>>149179822
The thing is Shrek 2 actually uses pop culture references correctly. Pop culture references should never just be "remember thing" you need an actual fucking joke to pair them with. Like the KNIGHTS segment is one of the funniest segments in the movie because they cram in a bunch of jokes like the OJ reference, the pepper mill, or the catnip bit. It's not just a "remember COPS?" joke, they do visual gags and puns with their parody. Movies like Airplane! or Mel Brooks movies have a ton of pop culture references but they're still good because they're actual jokes first that don't necessarily require knowledge of what is being referenced to find it funny.