Ok. I know. I'm the last person in the world to see Shrek. I wasn't avoiding it exactly. I just never got around to seeing it. But I was interested since it was the surprise hit of the summer and most people I know who have seen it, have liked it.  Anyway, I was flying to Hawaii this week and they in-flight movie was Shrek!  Before I continue with this review, I should point out that seeing movies on planes is not ideal and may affect my enjoyment of a particular film. That being said, I didn't think Shrek was that great. It had its cute moments and one or two laughs but I was disappointed. Obviously my expectations were heightened by the fact that other people liked it.  But then again, everyone liked There's Something About Mary, the most unfunny film ever made. Shrek is funnier than that film.  Anyway, if you have been in a bomb shelter all summer, this is an animated film which tells the story of a big green ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) who lives a quiet life in a swamp until every storybook character ever imagined shows up on his doorstep. They have been evicted by the evil, and very small, Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Farquaad has issues with his height and is also looking for a bride. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall tells him that there's a princess (Cameron Diaz) being held prisoner in a tower who would be perfect for him. Needless to say, Farquaad does not go to rescue the princess himself, but sends Shrek instead.  This being the kind of story it is, the hero needs a sidekick and so he picks up a non-stop talking donkey (Eddie Murphy) who attaches himself to Shrek. There are no surprises in this story in which Shrek saves the princess, falls in love with her, feels she can never love him because he is so ugly, but ends happily ever after. The animation is well done is interesting to watch. The story, however, is not very interesting. The writing has a few good lines but they are few and far between. One good line takes a riff off Babe when Shrek tells Eddie Murphy, "That'll do , donkey. That'll do"  It's amazing how something so exciting only a couple of years ago can become old very fast as every movie copies it.  A good example is the slow-motion fight scenes in The Matrix which are copied in many movies, Shrek included, that I've seen lately.  Shrek is yet another attempt at a post-modern deconstruction of the fairy tale.  But, been there, done that.  The voices are well done. Mike Myers redid his whole voiceover when he decided a Scottish accent was what was needed. Eddie Murphy is very Eddie Murphy.  Shrek certainly hit a sweet spot with the summer movie audiences. Maybe that is just because in the wasteland of summer movies this year, everything else out there was worse.