by: Chris N. Fernando
The film opens with Shrek (voiced over by Mike Myers) and his beloved (now turned into an Ogre) Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) enjoying themselves on their honeymoon at sand-kissed beaches. Returning from their romantic idyll, Shrek and Princess Fiona are summoned by Fiona's parents, the king (John Cleese) and queen (Julie Andrews) of the "Kingdom Far, Far Away" (a fairy-tale version of Beverly Hills). After much discussion, the ogre couple finally decide to leave for the celebration at the "Kingdom Far, Far Away." Donkey also accompanies them with his whining and one-liner spouting all intact.
All along the journey to the "Kingdom Far, Far Away", you cannot resist but guffaw at the nasty doings of the Donkey. Once the ogre couple reach the kingdom for a homecoming celebration, Princess Fiona's parents are taken aback when they learn that their princess has married an ogre and become one, too (as always its the parents who are the last ones to find out). That's when the king summons a Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) to eliminate Shrek and have his daughter Fiona married to Fairy Godmother's foppish son Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). The king also calls upon a famous yet cute little ogre hunter Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) for this task, but the feline eventually joins forces with Shrek and Donkey.
Banderas is excellent with his Spanish accent that suits right with Puss in Boots's profile and also again gets a chance to play Zorro. Throughout the movie you can find nasty references to movies like Spider-Man, The Wizard of Oz,The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix and Charlie's Angels. The original sound tracks of the film are music to ears, and the computer animation - gorgeous! Though its only rarely that an idea of a sequel works, in this case, the storyline picks up seamlessly from the first film and doesn't feel forced at all. Shrek 2 is downright funny and wonderful - a must-see for the young and the old.