9. Shrek
Shrek is unquestionably one of the best animated films of the 2000s, helping to elevate Dreamworks' image considerably in their continual struggle to rival Pixar. It had all of the postmodern smarts you could want for a film of this type, such that it in many ways had more to offer for the parents watching, and took an angle on fairy tales that Hollywood had never really tried to tackle before. The first sequel, to be fair, was a gallant effort, revelling in much of the same wit as the original, though absolutely overdosing on the pop culture references to the point of exhaustion, such that it diverted from the subtlety that infused the original, as well as featuring some less-subtle adult gags (remember the furore around Pinnochio wearing a thong?) that some took umbrage with. It all went downhill from there, unfortunately, and
Shrek The Third, while still turning in a huge box office return of $798m, was down on the second film's $919m, evidently because word of mouth eventually spread that the franchise had become a dull, soulless cash-cow that lacked the wit and warmth of the previous films - especially the first. The same is also true of the fourth and final entry,
Shrek Forever After, which grossed less still, and was seen as an awkward finale for the series. The inherent problem in these films was their absolute lack of necessity; there is no urgency to the plot because Shrek's troubles are pretty much over by the end of the second film, as he is settled with his wife, and has some sprogs on the way. And so arbitrary danger scenarios are invented out of thin air for the third and fourth films, which didn't prove too convincing, and worst of all, lacked the humanity and hilarity of the previous films. Also, by this point the characters had become rather stock - specifically Eddie Murphy's Donkey - and just like him, it had all wound up a bit, well, long in the tooth. While a second film might have been acceptable, there was never any need for more than that, and while the first is still a hugely entertaining film, it's hard not to watch it without imagining what the writers were thinking later on.