Shrek 2 : 3 of 5

Even though I had mixed feelings about the original Shrek, I was pretty excited about seeing the sequel, and it certainly wasn't disappointing - I really think Shrek 2 is better than the original! The plot isn't as good as the first, but the additional characters and scenery really put it over the top for me. All of the scenes of Hollywood and Los Angeles transformed into the kingdom of Far Far Away were really cool - you can tell the animators just went crazy coming up with gags for the background! Puss in Boots completely steals the show, and Donkey is pretty funny as well (although I still think Eddie Murphy is just recycling Mushu from Mulan), which means that Shrek and Fiona are the least interesting characters in the movie (except for their opening love montage, which has some hilarious scenes, such as Fiona tossing Ariel back into the sea!). Just like the first, I wasn't too excited about the music - some of the pop numbers just seem so out of place, but I like it when they are sung by characters as a musical number (although the Fairy Godmother song was simply terrible). Of course, the animation is well done, but CG will never be as beautiful as traditional animation for me. That said, I really did enjoy the movie, and it's making me think I should buy both Shreks on DVD.