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Film Critic Dragged After Penning Scathing Review Of 'Shrek' For The Film's 20th Anniversary
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
But that isn't to say people won't argue against those opinions like they've taken another full-time job.
So when film critic Scott Tobias of The Guardian shared his criticism of Shrek, and on its 20th Anniversary no less, ogre fans were ready for him.
The article dropped on Tuesday this week and was full of punches against the quirky film.
Tobias wrote:
"The fairytale comedy was a hit with critics and audiences but its toilet humor, glibness, and shoddy animation mark it out as a misfire."
He felt the film contributed nothing positive to the world of animation.
"Twenty years later, that flushing sound (at the beginning of the film) seems to signify the moment when blockbuster animation circled the drain."
"Shrek is a terrible movie. It's not funny. It looks awful."
"It would influence many unfunny, awful-looking computer-animated comedies that copied its formula of glib self-reference and sickly sweet sentimentality."
"Three of those terrible movies were sequels to Shrek and one was a spin-off with a sequel in the works. The curse has eased but not lifted."
To his mind, it didn't do anyone any favors, period.
"In the end, Shrek didn't save DreamWorks from setting itself off a few years later."
"It didn't extend [Mike] Myers's career past a hard expiration date. And Katzenberg went on to found Quibi."
"The entire enterprise is better left in the past."
Tobias was so proud of his critique, he even boasted about it on Twitter.
I'm told that my argument here is so persuasive that SHREK has been removed from the National Film Registry and re-classified as "culturally insignificant." I'm sorry this film could not survive my dissent.https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/may/17/shrek-20-unfunny-overrated-low-blockbuster?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1621318538\u00a0\u2026— Scott Tobias (@Scott Tobias) 1621341778
But fans of Shrek and those excited for the 20th Anniversary weren't about to take this sitting down.
Some couldn't believe anyone would even write such a critique.
Do you think someone just wrote this to get a reaction out of people?
— JollyRogersUK (@JollyRogUK) May 18, 2021
I have met and worked with multiple people from different countries, and everyo single person says Shrek was amazing. It is legit UNIVERSALLY awesome!! What bottom feeding mutant says it's "Overrated"??? pic.twitter.com/KWpNJsAyzq
— Nenai Streams (@NenaiStreams) May 18, 2021
I'm all for opinions but that's objectively wrong.
— 🏳️🌈Benjamin Scott Walton🏳️🌈#Blacklivesmatter (@Bennythebenny) May 18, 2021
did lord farquad write this— layla ahmad (@layla ahmad) 1621360320
Others were really miffed with specific aspects of the review.
They had their rebuttals ready.
'Unfunny' - my child, now 21, still loves it & knew the entire dialogue.
I love it, too. How could anyone not think it was funny?#Shrek
— DemocratiChique (@DemocratChique) May 18, 2021
kind of unfair to compare its (computer) animation to that of movies created more than a decade later, all of which benefited from considerable technological progress.pic.twitter.com/LVgYCienZN— vaccinated bren after hours (@vaccinated bren after hours) 1621352185
I laughed out loud, even though I don't quite agree on SHREK's hopelessness.\n\nI think you missed one vital point: SHREK may have pop culture savvy, but deep down it's about how sometimes the Beast was beautiful all along, and that Beauty didn't need to be perfect to be wanted.— Dumped, Dauntless, and Dalish (She/Her) (@Dumped, Dauntless, and Dalish (She/Her)) 1621373865
Some were simply offended or felt they had been betrayed.
Obviously someone who didn't have a happy childhood
— GeHeCal (@GeHeCal1) May 18, 2021
Considering that you classify yourself as a "Film/TV writer" it's pretty embarrassing how much of the substance you missed.— Th3Badd3st (@Th3Badd3st) 1621342224
I think I have to side with the majority culturally, and the minority critically, and say that I enjoyed this movie and thought it had a big heart. I don\u2019t think it was necessary for you to destroy every existing physical and digital print though, Scott.— MZS (@MZS) 1621352977
Actual movie experts know that Shrek is one of the 3 most important animated movies of the last 50 years. Shrek 3 is regarded in several publications as one of the best sequals of all time, up there with Godfather 2 and Jaws 2. Go back and do the research #badtake #nonexpert— Kyle Mitchell (@Kyle Mitchell) 1621351938
But... there were those small few who understood where Tobias was coming from.
The reaction just reaffirms how most people view critics...when they agree it's proper justification of their opinions; when criticism attacks their darlings it's insufferable snootiness— time is a flat pancake (@time is a flat pancake) 1621349815
The frothing at the mouth from incensed millennial fans of Shrek was everything I came for and everything I expected. \n\nWho doesn't love a 20 tweet reply thread of someone bending over backwards to justify any and all criticism for a Mike Myers movie.— Justin (@Justin) 1621349565
The thing is Shrek didn't start being a terrible movie. It's been a terrible movie since 2001. It's just taken twenty years for people's tastes to catch up with mine to finally realise this. The film doesn't have one creative bone in its body and killed traditional animation.— slider1983 (@slider1983) 1621362044
I love the fact that people are getting so angry about this.\nAs if your opinion makes any difference to their enjoyment of the movie. \nI liked it when I first saw it (still do) and so did my kids, 18 years later. Your article hasn't changed that so why would I be mad at you pic.twitter.com/2xwCu8XtEi— Ghostwriter (@Ghostwriter) 1621356867
The old saying goes, "You can't make everyone happy," and that strands true, whether it's for a much-loved animated film like Shrek or for a critique of the film by Scott Tobias.
There are going to be avid fans and lackluster never-watched-its, as well as those who wildly disagree or quietly nod their heads.