Shrek Forever After
Directed By Mike Mitchell
Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas
Shrek Forever after is the fourth and final film in the Shrek franchise and the first of the series to be in 3D. The story centers on Shreks struggle to adapt to his new lifestyle as a family man and as he plunges into a mid life crisis, he starts to crave his old days as an Ogre when he was feared and had peace. Along comes Rumpelstiltskin who is able to offer Shrek one day as an ogre in exchange for one insignificant day from his childhood, Shrek agrees not knowing however that the whole deal was a plot from Rumpel for him to take the throne of Far Far Away and erase Shrek from ever existing. In this alternate universe Shrek sees the lives of Fiona, Donkey and Puss where they never met him and the only way for Shrek to get back to his normal life is true loves first kiss.
The plot of Shrek Forever After is unoriginal, clichéd and predictable however despite its flaws Shrek Forever After is an enjoyable film and a much more respectable end to the series than Shrek The Third would have been. As always Donkey provides the best lines and biggest laughs, however Rumpelstilskin is a fun villain who steals every single scene he is in. A lot of the humour is gained through seeing the dramatic differences in the characters and that humour works best with Puss In Boots who is just as cute and funny. Where Shrek Forever After really succeeds however is that it reminds you what was so good about the first two films and grounds the film in solid emotion, with a good if rather predictable, clichéd and unoriginal fable at its core.
The animation is brilliant, as you would expect, however the 3D while providing some entertaining moments is unnecessary and doesn’t benefit the film. The voice acting is also solid all around with Myers, Diaz and the rest of the regulars making Shrek and the gang sound just as they did in the first three and Walt Dohrn gives a great performance as Rumpelstiltskin (who may be my favourite villain of the series)
Overall Shrek Forever After regains the series dignity, providing some big laughs and entertainment. However it also highlights the series lack of ideas with a story that isn’t as well written or original as the first two and a contrived plot that doesn’t take a genius to predict the outcome. Shrek Forever After is a respectable end to the series and a decent, reasonably enjoyable time at the cinema, which while doesn’t showcase the best the series has to offer, it is far from the worst and one worth checking out for Shrek fans.
One Sentence Summary: A much more respectable end to the series than 3, although nowhere near the quality of 1 and 2, the best thing about Shrek Forever After is Rumpelstiltskin.
6/10
By Michael Dalton
The plot of Shrek Forever After is unoriginal, clichéd and predictable however despite its flaws Shrek Forever After is an enjoyable film and a much more respectable end to the series than Shrek The Third would have been. As always Donkey provides the best lines and biggest laughs, however Rumpelstilskin is a fun villain who steals every single scene he is in. A lot of the humour is gained through seeing the dramatic differences in the characters and that humour works best with Puss In Boots who is just as cute and funny. Where Shrek Forever After really succeeds however is that it reminds you what was so good about the first two films and grounds the film in solid emotion, with a good if rather predictable, clichéd and unoriginal fable at its core.
The animation is brilliant, as you would expect, however the 3D while providing some entertaining moments is unnecessary and doesn’t benefit the film. The voice acting is also solid all around with Myers, Diaz and the rest of the regulars making Shrek and the gang sound just as they did in the first three and Walt Dohrn gives a great performance as Rumpelstiltskin (who may be my favourite villain of the series)
Overall Shrek Forever After regains the series dignity, providing some big laughs and entertainment. However it also highlights the series lack of ideas with a story that isn’t as well written or original as the first two and a contrived plot that doesn’t take a genius to predict the outcome. Shrek Forever After is a respectable end to the series and a decent, reasonably enjoyable time at the cinema, which while doesn’t showcase the best the series has to offer, it is far from the worst and one worth checking out for Shrek fans.
One Sentence Summary: A much more respectable end to the series than 3, although nowhere near the quality of 1 and 2, the best thing about Shrek Forever After is Rumpelstiltskin.
6/10
By Michael Dalton
This trailer was taken from: “Shrek Forever After” Trailer 1 HD (Video). March 12, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7__TG7swg0
