time (1986, 11:08).

[See also: Dec. 16: LOTR Marathon | Aaaah! I wanna see it! I wanna see it now! | De M’amour Soiez Sure | Top 100 Grossing Movies of All Time | I so want this movie to come out! ]

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