Decent If Not As Fresh as 1 or 2

Rating: 7/10 (31 May 2010)

A good deal of the critical complaining about this one is simply that it's derivative of a well loved Jimmy Stewart classic - _It's a Wonderful Life_'. In a modest way it is, but it also goes its own way enough that it's hardly a duplication of that flick.
What bothers me about that complaint is simply that most Hollywood movies today - those loved or despised - are remakes of something which came before. It seems that for maybe 80 years or so, Hollywood was capable of coming up with original material, but lately that has waned. Perhaps the movie makers have become as script conservative as they are politically liberal. I'm not sure.
There were perhaps five coming attractions before Shrek 4 started. Of the five, four were clear remakes, some bearing even the same title as the original. One example is the newest _Karate Kid_ which based on the previews probably uses the same script word for word as the original. On the way out of the theater we saw a poster for the upcoming _Predator_ which showed a monster identical to the one which threatened Arnie maybe 25 years ago.
So complaining that Shrek 4 borrows thematically from a well loved movie is hardly valid unless you choose to see no movies at all because they all do it today.
On the positive side, the movie is engaging. We enjoyed the 3D and I found the textures and animation as good as I've ever seen. I'm wondering if movies such as this have put paid to live human actors. I suspect it's close.
No, this one isn't nearly as fresh as the first simply because it's fourth, not first, but it's fine family entertainment with a terrific look and a message which, if not original, is still quite valid. Just sit back and enjoy it.