Something about Shrek~

So a few weeks ago, while I was at the gallery, I saw someone put a card in my windshield for this -

However, the play version that this card was suggesting was a more of a local group and we had already missed the time to see it.  So I thought nothing else of it until a few days later, while I was looking at new releases on Netflix and saw a live recording was now available to watch...

Before I go into my review of that, I guess I should start with what I think about the other Shrek movies-

I can remember seeing Shrek in theaters almost 13 years ago (around 15 or 14), and remembering that it was good.  But after watching it recently, I have realized it hasn't aged that well.  I still found Donkey annoying (I always related more to Shrek) and the villain lame, but I now see that the facial animation for the humans are just... creepy.  It's saying something that Fiona's ogre form is more adorable then her human form.  But the story is it's strong point, even with it's plot devices that seem to just make things more confusing (like her being able to kick ass after being lock up for how many years) and the blind mice error.
I also find it weird that this came out after Austin Powers 2 (the Spy who Shagged Me) and that Shrek was basically a child friendly version of Fat Bastard...
But overall, it's an good movie.

Shrek 2 is a masterpiece, and it is still good today.  I saw this with my girlfriend at the time before I graduated high school and it was great.  I still laugh that Shrek's human form looks like my old martial arts teacher, but the other jokes are just excellent.  Puss is still great and the visuals are amazing.

Shrek 3 was a disappointment and a let down.  It's the worse of the bunch and it made me stop watching kids movies in theater.  The plot is weak, it really wasn't that funny, and it was a dud.  I recommend skipping this one.

I only saw Shrek 4 recently, before I wrote this review, and I got to say that it wasn't that bad.  The story was intriguing and different (and I do like a time paradox movie), and the villian was ok (even though he was in the 3rd movie, that was a huge goof up on the writter's part).  Shrek's blow up I can understand, but I think they preformed it poorly when he was talking to Fionna.  Other than that, I did have some good laughs out of it and we FINALLY get to see some other Ogres in the franchise (and they were great!  Why didn't we have more of them in the other movies?).  Definitely got to watch this one if you want to see a satisfying ending for the series (compared to the 3rd one).


SO anyway, back to the musical. 
After Shrek 3, I didn't have any expectations for this.  My first thought was probably the same one you thought of when you heard this was a musical.  Why?  But I also thought, what I got to lose?  So I started it and for the first 20 minutes, I thought "Yeah, this is just as I would think it would be."  But then...
It's good.  I mean, really good.  Like better than the first movie good.

What brings this to life are the actors.  Brian d'Arcy James, Sutton Lenore Foster, and Christopher Sieber are easily the focus points of the show.  Daniel Breaker is good too, but I find him more annoying than Eddie Murphy, which is both bad and good for this role.  But Brian James, the one who plays Shrek, deserves more attention for his singing, which is powerful and draws you in.

All you have to do is just listen to this one song and you can see what I mean-



See?  DID YOU EXPECT THAT TO COME FROM A SHREK MUSICAL!?

This is something I recommend all to watch on Netflix.  You will find a great appreciation for both song, comedy, drama, and just be wowed by the set design. 

Also, just on a side note... where the hell did this come from? -

Later all, next time I talk about something a bit different.  Something Red, White, Black, and Yellow...
~Will