This is why i don't write for a living:)
Written on 5/30/2004 05:07:00 pm by sikapitan
Movie Review: Shrek 2
After battering my body playing football on Friday night, I decided to take a break from kicking a white round leather object last night and went out to catch a movie with my buddy. We left at 7.30, thinking that we had ample time for a 9 pm show. I even contemplated making a run for OU, such is my allegiance to the now-too-cool-i-have-armani shopping complex. But common sense prevailed, and we went to Pyramid instead. I can’t remember the last time I went to Pyramid to catch a movie with my mates. And last night I was reminded why I prefer OU. The place was packed like a can of sardines. I feared that we wouldn’t get to park in time, but fortunately, a space popped up (illegally, but who cares) just in time. And it was packed with people that I don’t really want to be close with. The skinny skinheads with short jeans and suspenders, the ahbengs with bell-bottoms and open chest shirts, Pyramid just reeks of groups trying to be cool and failing miserably. I’m sure if I get to know them they are all fine and dandy, but why would I want to do that? It’s my opinion that our malls are too infested with these show-offs who can’t do anything without being accompanied by at least 3 members of their posse. How many people do you need to accompany you to the toilet? It’s not like someone’s going to take a peek at your tiny (or huge, it doesn’t matter) pecker, for God’s sake. Plus, since this is the beginning of the school holidays, there was another group that entered the fray- the I’m still in school,but I’m cool enough to go out at night kids. Loud and rowdy, they reminded me of myself when I was in highschool. God, how I hate these kids and I’m pretty sure we got the same reaction back when Billabong was hip and everyone’s tuning in to Oasis. What goes around comes around.
The queue looked so bad, that we almost walk away from it all. Recon to the ticket screen showed too many red flags and a smattering of greens (red for sold out,green for limited). Only Hum Tum and You Got Served managed to remain pristine white. But we waited anyway, considering that we just paid 2 bucks for parking (penny wise, pound foolish they might say). We dismissed the 9pm show and watched in anticipation as the 11pm slot turned green then red. We were dissapointed but gambled anyway. Got to the counter, smiled our flashiest smile, and begged for mercy. “Merah jer semua kak, camaner?” “Takder la tuh” “Ala,takkan takde kot” and then silence, “Okay ada, tapi seat tepi bolehh?” “Bagi berdiri pun kitaorang tak kisah”. It turns out that the seats were excellent, not too close yet not too far. Anyway, in this modern day of stadium-seating (meaning levelled rows), you can seat anywhere and still be able to enjoy the show. Thank god we didn’t get the centre seats. Some people love it because it’s the centre of the screen (why it makes a difference I would never understand) but I loath it simply because you’ll be stuck in the middle with god-knows-who to your left and right. You could be lucky and get some nice couple (luckier if you get some nice girls,hehe) or you could be stuck with giant-man or the Brady Bunch (meaning family with kids). But hey, even cinema seatings reflect life- you never know who you’re going to get.
On to the movie. The buzz surrounding this movie is good, with critics telling everyone who bothers that it’s smart and hilarious while the customers flock to the screens in droves to catch this much-anticipated sequel. And that’s the problem with the movie to me. I don’t like raising my expectations too high but the reviews and commercial success carries with it a certain must-watch-it’s-damn-kelakar vibe to the movie. I was expecting too much, and for that I am truly to be blamed if I say that it’s not all it’s crack up to be. Let me first say that technically, the animators from Dreamworks did a brilliant job capturing the whole fairy-tale spoof setting. It still amazes me the way they managed to capture life-like emotions and yet maintain the essential cartoonish element. Disney must realize that the days of pen-animation is coming to an end.
Shrek 2 is of course the sequel to Shrek (duh). It takes place after the marriage between the cursed Princess Fiona and the ugly Ogre, Shrek. They got invited to visit the Princess’s kingdom and to be blessed by the King. So the story is practically like meet-the-parents but with wackier scenes and a kick-ass soundtrack. The main character is Shrek,of course. But the highlight of the movie must be Eddie Murphy’s Donkey and Antonio Banderas’ Puss Da Boots. Both managed to add character to what is essentially streotypical sidekick figures. The animators must be given credit for the so-cute-it-would-sell-millions-of-burgers Puss. Seriously, the commercial implication of such a cute character is enormous. The kids love it, the ladies think it’s cute while the guys buy it for their gfs. And they got the best lines in the movie.
The storyline isn’t so bad, only that it lacks the sharpness of the first movie. The dialogue though could be better considering that they’re toying with legendary characters. It’s still witty and funny. Sometimes it can be too witty, making slight jokes that our audience failed to capture. Maybe it was a mistake to catch the movie after a heavy-in-carbo dinner (waffles with ice-cream at A&W, remember them?), but I found myself yawning a couple of times.It’s not that the movie’s bad, but I wasn’t physically fit (cam nak main untuk Man u laks) to pass an objective opinion.But it is a good movie, make no mistake about that, one that’s definitely worth rm10. People were clapping at the end of the movie and all, but they clapped at the end of the 2ND Episode of Star Wars (which sucks) too so maybe we just like to clap. It’s like expecting Jennifer Connelly but getting Jennifer Jason Leigh. Cute but not beautiful (go figure).
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