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Click above to purchase "Shrek Special Edition" at
amazon.com
Shrek
Special Edition
review by Zach B.
Rated PG
Studio: Dreamworks
Running Time: 93 minutes
Starring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy,
Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
Written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Joe
Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman
Based upon the book by William Steig
Directed by Andrew Adamson Vicky Jenson
Retail Price: $26.95
Features:
Disc 1 - DWK: Favorite Scenes, Baha Men "Best Years Of Our
Lives" Music Video, The Making of the Baha Men Video, Smash
Mouth "I'm A Believer" Music Video, Rescue The Princess
game, Shrektacular Trivia, Character Morph, Mirror, Mirror
on the Wall, Dress Up The Gingerbread Man. HBO First Look:
The Making Of "Shrek", Cast and Filmmakers Bios, Production
Notes, Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party, "Spirit:
Stallion Of The Cimarron" Sneak Peek. DVD-ROM: Games,
Shrek's Revoice Studio
Disc 2 - Audio Commentary with Director Andrew
Adamson, Director Vicky Jenson and Producer Aaron Warner,
Storyboard Pitch Of Deleted Scenes, The Tech Of Shrek
featurette, Technical "Goofs", Progression Reels, Dubbing
Featurette, Xbox Game Playing Hints, Cast and Filmmakers
Biographies, Production Notes, Theatrical Trailer
Specs: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.33:1 Full
Frame, English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS 5.1, English
Dolby Surround, French Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby
Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1,Spanish Dolby Surround,
English Subtitles, French Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles,
Scene Index (20 Scenes)
Released: November 2nd, 2001
Shrek is your average, everyday ogre. He's alienated from
the world and likes it that way. He makes candles out of his
own ear wax, eats disgusting bugs and enjoys showering with
mud. However, after the notorious Lord Farquaad bans fairy
tale creatures from his kingdom, all of them end up at
Shrek's home (a swamp) much to his displeasment. However,
Farquaad makes a deal with Shrek. If he can rescue the
beautiful Princess Fiona from a fara way, dragon-guarded
castle, he'll give Shrek his swamp back. Along with his new
sidekick, a fast talking donkey named... erm, Donkey, Shrek
goes out to rescue Fiona and from there, some fun but pretty
predictable storytelling ensues.
After some incredible buzz for the past few years and
some anticipation, "Shrek" has finally arrived on DVD. Not
only has the film been the top grossing movie this year
(thus far as of writing this at least), it also got the best
reviews I've seen all year (also thus far), every review I
read gave it a perfect score, and that did amaze me. Despite
all of its commercial and critical success, I personally
think it's pretty overrated movie. It's very good film,
don't get me wrong, but I really don't understand why
everyone thinks it is a perfect movie.
It should be noted that the film is computer animated,
and it features some of the most astounding visuals ever to
grace a film. Pacific Data Images (PDI) who did work on the
last CGI Dreamworks film ("Antz", which was also overrated
in my book) has created such a lush, visual world with
vibrant colors and beautiful settings. While I thought
"Antz" had some pretty good CGI, "Shrek" blows it out of the
water, and I think they match Pixar or even beat them with
what's in this film. PDI is also working on some other CGI
Dreamworks films which will be out in the near future, so
I'm pretty interested if their next films will have even
better computer animation.
"Shrek" has a lot going for it, as it features a
top-notch cast of voice actors, the best assembled since
"The Lion King" in my opinion. The film is pretty much
contained to four characters: Shrek, Donkey, Fiona and
Farquaad. Mike Myers is Shrek and does his famous Scottish
accent to bring him to life, and though it works quite well
and he is pretty funny with the role, for some reason I felt
there could have been more to the performance and character
(also, Chris Farley was originally slated to play "Shrek"
before his untimely death). Cameron Diaz plays the role of
Fiona perfectly, while John Lithgow is simply hilarious and
tremendous as the petite Lord Farquaad. I am a big Lithgow
fan I must admit, and he really does fit the role perfectly
(Farquaad's chin looks a lot like Lithgow's even). My main
problem with Farquaad though was not within the character,
but rather, there wasn't enough of him. I would have loved
to have his role expanded and have more funny encounters,
but that's not the way it works in this movie. Oh well, his
screen time here is priceless and is not to be missed. And
finally, I saved the best for last. Eddie Murphy gives the
best voice-over performance since Robin Williams in
"Aladdin" as Donkey. Murphy brings so much energy and
hyper-activity to the role, and makes him lovable and kind
of annoying all at the same time. Murphy sets the tone of
the character perfectly, as he has some really inspired
lines and gives one heck of a performance (and you thought
his singing career ended in the 1980s? think again. Wait
until you see the closing musical number).
It's also fair to say that "Shrek" does take a few stabs
at Disney. Stabs? More like bashes. But so many have been
going on and on and on how this movie really rips the Disney
empire to death and that it's the whole movie, but that's
not true. It's only several jokes, as the movie has a much
different focus (more on that later). "Shrek" features quite
a few truly inspired and classic scenes that clearly takes
shots at them. I simply loved the dead-on parody of "It's A
Small World", the kiosks and the ropes for the line waiting
as well as the merchandise shop. There are also some things
with their fairy tales and many can argue that Lord Farquaad
has some of Disney head honcho Eisner in him. Still, it's
not a bash Disney movie. There are some great jokes at their
expense, but that's pretty much it. As far as other jokes
go, they range from old gross-out humor to pop culture
references. While some of the references are recent ("The
Matrix"), others (The Macerena) are pretty old and have run
their course. Still, the script has some other great jokes
and has some good lines.
My main problem with "Shrek" though is that there's
nothing really new as far as the story telling goes. It's
downright predictable, but there have been so many other
movies that make points about physical appearance not
counting so much and about isolation. The movie's pace is
really brisk and while the time flies, I got the feeling
that there could have been more to the plot and more
conflict. There's also a twist ending which I will not
reveal, but right when a certain something mentions
something, you instantly know it. You don't need to think
you know it and by that time you know how it ends. The
"twist" ending is pretty good and does fit with the story's
theme, but for me, this movie has so much and could have
made what it has so much more (as I said, I would have liked
more Farquaad and I would also have liked more on his "Magic
Kingdom").
"Shrek" is a great movie for families alike. Adults will
love the inside jokes, kids are to more laugh at the broad,
gross-out humor. It does teach a very important lesson
though about shunning others and about how what inside of
you really does count. While the computer animation is
gorgeous and the voice acting is fantastic, there could have
been more jokes and more to the story. Again, I don't
understand why everyone thinks it's a great movie. "Shrek"
is simply a good movie. Basically, "Shrek" is an old toy
wrapped in new packaging. The new package may attract you,
but when you come down to it, you'll realize the toy is
something you've seen or have had before. And what do you
play with or look at more? The toy or the package? My point
exactly.
In a great movie, Dreamworks is pleasing everyone as
"Shrek" contains two transfers. For families we are treated
to a 1.33:1 full screen transfer on the first disc, and for
film and widescreen buffs there's an anamorphic widescreen
transfer in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 on the second disc.
This is a good move and will make everyone complaint-free,
since so many people of all ages enjoyed the film. So how
are the transfers? Dreamworks, who has delivered great live
action film transfers in the past, always nailed transfers
perfectly (or really, really, really close) when it came
some of their animated films. With this said, "Shrek" is no
different. Using a process that animated film transfers tend
to use now, and virtually all the major theatrical computer
generated ones, this transfer is directly digital to
digital. No film print involved, it's straight from computer
files giving you the best, most crisp, most detailed and
most stunning image that will knock everyone's socks off.
Everything here is golden. No blemishes or pieces of dirt,
scratches, dust or annoyances. Black levels are solid, and
the amount of detail that is viewed is truly, and I mean
truly astounding. Backgrounds, foreground and the characters
have so much to them. Everything flows so smooth and nicely
in this transfer. Colors are bold and vibrant as everything
has the perfect three dimensional look to it. The image pops
right out. No edge enhancement or inconsitincies... two
stellar transfers for sure, so take your pick.
No disappointments here either as Dreamworks will not
only show off your viewing monitor with "Shrek," but your
sound system too. Each transfer contains an English Dolby
Digital 5.1 track and an English Dolby surround track, plus
English subtitles, French subtitles and Spanish subtitles.
It seems the full frame transfer is downgraded with options
(Dolby Surround tracks in French and Spanish as well), while
the widescreen version is upgraded, boasting a 5.1 English
DTS track, and 5.1 mixes in Spanish and French as well. In
either case, the Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS mixes are neck
and neck. Each are very atmospheric and bring you into
Shrek's fairy tale world. You'll really feel a part of it,
as the .1 LFE is very strong and the bevy of surround
sounds. From the whole wrestling scene to Shrek rescuing
Fiona from the castle, things pack a mesmerizing punch here.
Dynamic range is great, and you feel like you're really part
of it all. The beautiful and nearly flawless score from
Harry Gregson-Willians and John Powell is well mixed and is
wonderful. Fidelity is pretty good too. I found the DTS
track to be a tiny bit superior though to the Dolby Digital,
as I felt it was a bit tighter and had a little bit more
dimensionality to it. Still, each track is great. Dialogue
is clear with much clarity on both. Other sounds don't
overpower, and there's a fine balance between everything.
Overall, I'd have to say it's pretty much demo material,
just like the transfers. I've heard better DTS and Dolby
Digital tracks, but these are quite strong and near
reference. Enjoy!
Wow. Dreamworks really went out of their way with this
one, and it is no surprise considering how big of a success
the movie is. To be honest with you, the way things are set
up it reminds me of a Universal Ultimate Edition. You have a
widescreen transfer on one disc and a full frame on another,
plus each have their own audio options. However, a big kudos
to Dreamworks on the way they divided up the supplements.
The first disc, which has the full screen transfer as
mentioned, features a good deal of supplements that kids and
their families can enjoy. The second disc, with the
widescreen transfer (also previously mentioned in this
review), features the supplements that are more geared to
adults and film fanatics as the extras there focus on the
making of the film. Again, this is really a thoughtful and
great way to divide up the special features that should
appeal to everybody. There's not much disc switching
involved and it works rather well as Dreamworks pleases both
camps this way. Everything just goes perfectly with the
context, as they know what will appeal to what. It's just a
good, even division.
On the first disc, we have a section for the kiddies,
entitled DWK (Dreamworks Kids). While I
wouldn't call this a special feature so much, under
Favorite Scenes scenes are broken down into five
sections with different title names. So, find what you're
looking for in "Action!", "Laugh Out Loud," "Cross Out!",
"Isn't that Romantic?" and "Weird Animal Incidents."
In "Shrek's Music Room" we have the Baha Men "Best
Years Of Our Lives" Music Video and the Smash Mouth
"I'm A Believer" Music Video (yet another catchy song
remake that got rather popular during the summer of 2001).
There's also the brief The Making Of The Baha Men Music
Video. It's really promotional, as it has clips from the
video shoot, and the Baha Men making random comments on what
they're doing. It's only a minute and forty-eight seconds.
The Game Swamp has five games you can play on your
player (no need for DVD-ROM here). "Rescue The Princess,"
"Character Morph,"Dress Up The Gingerbread Man,"
"Shrektacular Trivia" and "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall" (the
last two are in a different section of the first disc, under
"Games.") These can be pretty entertaining. Rescue The
Princess has film clips combined in while you pick and
choose paths. Shrektacular Trivia is a trivia game
about the movie while Character Morph has you mixing
and matching body parts for Lord Farquaad, Donkey, Fiona and
Shrek. Mirror, Mirror On The Wall is like a Magic-8
ball on your DVD player where you ask a question and the
mirror answers you and finally, Dress Up The Gingerbread
Man has you putting the man in different costumes, as he
sings a line or two from a well known children's song.
That's pretty fun (but why no Disney bashing in the mouse
costume?). There's also a "Help Button" which really just
explains what each of the sections are.
In the "Special Features" section, we have the HBO
First Look: The Making Of "Shrek" which, as you guessed,
is another promotional featurette, but it's not so bad. It
has clips from the movie, behind the scenes work as far as
recording voices and animating it and a whole slew of
interviews with Jeffrey "WHO'S LAUGHING NOW" Katzenberg,
Mike Myers, director Andrew Adamson, Eddie Murphy, John
Lithgow, director Vicky Jenson, Cameron Diaz and others.
This look explains the plot of the movie, the voice work and
the whole computer animation process. It's your usual fare,
but there are some things to get out of this, so it's a
decent watch. Fans of the movie should check it out. This
feature has optional French and Spanish subtitles.
Shrek in the Swamp Karaoke Dance Party is the
whole new extended ending that appears after the credits on
both versions, created just for the home video release. Here
you can view it separate. How did I find it? It's pretty
good, as it basically expands on the film's popular ending
"I'm A Believer" song and dance number. You have great
choreography and characters sing a variety of popular songs.
Pretty wacky as well as entertaining. It's in anamorphic
widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 and also has optional French
and Spanish subtitles.
There are some very detailed Cast and Filmmakers
Biographies and Production Notes (that are also
in the keep case insert), plus a Sneak Peak of the
Dreamworks' next animated opus, "Spirit: Stallion of The
Cimarron." It's presented in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1
Dolby Digital (and also includes optional French and Spanish
subtitles). It looks interesting, and it's yet another
trailer that uses the theme from the movie "Rudy."
Now, onto the DVD-ROM portion, which has been
getting the most attention. You have a variety of
Games that include "Learn To Draw Shrek,"
"Gingerbread Hangman," "Soup Slam," "Fairy Tale Lanes,"
"Bugs and Slugs," "Charming Dragon," "Shrek Pinball," "Pin
The Tail On The Donkey," "Fire Donkey," "Color A Scene,"
"Coloring Pages" and "Ogre Masks." Some of these are more
interactive than others, but are nice diversions. Yet the
key thing here is Shrek's Revoice Studio. I know it
sounds corny, but I always thought it would be cool to put
my voice in an animated film (stop laughing!). Now, my
dreams have come true as I can record dialogue for twelve
different scenes. I found this feature really easy to use,
and really, really cool. You can save your work, and it's
something you can have fun with and even record your own
words for the characters to speak. Be sure to invite a few
friends over and have some laughs. This is really fun. Make
sure you have a microphone! A big kudos to Dreamworks too
for setting up a technical assistance phone number.
Now that we're done with the first disc, it's time for
the second disc. First up is an Audio Commentary with
Director Andrew Adamson, Director Vicky Jenson and Producer
Aaron Warner. This commentary is really delightful, as
the three share some great jokes as well as a load of
production information on making the movie. They talk about
ideas and keep things going a great deal of the time, though
there can be a tiny gap here and there. There's a lot of
good natured fun in this track, but there's a lot to gain on
the process of creating an animated film of this magnitude.
Well done. A giant kudos to Dreamworks for including
subtitles on this commentary, so technically you can watch
the movie without the commentary, but read what everyone
says. The subtitles are in English, French and Spanish. I
think this is a DVD first and I hope more studios do this in
the future.
The Storyboard Pitch Of Deleted Scenes are pretty
cool, but despite how fun they are, you can see why they
didn't make it into the film. Yet those who present them,
the artists, have a lot of energy. The scenes are "Fiona's
Prologue," "The Deal" (my favorite one here) and "Fiona Gets
Them Lost." Each has two angles, that you can switch during
the film. Do watch them!
The Tech Of Shrek is a twenty-two minute
featurette that focuses on the animation process. This has a
promotional quality to it, but I found it to be rather
informative. Interviews with technical directors and
animators plus many others are on this featurette, and
explains the process of creating the film. This is rather
technical, so it won't appeal to the casual fan. It's
interesting to see how they had to limit themselves from
time to time, and how slight changes and effect the whole
process. There's focus on movement, lighting and much more.
Nicely done, even though it can drag on at times. This also
features English, French and Spanish subtitles.
There are some fun Technical "Goofs" of animation
mess-ups, some which were featured in "The Tech Of Shrek."
These can be pretty funny. There's also Progression Reels
of Shrek, Fiona, Dragon, Dragon's Castle, Donkey, Beast
Fiona, Farquaad, Duloc and Shrek's house. These are stills
basically, from sketch drawings to final appearance that you
go through. Interesting, as always, to see how how things
are changed. There's also a short Dubbing Featurette,
which briefly explains how voice actors in other countries
dub and go about creating their own versions of the
characters. I wish this was longer. This also has French,
Spanish and English subtitles.
Rounding it all out are the very detailed Cast and
Filmmakers Biographies and Production Notes (that
are also in the keep case insert) that were on the first
disc too, Xbox Game Playing Hints (I can't wait to
play that sucker!) and the Theatrical Trailer in
anamorphic widescreen and 5.1 Dolby Digital English.
That's about it... it's a great package. The animated
menus are very well done, and a big kudos to Dreamworks for
including subtitles on a variety of their special features.
Also be on the lookout for some easter eggs...
"Shrek," despite being the biggest film of the year 2001
(as of writing this, and there's no doubt if something
should surpass it *COUGHharrypotterCOUGH* as far as box
office grosses, it will be one of the top films of 2001) and
being a critical darling this year, is really, in my
opinion, an overrated film. It's not bad by any means, in
fact it's pretty great, but it's not just as good as
everyone has made it out to be, as well as exaggerating what
it is supposed to be. It's a wonderful family film that has
humor for young ones and older ones, and is truly one of the
best family films out there. The film, being as big as it
was, will probably be bigger thanks to this terrific DVD
that, by the end of the holiday season, should wind up in
nearly everyone's DVD collection. With transfers and sound
mixes that simply scream demo material, the depth and amount
of extras Dreamworks has packed into this set is rather
astounding and there will be something EVERYONE can enjoy.
Given the low price you can pick this up for and what you
get, "Shrek" is a must for anyone's DVD library.
 (3.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (5/5)
 (4.5/5)
 (4/5)
(4.5/5, NOT an average)
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