Shrek

Released 29th June 2001, Shrek follows an ogre as he goes on a quest to rescue the Princess Fiona to regain control of his swamp. Much like the Bee Movie, Shrek is often remembered as one of the most culturally significant films to ever release; there are many reasons for this. The film parodies fairy tales highlights superficial values of society and it deals with these concepts to astounding success which is still relatable 20 years on. Another major success of the film is its very laid back, raunchy sense of humour. Whereas later instalments are still funny, they actively have lots of jokes whereas this film is able to be comical through its delivery from the actors.

Mike Myers is very much Shrek in every conceivable way. None of his lines feel phoned in and the unique Scottish accent does wonders to enhance Shrek’s personality. He is also able to deliver his sincere dialogue about his insecurities and hopes in a naturalistic way which shouldn’t have been possible. Eddie Murphy also manages to raise Donkey from a comic relief role to a wholesome friend who looks out for everyone he interacts with. He is truly used as the heart of the story through his likeable innocence that is highlighted by his interactions between Shrek and Fiona. As for Fiona, she is voice acted by Cameron Diaz with solid chemistry with her co-stars while also giving the princess subversive nuances that enhances her own character arc. If anything, John Lithgow’s Lord Farquaad could maybe have used more development, however, Lithgow elevates Farquaad’s character exponentially with his rolling, snobbish tone of voice; he is perfect.

Despite its early 2000 sensibilities in CG animation, the animation still holds up well; even parts which aren’t entirely great further enhance the dirtier, inappropriate tone of the film in its parody of the clean and prestigious Disney fairy tales we are all too familiar with. One of the film’s greatest achievements however is its soundtrack; whereas the few films which succeed in using licensed music often lack a good unique soundtrack, Shrek strikes the perfect balance between perfectly matching music and a brilliantly memorable soundtrack. That is the perfect summary for Shrek; it is a subversive film which strikes a perfect balance between its technicalities, story, character and humour.