Shrek 2 (2004)

Rated Our content rating: V-; L-; S/N-.

How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
How handsome you are, my lover!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
Song of Songs 1:15-16

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18

Shrek 2

Shrek (Mike Myers) is back with his princess-turned-ogre bride, Fiona (Cameron Diaz). Only this time, Shrek isn’t out to save the damsel in distress; this time his reluctant objective is to “meet the parents.” After opening the film with Prince Charming’s (Rupert Everett) quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona—a quest for which he is too late, finding instead a “gender-confused wolf” on Fiona’s bed—the movie kicks itself off with Shrek and Fiona’s honeymoon, involving a fun tribute to pop culture that includes some not-so-subtle allusions to recent films (e.g., Lord of the Rings, Spiderman—and, for the adults in the audience, to From Here to Eternity).

Upon receiving an invitation from Fiona’s parents, the king and queen of Far, Far Away (John Cleese, Julie Andrews), Shrek, Fiona, and their vociferous friend Donkey (Eddie Murphy) set out to win the blessing of the in-laws. But that’s only the beginning. Once they arrive in the land of Far, Far Away—a pseudo-Hollywood/Beverly Hills, complete with a Hollywood-like sign in the background—Fiona’s Fairy-Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) does everything in her power to get between Shrek and his wife in order to hook Fiona up with her son, Prince Charming. Along the way, Shrek and Donkey befriend what is probably the best new character in the Shrek saga, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), a Spanish tabby cat with a penchant for sword-slashing.

Shrek 2 is a hilarious tale, not of romance (as in the first Shrek movie), but this time, of a deeper kind of love. The question is posed, “What would one do for one’s beloved?” How far will Shrek go to keep the love of his wife? Will he change for her? Should he change for her? It is a question faced by all who find love in their lives, and one that finds an enchanting resolution in this film.

Markus Watson is Associate Pastor at Union Presbyterian Church, Union, KY.

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