Though not the best, "Shrek Forever After" is a good wrap-up for the series

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2010)

I didn't see this in theaters, fearing that it would be lame like "Shrek the Third". Learning that my cousins had rented "Shrek Forever After", I thought why not kill an hour and a half. To my utter surprise, I found myself laughing on almost all levels as in the first two Shreks. The Disney spoofs, sense of ridiculous (such as bringing back the gags of exploding birds and frogs being blown up as balloons), and a good villain is all present.
The cast is there, delivering witty lines at their brilliant best. Will Dohrn as Rumpelstiltskin tops all of them. I've never heard of the actor but he should definitely consider doing more work in voice talent. His inflection brings life to the petite, annoying, and menacing Rumpelstiltskin. In short, the voice fits him perfect, like John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad in the first Shrek.
The animation is brilliant in all aspects, ranging from the intense action sequences to the emotions that the characters display through their facial expressions. Well done. And once again, the humor is there and clever. But what this Shrek lacks is a witty plot. It falls into a ripoff of "It's a Wonderful Life." If I could live without my family in existence, what could possibly go wrong? Only trouble. We've all heard the same mumble jumble. The ending does lead to one dark direction, but it pulls off a surprise happy ending. It makes sense for this, I mean, it's Shrek. He has to win.
In short, though not the best, "Shrek Forever After" is a good wrap-up for the series. Let's hope this is the last Shrek.
My rating: 3 out of 4