While everybody was wasting their time seeing the overhyped and vacant "Pearl Harbor" last night I slipped in and saw "Shrek" in a half full theater.Oh man, is this a beautiful piece of work! The animation is simply stunning. The advances being made with computer character animation are happening in leaps and bounds (it's gotten to the point where the very human looking figures have similar weight and volume to claymation characters, but are much more fluid and real, yet surreal) and is the first thing you notice, but the natural settings, the blowing trees and grass, the fire and water, the quality of light . . . impeccable. I just sat there slack jawed through the 12 miles of credits in total shock when it was over. This movie makes "Toy Story" look like "Steamboat Willie".
Story wise, it's a fairy tale mainly for kids or adults that would go for that sort of thing. What saved me was whenever you could see it slipping into sappy treacle it would poke fun at itself and the whole fairy tale genre. The smoothly handled writing makes it way more than the "kids flick" many adults might think it is. Even if it was just for kids, the artistic acheivement alone makes it worth seeing for anyone.
"Shrek" and the slightly different "Memento" are the best movies so far this year for me.
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Topic - Shrek - Troy 16:14:40 05/26/01 (20)
- I beg your pardon? - Victor Khomenko 18:30:51 05/26/01 (6)
- Re: I beg your pardon? - TAFKA Steve 09:39:21 05/27/01 (1)
- go for the originals, i am fond of the Hope/Crosby road movies...-nt- - late 20:44:58 05/27/01 (0)
- Re: I beg your pardon? - Rich S. 01:08:02 05/27/01 (0)
- Re: I beg your pardon? - Rich S. 01:05:50 05/27/01 (0)
- Well excuuuuuse me! - Troy 20:17:37 05/26/01 (1)
- No problem. Enjoy. (nt) - Victor Khomenko 20:45:58 05/26/01 (0)
- It was OK - Mart 18:26:46 05/26/01 (12)
- Pretty soon... - clarkjohnsen 13:14:58 05/27/01 (1)
- vast difference - Mart 14:09:51 05/27/01 (0)
- Re: It was OK - TAFKA Steve 09:31:07 05/27/01 (2)
- I was trying to avoid technical terms - Mart 10:12:30 05/27/01 (1)
- "technical" terms - Tom §. 14:31:37 05/28/01 (0)
- Re: It was better'n OK - Troy 20:59:12 05/26/01 (6)
- Re: It was better'n OK - CH Chang 02:50:20 05/27/01 (0)
- I OTOH - Mart 21:39:58 05/26/01 (4)
- I OTOH - Troy 02:35:17 05/27/01 (3)
- I'm impressed. - john dem 02:48:18 05/27/01 (2)
- Re: I'm impressed. - Victor Khomenko 08:41:08 05/27/01 (1)
- Re: I'm impressed. - TAFKA Steve 09:24:57 05/27/01 (0)