A Welcome Surprise

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 2010)

While "Shrek Forever After" may not recapture the biting wit and comedy of the original, it may just have the strongest story of the series.
I think we can all agree that the third instalment of the Shrek series was mailed-in, and while there was a surprisingly good Christmas special last year, I wasn't holding out much hope for this film.
As a mid-40s dad myself, I had no problem relating to the setup, that Shrek had become mired in the routine of family life and had started to question the choices he's made. After a birthday party outburst, he's offered a deal by Rumplestiltskin that give him a chance to be the feared, powerful ogre he was in younger days.
Of course, there's a catch, and Shrek finds himself with the opportunity to see a world where he'd never been born a la Frank Capra. Sure, it's been done before, but the script uses the conceit well and the creative choices generally make sense.
No, "Shrek Forever After" isn't as funny as the original "Shrek" (but what is?), but it's the story that's more important in this one anyway.
Dreamworks has said this will be the last "Shrek", and it's a high note to end the series. Surely, we'll see more TV specials, and perhaps a spin off or two, but it's nice to see the writers do something worthwhile with these characters.