A sheer delight - as Shrek 2 takes us to the kingdom of Far, Far Away with our green hero Big S (Mike Myers) and his Princess bride, Fiona (Cameron Diaz), setting off for her birthplace to tell her royal parents (John Cleese, and Julie Andrews) the good news.

Not many in Fiona's circle of family and friends are happy to find her not only married to an ogre, but also embracing her own inner-ogre. The flitting, flying, fried food fanatic, Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), is particularly irate as it was her son, the vain ponce Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), who was supposed to be the one to rescue Fiona from the dungeon. Not really using all the magic and wiles at her disposal, Fairy Godmother initially tries to end the marriage the old-fashioned way: she 'encourages' the King to a bar called the Poison Apple, where the villains of the fairy tale world hang out. There, he secures the services of the great ogre-slayer, Puss-in-Boots (utterly brilliant voice-ing by Antonio Banderas), a well-heeled orange tabby with a real fashion-sense.

Shrek 2 offers up parodies of The Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man, From Here to Eternity, Frankenstein, Little Red Riding Hood, while dissing The Little Mermaid, and also manages a plug for DreamWorks' upcoming Shark's Tale all in the first five minutes! Writers J. David Stem, Joe Stillman and David Weiss, and directors Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, really put a lot of thought, heart and soul into Shrek 2 and it shows from beginning to end.

This time around the story is less fairy tale than situation comedy, but with the introduction of the manipulative and loveable Puss-in-Boots, it's a laugh a minute. Those who created this purr-fect character from perception to pixels really knew cats. A multi-faceted personality, Puss is a scrapping alley cat one minute, then a pristine object worthy of Egyptian worship the next. With feline grace, he shapes himself to fit into any circumstance, even when he's caught with catnip in a riotous sequence.

With a sequel, new characters are very important. We already know what to expect from Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey (Eddie Murphy). Making them interact true to character with Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, Puss-In-Boots and even a Godzilla-style Gingerbread Man is what makes Shrek 2 stand on its own with so much panache. There are also uproarious appearances by Larry King as the Ugly Stepsister, and Joan Rivers as herself.

Actually, Shrek and Donkey are not exactly the same old characters this time around when they drink a magic potion, they transform into more handsome versions of themselves. Shrek becomes a strapping lumberjack woodsman-type, while Donkey becomes the ideal version of the steed he's always believed himself to be. Prancing and tossing his silver mane, he's even more insufferable (and charming) than ever before.

Far, Far Away, while not exactly a "character", is certainly one of the funniest additions: It's like a medieval Hollywood, complete with red carpet events and a Starbucks on nearly every corner. We are taken on a virtual tour, and it's a real hoot to see the fairy tale character's walk of fame, their mansions behind iron gates, and their love affair with fancy cars (horse-drawn carriages).

Much has been made of the advances made in computer-generated imagery in just a few short years. One of the opening sequences shows Prince Charming riding his fancy charger across the countryside and the ever-improving computer graphics really shine, especially here. While the original Shrek is still fresh and fine to look at, you can definitely see the advances in the medium with part two: the eyes, the hair, the skin, the movements and sway of the clothing is so richly authentic, it'll have you marvelling more than once.

A word to the wise: sit for a few minutes after the end-credits start, and you'll be entertained by Donkey and (dare I reveal it...) his new family! I smell Shrek 3!

Director: Patrice Leconte
Writer: Jérôme Tonnerre
Cast: Sandrine Bonnaire, Fabrice Luchini, Michel Duchaussoy, Anne Brochet, Gilbert Melki

Tiring of her abusive relationship, Anna (Sandrine Bonnaire) visits (or so she believes) a psychologist. However, she inadvertently calls in on William - a tax specialist - and begins outpouring intimate personal details of her lovelorn existence.

Having inherited his father's office and even his fussy old secretary Madame Mulon, William becomes intrigued and fascinated by this strange encounter and fails to explain the misunderstanding. When Anna talks about how her husband wants her to have an affair since he can no longer satisfy her, William becomes inextricably drawn in to this confessional scenario of sadness, dark passion and sexual fantasies.

The two become drawn to one another despite each becoming eventually aware of the initial confusion. William, who himself is suffering from the on-and-off-affair with his ex-girlfriend (Anne Brochet) is desperate for the intimate situations with Anna amidst his boring work routine.

Those awkward, tense and sometimes hilarious moments seem to be too much for the constantly over-dressed yet emotionally under-developed tax consultant who still has toy figures on the shelf. Anna is a seductive siren coming into his grey life. William explains why he is so uptight: "I once swallowed an umbrella. It was open, too".

Characters that communicate with their eyes, hands and eyebrows at least as much as with laconic pieces of language make this film a delight in human observation. When Anna's crippled husband Marc (Gilbert Melki) eventually shows up in the office, it becomes clear that William is involved deeper than he thinks.

The piece manages to keep the balance between dark-humoured observations on life and truly felt emotions, and with only a handful of rooms serving as stages for this drama, Fabrice Luchini and Sandrine Bonnaire brilliantly master this story of growing interdependence and mistrust. Director Patrice Leconte builds an elegant film around a simple premise.