- Title: Shrek
- IMDb: link
Throwback Thursday takes us back to another film involving a dragon with 2001’s Shrek. Parodying the fantasy genre by presenting characters in unfamiliar and unexpected ways, such as casting a grumpy ogre as the reluctant hero, the film was an immediate hit with both critics and audiences. Mike Myers, who replaced Chris Farley on the project after his death, stars as Shrek, a temperamental ogre none to pleased that the actions of the tiny, but quite evil, Lord Farquaad of Duloc (John Lithgow) are pushing fleeing fairy tale creatures into his swamp disturbing his peace and quiet.
Impressed with the ogre’s show of strength, and in need of a champion, Farquaad makes a deal with Shrek. If the ogre will rescue a princess from a dragon then Farquaad will clean out Shrek’s swamp and leave him in peace. Along with a talking donkey (Eddie Murphy) he can’t get rid of, our ogre sets out on his quest for selfish, rather than heroic, reasons.
As with Shrek, our princess (Cameron Diaz) and dragon are neither initially what they appear with the former having a curse uniquely suited to Shrek and the latter being a lonely “girl dragon” in search of companionship (who would find it unexpectedly with Donkey). These theme can be seen throughout the numerous supporting characters who fill out the film.
Although it’s not the first to do so (Google “Fractured Fairy Tales” if you don’t know the reference), Shrek is most notable for its genre-bending twists on expectations of fairy tales. Aside from that, it’s still a fun film that would not only launch several sequels, spinoffs, and a Broadway musical while becoming a large enough hit to influence how other screenwriters and studios dealt with source material creating a number of imitators. One could also argue over the positive or negative effect of its use of pop culture references which other films adopted as well. Shrek has been released several times on home video over the years and is currently available on a number of streaming platforms.
Watch the trailer