Movie Review - 'Shrek Forever After'

Shrek Forever After Starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy Directed by Mike Mitchell Rated PG

A return to form is rare in movie franchises. Usually, if the first film is good, the second is simply bigger, targeting more money. And if there’s a third one, the odds are it’ll be even worse. Should a movie series extend to four entries, it’s typically a very lazy cash transaction. By then, all the good ideas have been drained, children of the main characters have been introduced in a vain attempt to breathe new life into the story, and there’s very little remaining of the charm from the original. That’s what is most surprising about Shrek Forever After (alternately called Shrek: The Final Chapter). Here’s a brand name that had very few artistic aims to begin with, got worse with each movie, and still DreamWorks decided to come back for a fourth attempt. Amazingly enough, Shrek Forever After is really entertaining and is easily the best installment since the first film. In addition to raising its game significantly over the lethargic Shrek the Third, this is the first Shrek in 3-D, and maybe for the first time during this widespread growth in animated movies presented with special glasses, the film actually benefits greatly from the technology. The quiet, normal life no longer suits Shrek (Mike Myers), who secretly longs to go back to the way things were, when being an ogre meant he was feared. Unfortunately, when he vents those feelings to his wife, Fiona (Cameron Diaz), “the way things were” means before he saved her from captivity in the first film. Following the squabble with his wife, Shrek comes upon Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn), who is the Far Far Away version of a predator lender: You make a deal that’s way too expensive for you and way too good for him. In return for spending one day as the ogre he used to be, Shrek gives up a day from his childhood, a day he doesn’t remember. Unbeknownst to Shrek, Rumpelstiltskin picks the day Shrek was born as the exchange because it helps him cash in another sweet deal; on the day Shrek rescued Princess Fiona, the King of Far Far Away was about to sign away his entire kingdom to rescue his daughter. The story then becomes a save-the-day mission, quite literally: Shrek has to break his contract before the day he was born is completely gone or he won’t ever exist. That means recruiting Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). The cat has some of the film’s funnier scenes, having let himself go from swashbuckling lothario to a corpulent kitty who now only attacks bowls of cream. The wind in the sails of Shrek Forever After, though, is the villain. Rumpelstiltskin is conniving, petty, and very funny. And in a cast headlined by big names, Walt Dohrn – who has spent most of his career writing and directing animated TV shows – makes this movie go. The way the character is written is an obvious and welcome entreaty to adults, who were probably beginning to dread dragging their kids to every lowest-common- denominator animated movie of the summer. Shrek Forever After is better whenever he’s on screen, and he’s an unpredictable presence in a franchise that had played it very safe for two straight films. At least they’re going out on a higher note.

Comments

[Honz Brix]

Going today to see it!! Colin, do you think with Iron Man 2 not being as strong as you and i both originally thought, that Shrek has a shot at taking the Summer Box Office crown?

[Get The Big Picture]

We'll see how the weekend does. I think it's still a $300 million movie, regardless.

[Psyko Tek]

nope
I think toy story takes it

[Honz Brix]

Psyko - Why do you think Toy Story? I still don't see Toy Stroy being that big. The 1st one only made $191 million and the 2nd $245 million. It should do a little better than the 2nd movie because of the 3D prices but i don't see it quite making it to $300 million. Not that that is a disappointment but i still think Iron Man and Shrek could go as high as $325 million

[JL]

I just love shrek soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much

[j r]

i can't wait to see the new shrek!

[Avid Amiri from Internet Enterprises]

I've seen commercials, advertisements, etc. with both 'Shrek: The Final Chapter' and 'Shrek: Forever After'. Which one is right, and why are there two?

[Get The Big Picture]

We talked about that about a month ago, Avid. Apparently, it's Shrek Forever After, but the marketing is more focused on this being presumably the last movie in the series, hence The Final Chapter in the commercials, trailers, and posters.