Shrek Forever After is the fourth installment and supposedly the last in the Shrek franchise. Call me crazy but I liked it. Personally I have never been a huge fan of Shrek. I liked the first and especially the second film but I didn’t love them. When the third film came out it received so much bad press that I didn’t even see it. After seeing the fourth I felt like this film could actually stand alone. You really don’t need to know much about Shrek to love it.
The movie starts off with Shrek (Mike Myers) enjoying his “forever after” with his wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in their cozy cottage in his beloved swamp. Each day is the same routine filled with the antics of his three newborn triplets, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss-In-Boots (Antonio Banderas). At first Shrek enjoys every minute of it but over time the monotony of his life really starts to wear. All of this causes Shrek to fantasize about the good ole days when he was feared by everyone and most importantly, alone. This is where the new villain Rumpelstiltskin (Walter Dohrn) steps in.
Rumpelstiltskin offers Shrek a magical contract which states that Shrek will be able to go back and spend one day of being an ogre again just like in the old days but in return he would have to give up one day from his past. I’m not going to ruin the rest of the movie for you but let’s just say that after Shrek signs the contract things start to get interesting.
Overall I felt that the story was real fresh. The movie was funny and a hit with the kids. The theater I was in was packed full of children that all seemed to be engaged throughout the entire film. Normally I hate 3D films but for this one I felt it worked. It really enhanced the film without being too overwhelming. At no point did I feel it distracted from the story and it still kept the look and feel of the original film. The music was good and the writing was done in such a way that was clever, full of humor and yet still emotionally moving.
While Shrek the Third was a huge disappointment this film stepped it up and really was a good way to end the franchise. It ended with a great moral that really caused you to leave the theater with a smile on your face. For anyone wanting a good wholesome film or one you can take the kids to then I recommend this film to you. Enjoy!
