Shrek
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.
May 18, 2001 · Directed by Andrew Adamson
What's been said
Viewers and critics received Shrek with broad enthusiasm, with an 89% Tomatometer across 213 reviews, a 90% audience Popcornmeter, and a 7.9 on IMDb from over 800,000 ratings, all pointing in the same direction. The most praised element is the irreverent, layered humor and the central Shrek-and-Donkey dynamic: critics called it 'jolly and wicked, filled with sly in-jokes and yet somehow possessing a heart,' while audiences singled out Eddie Murphy's Donkey as a scene-stealer and loved how the jokes worked on multiple levels for kids and adults alike. The most common complaint, noted by both some critics and audience reviewers, is that the story leans on a thin, predictable fairy-tale plot and leans hard on toilet humor and broad gags, with at least one critic describing it as 'alternately sweet and mean, sophisticated and vulgar.' A notable detail: Shrek was the first animated film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, beating out Pixar's Monsters, Inc., and is widely credited with positioning DreamWorks as a credible rival to Disney by pointedly satirizing the Disney formula from the inside.
Will you actually like it?
Answer a few quick questions and we'll predict how much you'll like this movie, not whether critics did. Each one targets something this film specifically leans into, where viewers tend to split. We think these are the questions that will best help predict how well it will align with you.
Where to watch
Trailer
