It ain't easy bein' green -- especially if you're a likable (albeit smelly) ogre named Shrek. On a mission to retrieve a gorgeous princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon, Shrek teams up with an unlikely compatriot -- a wisecracking donkey.
The charms of Shrek, which is based on the children's book by William Steig, go far beyond in-jokes for adults.
– Joe Morgenstern,
Wall Street Journal,
25 Nov 2013
rotten:
After a 90-minute onslaught of in-jokes, here's the real punch line: Shrek strives to have a heart. Supposedly there's a message about beauty coming from within, but somehow it rings hollow.
– Christy Lemire,
Associated Press,
25 Nov 2013
rotten:
Shrek's ability to fit in a number of touching, funny moments says much about the intelligence and wit behind it. It's just a shame that the film is never as clever or as hip as it so desperately feels the need to be.
– Nathan Rabin,
AV Club,
25 Nov 2013
fresh:
The brilliance of the voice work, script, direction and animation all serve to make Shrek an adorable, infectious work of true sophistication.
– Jami Bernard,
New York Daily News,
25 Nov 2013
rotten:
However cunning the rendering of surfaces, there's still something flat and charmless in the digital look, and most of the pleasure rises not from the main romance but from the quick, incidental gags.