A somewhat darker fourth instalment

Rating: 8/10 (16 February 2017)

Shrek, the ogre who was once feared throughout the land, is now living an ordinary life with his wife Fiona and their three children but sometimes he misses his old life and finally during his children's birthday party he has had enough and storms out. Soon afterwards he 'rescues' the evil Rumpelstiltskin and afterwards as they talk he says he would like just one day of his old life. Rumpelstiltskin says he can give him that in exchange for one other day in his life, a day he can't even remember. Shrek can't see any catch so signs the deal.
Suddenly he finds himself in an unfamiliar world; at first it is great, everybody fears him again, but then he realises there is something very wrong. He is captured by witches who take him to the castle in a cart pulled by Donkey who has no memory of Shrek. Once at the castle he finds that Rumpelstiltskin now rules. He is told that the day he gave up was the day he was born; after the one day he asked for he will cease to exist! In this world he was never born so he didn't befriend Donkey and Puss in Boots. He didn't rescue Fiona. And the King and Queen were tricked into a deal that gave the kingdom to Rumpelstiltskin. All hope isn't lost though; there is a get out clause 'True Love's Kiss' will save him. This isn't easy though; not only will he have to find Fiona he will have to make her fall in love with him once again all in one day.
After a slightly disappointing third instalment this is a step up; it still isn't quite as good as the first two films but that would be difficult. The story is quite a lot darker as we see Shrek make a mistake that costs him everything he holds dear and could potentially lose his life. This adds a sense of urgency to proceedings and makes each step towards fixing things satisfying. The fact that Shrek hasn't impacted on their lives means familiar characters have changed; most notable Fiona who, after escaping from the tower on her own, has become a warrior princess leading an ogre rebellion against Rumpelstiltskin and Puss who is fat! Rumpelstiltskin is the most villainous of the antagonists in the 'Shrek' films to date; he is genuinely unpleasant and may disturb some younger viewers I thought he was a great character though. The animation is good, as one might expect, although some scenes look as though they were done to show off 3D effects which may have looked great in the cinema but merely look good when watched on DVD. Overall I'd recommend this to fans of the series even if part three disappointed them.