But the novelty's simply not there anymore. That's not to say that Shrek 2 isn't every bit as outrageous as the original—you'll be hard-pressed to find a funnier movie this summer—but this second time "upon a time" plays like a rather obvious retread of the same joke. Still, it’s a welcome fix for Shrek junkies, serving up plenty more of the same, especially in the form of Eddie Murphy's wise-ass Donkey. Shrek 2 even forces Donkey to hold his own against a charming new scene-stealer, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), a vainglorious swashbuckler with major image issues (it's hard to take an assassin seriously when he's coughing up hairballs).

But apart from a few fresh inversions of the fairy-tale formula, Shrek 2 earns most of its laughs spoofing other well-recognized movies (where Lord Farquaad's kingdom made for blatant Disneyland-bashing in the first movie, the land of Far Far Away offers only the gentlest of Tinseltown satires). This time around, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) has been cast as the villain, and the Fairy Godmother (Ab Fab's Jennifer Saunders) is bibbidi-bobbidi-bad news. Together, they try to woo Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) away from her oafish love, Shrek (Mike Myers).

The plot is disappointing (it's difficult to imagine an animated movie that conjures less suspense in the "will he get the girl?" department), but the gags are sharp. In fact, the humor is so satisfying in its moment-to-moment pleasures that it's almost unsportsmanlike to criticize the bigger picture. (Am I the only one bothered by the fact that Fiona's father plots to kill Shrek?) You'll only wish the absent-minded storytelling was as top-notch as the vocal and artistic talents.

[as featured on Premiere.com]