'Shrek Forever After' is a glass half-empty

Rating: 6/10 (5 September 2010)

In the 3-D (and stereoscopic) animated film, Shrek Forever After, Shrek, the green ogre, has become bored with the domesticated life of raising children with his wife, Princess Fiona, along with the fact that no one treats him with any fear or respect. One day, Shrek feels he has had it and makes a pact with Rumplestiltskin, a deal-making magician of sorts, to feel like a real ogre for a day. When he finds out he's been duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away, where Rumplestiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and Fiona doesn't know him, he sets to get his life back and reclaim his true love.
This one is the fourth installment of the Shrek series. I haven't seen the third one, as I had heard many horrible things about it. I have seen the first two, which I've enjoyed immensely. First film offered a clever, humorous twist on fairy tales. Second goes farther with the twists by adding pop-culture references re-imagined in context of the fairy tales. Both were very inventive and full of energy and details. This version, unfortunately, feels like all of that has been reduced by half. In general fun and humor, it's straight-to-DVD quality, although you can't get the stereoscopic view. The jokes aren't as funny as it used to be. The details and environments also feel somewhat desolate this time around. The subtleties are gone.
The stereoscopic 3-D aspect of the film feels like it's been tacked in there. The flying scenes inside the castle are kind of neat, but during most of the film, I didn't even notice that it was in 3-D. Don't expect anything as grand or beautiful or clever as How To Train Your Dragon.
I suppose by the fourth film, it is inevitable that much of the joy of the first and second film will have been drained out. I assume the storytellers are running out of ideas when sequels revert to a time-travel idea (I'm reminded of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Turtles in Time) or a "reboot" of sorts. Yes, it's essentially a reboot because much of the film is an alternate timeline, and Shrek has to meet his friends all over again who don't recognize him. It's kind of like getting re-acquainted with Arnold Schwartzenegger's T-100 in Terminator 3. It also doesn't help that the plot concept has been done before, such as in It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Destiny. The plot progression is essentially by-the-numbers, and so is a good chunk of the humor. It never feels quite organic. There is more slapstick than jokes. Sadly, in my theater, I couldn't hear any kids laughing at any of the jokes, which wasn't a good sign.
However, there are some good moments in the film. Despite the overused plot, Shrek is still a likable character. Eddie Murphy's Donkey is still around. Conrad Vernon's Rumplestiltskin is a mean yet somewhat dark character, reminding me of John Lithgow's Lord Farquaadalmost. The Pied Piper as a baddie is an ingenious idea—how I wished the film centered more on this guy! A scene involving Rumplestiltskin's "half-full" glass of water is also excellent. I even liked the fact that Shrek goes through something like a midlife crisis. I only wished it was handled in a way that wasn't so familiar.
Overall, it's not a bad film. It's just doesn't live up to the potential set by the previous films I saw. If there was no Shrek 1 and 2, it may've been considered a pretty decent film--of course, it also means there shouldn't be other good 3-D animations to compete with. Nevertheless, friends have told me this installment is still miles better than the third one. I guess I won't be seeing the third one for sure. I give Shrek Forever After ** out of **** stars.
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