I have been wrong about 'Shrek' and this is me admitting it

By Brad Shawgo

     DreamWorks

I recently joined the boys on the What We’re Thinking podcast for a very special event. The 2023 SBA Draft. What is the SBA you ask? Swamp Basketball Association. Who plays in the swamp based league. Look no further than characters from DreamWorks’ flagship franchise Shrek. You can watch the draft below:

 

It had been over a decade since I had watched any of the actual Shrek movies (Note: I did watch Puss in Boots: The Last Wish in early March) so it was a no-brainer to revisit the four movies to prepare for the draft. I have to admit: I have been wrong for a long time about what Shrek movie is the best.

 

Nearly 19 years to be more exact as Shrek 2 will be celebrating its 19th anniversary on May 19. I first saw the sequel on an 8th grade trip and about 30 minutes in I was sure it was better than the original and never looked back. It was great. Absolutely laugh out loud funny. One of our teachers actually proved this theory, as I’ve never heard somebody laugh so hard in a movie theater like he did that day.

 

Since then I’ve watched Shrek 2 probably 10 to 12 times and the original just as much. I haven’t watched Shrek The Third or Shrek Forever After quite as much but it’s clear to me that the first two installments are superior to the latter two (although 3 and 4 gained some appreciation from me after my latest visit). So for me, Shrek 2 has been my number 1 of the franchise since its release with Shrek being a close second.

 

Until now. This is me formally admitting that I was wrong and the original Shrek from 2001 is a better movie than its first sequel, Shrek 2.

 

Now don’t get me wrong. Shrek 2 is a solid animated movie and from a sequel standpoint, you can’t do much worse. We start ranking animated sequels and Shrek 2 will quickly be talked about. Arguably could start the conversation with it.

 

Both Shrek and Shrek 2 do a lot of things well. Both have killer soundtracks. Just banger after banger. Both have a nice message about inner beauty and the importance of self-worth over outside perceptions. Both are solid satires full of humor. Shrek and Shrek 2 poke fun at the entire fairytale universe and pop culture.     

 

It’s just that for the first time in my life, it’s clear that the original Shrek does these things slightly better. The music is the closest battle between the two. With Shrek 2, Counting Crow’s ‘Accidentally In Love’ has a place in all-time soundtrack hits and the way they use ‘I Need A Hero’ works very well in the movie’s big action climax. But like the movie itself, Shrek’s soundtrack just kind of comes out of nowhere every time time a new song starts to play. Sure, Smash Mouth’s ‘All-Star’ could be seen as a year or 2 too late but it kind of works. After that it takes more of a light rock, alternative route with its biggest surprise coming in its most emotional moments in the form of ‘Hallelujah’.

 

Shrek also does a better job of saying what it wants to say. Both have a similar message that dives into the idea that it doesn’t matter where you come from, how you look and what other people think of you. Who a person really is lies within and far too often, approval is unfairly determined by outside appearance. With this message as a backdrop, Shrek 2 starts to mix in the idea of fitting in and one's own perception of self-worth but it quickly gets back to the humor and action, not letting its more sentimental moments play out. Shrek, with slower pace, allows this inner beauty message play out well into the third act. Now of course all this heartfelt stuff hits differently for all ages. As dumb as it may sound, as an adult, the way Shrek handles it allows for a little more of a connection.

 

But at the end of the day we are talking about animated PG rated movies. Being heartfelt or not doesn’t hold that much weight. Being entertaining does though. This is where I have been the most wrong all along. Both Shrek and Shrek 2 are very entertaining. No denying that. Shrek 2 does this with a slicker, faster, grander style whereas Shrek is a little more laid back but still packs the humor in. I have to say, probably because I am in fact an adult now, the adult humor (admittedly crude at times) in the original Shrek hit me hard in my latest viewing experience. It holds up extremely well.

 

There is some humor I had never noticed, humor that my adolescent self wouldn’t have been capable of. This humor, not its music or thoughtful message, is what really makes it somewhat timeless. I can’t say the same thing about Shrek 2. It works but more as a really good family comedy rather than also being an all-time great animated comedy. Its humor just doesn’t hold up the same. This is a problem because it had a lot riding on it. Its foundation is joke after joke.

 

Maybe I’m wrong about being wrong. Quite possibly a pre-teen could watch Shrek 2 right now and have the same opinion about it that I had in 2004. They may just absolutely love it. With the original Shrek though, you get a little bit of everything and it doesn’t seem that any of it is getting any worse over time. Shrek is the best the swamp has to offer and just like Smash Mouth belted out at the end, now I’m a believer.    

Maybe I’m wrong about being wrong. Quite possibly a pre-teen could watch Shrek 2 right now and have the same opinion about it that I had in 2004. Or anyone for that matter. They may just absolutely love it. With the original Shrek though, you get a little bit of everything and it doesn’t seem that any of it is getting any worse over time. Shrek is the best the swamp has to offer and just like Smash Mouth belted out at the end, now I’m a believer.