Shrek Forever After

Rating: 6/10 (26 July 2010)

Shrek Forever After (also known as Shrek: The Final Chapter) is the fourth and final film in the Shrek series that began in 2001. The film stars Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas. The film has been a box office success, taking in nearly $600 million just two months after release.
Shrek Forever After follows the events of Shrek The Third. Shrek, now a hard working father and husband, longs for the days where people fled from him in fear, but now has to live with people asking him to sign their pitchforks or emit his famous roar. He strikes a deal with the sneaky Rumplestiltskin which results in him entering a world where he was never born. As a result, Rumple is now the king of Far Far Away and none of Shreks friends know him. He must reverse the evil curse before the day runs out, which will result in him being erased from existence forever.
As with most Dreamworks films, Shrek Forever After boasts fluid, detailed CGI animation. It still does not look as vibrant or charming as a Pixar film, but the detail packed into the scenery and characters makes this a beautiful looking film. The 3D is a waste of money in my eyes. I payed £17 for two 3D tickets and all it did was subtract from the colour of the film, and it was not put to good use. It just gave the film some unnecessary depth, which did nothing to enhance the experience. I don't want films to be made exclusively with 3D in mind, but if you're not going to put it to good use, then don't con people into buying tickets for it. So be warned viewers: buy a regular ticket for a cheaper price and watch the movie more vibrantly without those daft glasses.
My main criticism with this film is how it does nothing to build upon the Shrek storyline. Shrek The Third could have been a better film in my eyes, but it completed the story. Shrek had married his true love, the kingdom of Far Far Away had been restored, and Shrek lived happily ever after. Shrek Forever After continues the story in an unnecessary fashion. Calling it The Final Chapter made me expect an epic conclusion to the story. Instead, the film feels more like a spin off, and does not conclude the franchise. I'm glad the plans for Shrek 5 were scrapped, because this is where this dying series had to end.
I also felt this film wasn't well structured. The growing love between Shrek and the now war hungry Fiona felt rushed and unrealistic, and the film kept fluctuating between emotion and humour. It seems Dreamworks cannot master animation like Pixar can. They have to resort to unnecessary comedy a lot of the time, and it's annoying.
The voice acting was good. Eddie Murphy did a funny performance as Donkey and the rest of the actors also did well. The voice for Rumplestiltskin, Walt Dohrn, did a fabulous job at an evil yet comedic villain voice, and it was awesome.
Overall, Shrek Forever After is a good film worth seeing if you like the Shrek series. It does nothing to the series and feels more like a spin off but on it's own it's a reasonably entertaining comedy. Just don't expect it to be as a good as the first two films, which I loved. Also, save your money and watch it in 2D. The 3D is there to con you into spending more money to watch a less colourful, layered film.
I give this film a 6/10.