Shrek Forever After: 6/10

Shrek Forever After (2010)
Makes you forget and forgive the existence of the third Shrek, even when it still falters against the original
4 June 2010

The Shrek franchise has risen from a good competitor against Disney and Pixar to a mere joke that still makes money because it appeals to the kids. By the time the third Shrek rolled around, the green ogre went from a clever family comedy with subtle adult humor to an unfunny kiddie flick with very little entertainment whatsoever. This is why I was prepared to shun and practically avoid the fourth and final installment beyond any means necessary. Unfortunately for us moviegoers though, the month of May offered practically nothing outside the Iron Man (and maybe Prince of Persia…maybe) realm. And with the next major major release not happening until mid-June, Shrek Goes Fourth was the final option.

Now, there are some good news and bad news with the final installment. The good news is this film redeems itself for the rather mediocre sequel and the repulsive third one. The bad news is, the film still is weaker than anything Pixar (and quiet third party Blue Sky) has produced, and even weaker then some of Dreamworks' greatest hits. At least the sentimental value and heart of the original is duplicated here, even if the wit and nonstop humor disappeared. The pop culture references aren't as rampant but aren't as good either, while the random musical numbers and dances just don't cut it like they used to. Despite all that griping, it still remains a ho-hum ending to a ho-hum quadrilogy.

In Shrek Forever After or whatever it is called nowadays, we follow Shrek (Mike Myers) as he is becoming quite bored of his watered-down lifestyle of being a father, husband, and town hero. In the midst of the frustrations, he makes a deal with Rumpelstilskin, resulting in him creating a world in which he was never born---resulting in Rumpelstilskin being king of the land. In this alternate universe, he must win the heart of Fiona (Cameron Diaz) all over again before his existence begins to deteriorate. One funny note though, there is no mention of Artie and his new reign of king.

The script is a small retread of the original, mixed in with It's a Wonderful Life and even unexpected parallels to Beauty and the Beast. In other words, the script isn't very original, but does offer a chance to inject some heart into a franchise that lost all of it a couple of years ago. Written by John Klausner (Shrek the Third) and Darren Lemke (Lost), this final chapter has a lot of references to the original Shrek and its sequel, while avoiding all the Disney-bashing the first three were known for. Sadly though, outside the Disney bashing, Shrek didn't have a lot of humor, which makes this Shrek one of the weaker ones in terms of humor. The laughs are mildly there, but mostly coming from the supporting cast (Once again, Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots stealing the show).

With Shrek losing his main love and struggling to win her again, the heartstrings are tugged a bit. Director Mike Mitchell paces the movie well by quickly showing the source of Rumpilstilskin's rage as well as the source of Shrek's troubles. While American Beauty jump-started the middle aged-crisis thing to holy heaven back in 1999, Shrek Forever After still remains a bit fresh by giving us a little time and alternate universe travel. While I was never a fan of Dreamworks trying to infuse heart into any of their movies (I see them more as the antidepressant of Pixar's excellent but heart-destroying films), Shrek is a definite exception. The core of the four films has been the characters and their love for each other, so when the climax approaches, expect to be a bit moved, even when you haven't been laughing.

Bottom Line: Shrek's final trip into the movie theaters was better than I had expected, but still wasn't as funny as the first two, which is what I did expect. You can run on competitive bashing and pop culture humor for so long before you quickly run out of steam. While I believe this fairy tale ran two movies too long, the finale is definitely worthy of a viewing if you love the green ogre and all his friends. The supporting cast provided the laughs, while the main characters provided the heart. This is by no means a triumph, but isn't a total toad wreck either. Dreamworks however really needs to lay off the pace-breaking and unfunny and uninteresting musical bits. Let the spin-offs begin!