Shrek Forever After

(The Dreamworks-uary logo is shown, before showing clips from *Shrek Forever After*. The song "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder plays in the background throughout)

Doug (vo): *Shrek Forever After*, the final film in the *Shrek*...legacy, I guess? Is it as good as the second one, is it as bad as the third one? I think it's kind of somewhere in the middle. Out of all the movies, I'd say this one is probably the second-best, but then again, I don't really think much of the other movies apart from the second.

## Story

Doug (vo): It appears Shrek is now a family man. He's living back at the swamp with his wife and children, and at first, it seems pretty nice. But then, day after day after day of doing the exact same thing finally starts to wear on him, to a point where he says he just can't take it anymore. He has a blow-up with his family and comes across a little man named Rumpelstiltskin. He makes a deal with Shrek that he can give him one day to do whatever he wants as long as he can just take one day away from his life. Shrek agrees, and wouldn't you know it? The one day taken from his life was the day he was born. So now, Shrek lives in a reality where he doesn't exist, and Rumpelstiltskin rules the land. Nobody knows who he is, and he has to convince everybody that he's a good guy. Donkey's a slave, Gingerbread Man is a cracker... *[Laughs]* That's the best line in the movie.

Donkey: What are you talking about, cracker?

Doug (vo): ...and Fiona is now the leader of a resistance of ogres.

## Review

Doug (vo): The film, in no way, reaches the heart or comedy that *2* had, but at the same time, I will admit, I did sort of want to know what was going on. I was more intrigued with how Shrek was gonna get out of this and the alternate reality that was created from his decision. I liked seeing the characters in different roles, I liked seeing them do different things. The downside is that it doesn't really lead to a lot of funny moments, and I mean that sort of in the same way as the first film, like, it's almost not trying to be that funny, it's more trying to just tell the story straight-up, which isn't...necessarily bad. I'd much rather they try to tell a good story than just have them try to tell a bunch of jokes that really fail, and there are a few good laughs in this. So I guess my only two major problems with this movie is, one: The fact they could use a lot more jokes, and, yeah, it's a comedy, I do think that's a bit of a problem. And two: This scene.

*[The scene, showing Shrek arguing with Fiona outside a party cabin, is shown]*

Shrek: All I want is for things to go back to the way they used to be.

Fiona: You mean back before you rescued me from the Dragon's Keep?

Shrek: Exactly!

Doug (vo): I think this scene where Shrek blows up at Fiona is way too out-of-character and way too mean-spirited, even for Shrek. It just didn't feel right. I mean, I know he's at his boiling point, but, no. This...this doesn't work. We're supposed to still like this guy and feel sorry that he said this stuff, but when you say things like that, that's pretty nasty. And I think that really does harm a lot of the film, even though it's just a small scene.

## Final thought

Doug (vo): But for everything else, I guess it's an "OK" film. I mean, for a movie that really didn't need to exist, I can't really say it's bad. I wanted to know what was gonna happen, I like the villain of the movie, I like the alternate outcomes, but nothing really screams "Go see it" to me either. So my thought is, if you just sort of wanna see the *Shrek* movies just to finish up the *Shrek* movies, you won't be that disappointed. It's got a laugh here or two and it will keep your attention. However, if you're looking for a really good, strong comedy with really good, strong characters, you might wanna go back to the second one. Not the best, not the worst, take it for what it is.

*[The final scene of the movie, showing Shrek reconciling with his family and friends, is shown as "For Once in My Life" reaches its end]*