Shrek proves to be an overwhelmingly charming and charismatic adventure that infuses together fantasy and comedy to give audiences the best of both worlds. Taking place in a distant kingdom that occurred once upon a time, the movie all begins with a swamp in this very kingdom. This swamp is home to a single resident, an ogre named Shrek, who clearly values his privacy and the freedom to do what he wants when he wants with his very own swamp. No one impedes on his territory, mostly due to his frightening and fearsome stature and personality, which often scares away the townspeople and ensures that no one tries to get to close to him, and as long as Shrek is able to live in peace and quiet, he's more than happy. However, despite these wishes to remain alone and not bothered by the rest of society, which has often treated him like a monster due to his physical appearance, his swamp is soon overrun by fairy tale characters. These various creatures, whether they're blind mice, bad wolves, or wooden puppets that just want to be real boys, all come across as incredibly annoying and abrasive from Shrek's perspective, and as his home begins to become taken over, Shrek initially and immediately becomes furious. Demanding to know why these creatures are on his swamp and affecting his own personal life, Shrek discovers that the brutal and callous Lord Farquaad has been responsible for the matter. Taking over the fairy tale characters' kingdom, exiling them from their own homes and giving them nowhere else to turn, the fairy tale characters don't have any place to call home but Shrek's swamp. Understanding that all of this is Lord Farquadd's fault for disrupting their lives, Shrek shows off his tremendous physical strength and quickly makes a deal with Farquaad. In return for giving Shrek back his swamp and returning the kingdom to the fairy tale characters, all Shrek has to do is rescue a princess named Fiona, who is set out to be the future bride of Lord Farquaad. As Shrek goes on the epic journey of a lifetime on his quest to save Princess Fiona, he is accompanied by Donkey, a talking donkey with a large personality, and together they attempt to save the princess, but as they do so, they are forced to also struggle with a large, fire-breathing dragon that guards the tower Fiona is trapped in, as well as Fiona's most troubling secret. 
 Shrek proves to be a wholeheartedly epic adventure that combines together a well-crafted story with imaginative details to provide a truly memorable tale. With Shrek and Donkey headlining the main events of the story, it's clear that there is going to be a lovable and instantaneous fan-favorite relationship forming around two close buddies. As a talking donkey with a loud and big mouth, and an ever larger personality, Donkey is about as clear of an extrovert as they come, needing some to talk with, hangout with, and even sing with. It's hard not to like Donkey's optimism about the world and his views on Shrek, and while everyone else seems to see a green, hideous monster when they take a glance at Shrek, Donkey is one of the few that sees a possible friend. Together, they form a unique and surprising well-matched duo that takes the classic relationship of a knight and his donkey, which is made famous in the golden age of Spanish literature, and with the film's ability to transform the expected into something completely unorthodox, it shouldn't be surprising that these characters are no different. In fact, not only does Donkey's existence as a significant character matter, but one of the most crucial components of the film is the simple matter of how it revolves around Shrek. Shrek is an isolated character when the story begins, and while Shrek does seem to declare how he enjoys acting solo and not having to meet the demands of anyone else, acting as a clear introvert in stark contrast to Donkey, there are also the hidden tropes of how society has mocked and treated Shrek like a beast. Not respected, not cared for, and not really having a place with everyone else, Shrek seems to be a natural outsider, so it isn't hard to see why he cares so much about having his own swamp to act as his safe haven. Moreover, as the story continues and further develops, especially becoming further involved with the rescuing of Fiona, the fact that Shrek is the brave knight sent forth to save the princess goes against all common convention and helps elucidate the theme of how what's on the inside matters more than what's on the outside. As Shrek and Princess Fiona spend even more time with each other, they only start to hit the surface of how true that message really is and how prevalent it is in both of their lives. 
 Shrek consistently and constantly manages to provide both genuine laughs and heartfelt emotion. As much as this creates an emotional spectrum for viewers that is riveting for how drastically it can switch from elated joy to crushing sadness, the real imaginative genius and unique capability of the film rests with its profound characters. Rich in development and personality, there's no denying that both Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona, Lord Farquaad, and all of the other fairy tale characters that they meet along the way are truly depicted in such a fantastical manner that they bring magic and fantasy to life. More than capable of compelling, the transcending journey that these characters, with a heavy emphasis on Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona, are forced to undergo brings audiences to an entirely fairytale-like kingdom that can be quite exhilarating to behold. The developing relationships between both Shrek and Donkey and Shrek and Fiona are so notable in how they clearly indicate the progression of all parties involved. Shrek is forced to forgo his sense of solitude and seclusion from society and embrace the warmhearted feelings that he begins to experience alongside his newly formed best friend, Donkey, and someone that he feels that he can truly confide in and talk to in Fiona. Examining both relationships and what they say about Shrek as a person, or really as an ogre, they both exemplify a far more sensitive and sympathetic side of Shrek that most might assume was nonexistent, especially due to his chiseled and hard-featured personality. Engaging and often attention-consuming, the movie depicts these revelations about Shrek's personality in such a manner that the viewer can't help but feel personally involved. 
 Shrek is a true and instant classic that is nothing short of a triumphant hit from start to finish. Reinventing and redefining what exactly it means to be a fairy tale, the movie serves as a love letter to the very best of the genre and as an homage to the fabled stories that nearly everyone grows up with, often including plenty of inside jokes and subtle nods to these tales that solely provide more entertainment, especially for older audiences. Very witty, very clever, and very high-spirited, the movie proves to be a majestic and entirely fresh fairly tale in its own right, implementing all of the common and expected tropes to create something completely unexpected. Utilizing splendid visuals that bring out all of the fairy tale characters to life and bring them into a more realistic yet still fictionalized world, the film provides some of the very best that the fantasy genre has to offer with its infusion of adventure. Much like onions, this work of cinema has many layers that seamlessly build on top of one another to create a much stronger and complex structure, and with its ability to provide a completely creative fairly tale for a whole new generation, it is easy to see why this movie is more than deserving of its outstanding 88% from Rotten Tomatoes. This is a must-see if there ever was one. It's that phenomenal.