Dreamworks’ Shrek is one of my favorite films. (If you haven’t seen it, spoiler alert, don’t
read this post. Drop everything and watch it in its entirety.) There are many
reasons I like Shrek so much, not the
least of which is the memes that it is the subject of. The film has more to it
than a few meme-able moments, however.
The characters in Shrek are well-developed and three-dimensional.
They challenge the archetypes of fairytale characters. For example, the main
protagonist who rescues the princess is not a generic “prince charming,” but rather
an ogre named Shrek. The prince, Lord Farquad, on the other hand, is comically
short and has bad facial hair. The viewer, however, is allowed to see past the
exteriors of these characters. In a famous scene, Shrek states that, “ogres are
like onions.” Shrek has layers: beneath his mean, ugly exterior is a lonely
soul with emotions just like us. Lord Farquad, the prince, has layers as well:
beneath his princely exterior is a vindictive, greedy asshole. These two
characters turn traditional archetypes on their heads. Instead of the prince
saving the day from the evil monster, the beast with a heart of gold struggles
against a dickhead nobleman.
A fascinating challenge to the
conventions of fairytales would fall flat with poor acting. Fortunately, the
cast of Shrek delivers an excellent
performance. Mike Myers’s comedic ability brings his character, Shrek, to life,
but he also portrays Shrek’s vulnerability in a way that few other actors can.
Cameron Diaz’s performance as the unorthodox Princess Fiona is equally interesting;
capturing the princess’s brazen and aloof nature as well as her secretive and
insecure side. Of course, I cannot overstate the importance of Eddie Murphy’s
performance as Donkey. His delivery and mannerisms make the comedic relief
work. If you don’t believe me, watch a dub of Shrek in another language. Donkey is not nearly as funny without
him.
Finally, I love the soundtrack of
the movie. In addition a featured performance by the renowned rock band Smash
Mouth, it includes tracks by other fantastic artists such as The Proclaimers
and Joan Jett. One of the movies most emotional scenes, in which Shrek and
Fiona each feel that the other has betrayed them, is accompanied by Rufus
Wainwright’s chilling cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” The film also
contains a memorable original score.
Shrek
is a movie with layers. Its appeal goes beyond its comedy: it challenges
the viewer’s expectations, it has interesting characters and amazing acting,
and it is perfected by a memorable soundtrack. If you need more convincing, here’s
rapper Yung Lean’s ode to the masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxyUTipNqCQ
Beautiful. Simply marvelous. Shrek is one of the few things on this mundane planet of ours that really truly packs emotion, comedy, and pure, genuine POWER in no more than one hour and 35 minutes. Your blog was clearly well thought out, and exemplified this with your passion. Thank you so much for sharing. I'm moved.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the soundtrack is one of the best parts of Shrek. It seems like almost all of the song selection is perfect. Aside from that, I agree that the movie is genuinely hilarious.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nk7y6c1Tow -- here is a video about why Shrek 2 is the perfect sequel. I think that Shrek 2 on its own is as great a movie as the original, but the two together paint an epic tale of romance and comedy. You should check out the video, it's pretty good.
this is more than a blog post, this is art. Shrek is one of the only true remaining art forms in the world. with so many things going wrong, we always will have Shrek as something pure, and as a lantern to guide us back to the correct path.
ReplyDeleteI didn't expect to read something so interesting when I clicked on the Shrek blog post. While I admire your interpretations/ observations on how Shrek challenges modern archetypes, I think that truthfully without memes you never would have come to appreciate Shrek nearly much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam here. Given how many princess movies I was stuck watching (I had a younger sister who loved them), it was really nice to come across a movie that follows the same archetype but with a huge twist. I really appreciate the homage to one of the greatest movies of all time.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful analysis. I've always loved watching Shrek but could never put my finger on what exactly I liked about it. They do a great job, like you said, with developing the characters. I also love that the comedy suits people of all ages since they manage to sneak some pretty suspect jokes. It's a classic and I totally agree that everyone should watch it.
ReplyDeleteWow.... You put a lot of thought into Shrek didn't you? And I don't mean that in a bad way; Shrek is a work of art. Even though Shrek is like an onion with many layers to peel before you reach the beauty and amazingness that is within, and this post did a great job highlighting those portions for us. Last note, the Youtube link at the end? It was priceless, so thank you for that.
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