Shrek Forever After (2010)

Rating: 6/10 (14 December 2011)

Usually an alternative reality plot is just a gimmick used by lazy writers. Imagine if Puss was fat, if Shrek had never been born etc. Such ideas leave limitless ideas for writers, and they don't even have to try. Shrek has always leaned toward the obvious "what if" scenarios. Part 2 saw Shrek and DOnkey become handsome, part 3 had Donkey and Puss trade bodies, and so on. Now an entire film is based around this idea. It shouldn't work, but it kind of does. This is certainly a step up from 3. There are more laugh out loud moments, and I even got 3 big belly laughs. The action scenes are exciting, but too concerned with 3-D, making it distracting. Like the other Shrek films before it, it has too many songs playing over the scenes. Probably hoping to shift as many copies as the fantastic Shrek 2 soundtrack. The film starts off with some great examples of Shrek's growing frustration. It's easy to see why Shrek wants his life back to normal. The quick cut montage, followed by the birthday party from hell, leads us into a believable situation where Shrek signs the deal. We also have a wonderful villain, voiced perfectly by Dohrn. This wont gain any new fans. Nor is it a satisfactory end to the franchise. What it is, is an enjoyable spin on the characters with some nice jokes.