Had its moments

Rating: 7/10 (7 July 2010)

I enjoyed this 4th trip to the well, particularly the 3D (which was very effective), but there were things to point out which were less than positive.
Rumpelstiltskin didn't really seem to work. I could see what they were up to but, to me, something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was the voice performance (Wally Dohrn, whoever he is), maybe the trade-off between superficially charming but inwardly villainous was slightly off, but on some level it didn't work.
Puss was woefully underused. Limited to a series of fat gags, most of which had been used in the trailers, he may as well not have been there.
The ogre babies, potentially great characters, were also underused.
The story, though good, was essentially a retread of the first movie, albeit complicated by alternate realities causes and effects which may have been over-confusing for younger children.
Far fewer gags than in previous efforts.
But I did enjoy it.