ShrekMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Shrek."

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Must Go!
Avg. Critic Score: 84 out of 100 Universal acclaim Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
6 OK for kids 6+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 100
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    It's wondrous, it's fabulous, it's -- all but unprecedented. Read full review

  • 100
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    A movie that appeals to the eye, mind, heart and funny bone; that's a pretty good quadruple for any movie. Read full review

  • 100
    USA Today | Susan Wloszczyna

    A riotous and wee bit PG-racy computer-animated family fable, is the most thoroughly enjoyable cartoon feature since "Toy Story" burst out of its box. Read full review

  • 100
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    This spirited and often very funny lark accomplishes something that most films in the bygone Hollywood studio era used to do but is remarkably rare in today's world of niche markets: It offers entertainment equally to viewers from 4 to 104. Read full review

  • 100
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    This is not your average family cartoon. Shrek is jolly and wicked, filled with sly in-jokes and yet somehow possessing a heart. Read full review

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Lives happily ever after because it's such a feisty but good natured embrace of the inner ogre in everyone. Read full review

  • 90
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    A world-class charmer that could even seduce the Academy when it hands out the first official animation Oscar next year. Read full review

  • 90
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    This fractured fairy tale not only knows there's no substitute for clever writing, it also has the confidence to take that information straight to the bank. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    A giggly cocktail, though it's more foam than drink. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    As innocent as a Disney movie -- and a lot more entertaining. Read full review

View more reviews for Shrek on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 6+ Gross-out laughs meet a marvelous fairytale mix.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie is rated PG, but it includes some edgy humor directed at teens and adults. It's a shame that Hollywood finds it necessary to include this material in a movie that would be otherwise perfect family fare, but that's the economic reality of this era of moviemaking. The jokes teens and adults snicker at (like when Shrek wonders if the small Lord Farquaad is compensating for something with his very tall castle) will be over the heads of most younger kids, but parents should be ready for some questions. There's also plenty of potty humor and gross-out joke directed at kids – mostly based on the appalling personal habits of ogres. Scary scenes for young ones include fights with guards, villagers coming after Shrek with pitchforks, and a fire-breathing dragon (who turns nice when she falls for Donkey). A bird explodes and its eggs are eaten, and a character is eaten in one gulp by the dragon, but it's not graphic.
  • Families can talk about Donkey's statement that Shrek has "that kind of 'I don't care what nobody thinks of me' thing." Is it true that Shrek didn't care what people thought of him? How can you tell? What did it mean to say that ogres are like onions? What does it mean to say that people have layers? Princess Fiona expected Prince Charming to save her and Shrek came instead. How did she change her mind about him? How did it help her to accept herself? Why is self-acceptance so important?
The good stuff
  • message true2 Positive messages: Staying true to yourself is a big theme. But Shrek's bad hygeine is on display for laughs.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Princess Fiona is a strong character who challenges the prim-'n'-proper princess stereotype.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: Characters in peril; ogre hunters wave pitchforks and torches; a bird explodes; scary fire-breathing dragon (who is much less scary when she gets a crush on Donkey); one character is eaten in one gulp by the dragon.
  • sex false1 Sexy stuff: Mild sexual humor. Some innuendo that will go over kids' head (for example, when Shrek sees the big tower that is Farquaad's castle and says to Donkey, "Gee, think he's compensating for something?").
  • language false3 Language: Strong language for a PG movie, including "damn," "ass," and "crap."
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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