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 In cinemas Thursday [PG]
Director: Mike Mitchell
Runtime: 93mins.
By the time a franchise has reached its fourth instalment (fifth, if you count 2007’s Shrek The Halls), you would expect it to have lost whatever made it a success to begin with.
But surprisingly enough Shrek Forever After works and provides a decent enough plot with enough jokes and charm to fill out a convincing coda to the series, despite cheating a little to get there.
At the beginning of his fourth feature, Shrek has lost his mojo and become domesticated into the tedium of family life. After a disastrous birthday party, featuring a hilariously obnoxious kid, Shrek is contacted by Rumpelstiltskin, a short, nasty magician with a grudge. He offers Shrek the opportunity to spend one day as a real ogre again, feared by the villagers and free of his family. Of course there’s a catch, and Shrek soon finds himself in a nightmare alternate universe where ogres are hunted and his friends and family have vanished from his life.
So yes, Shrek Forever After uses the old be-careful-what-you-wish-for cliché to bypass the difficulties of finding a fresh story for Shrek and his burgeoning family. Instead, we’re treated to something of a reboot for the final film, a “what if” scenario where Shrek never met Donkey, never saved Fiona, never had kids (thankfully), and where Puss in Boots is a fat and complacent pet.
Although this kind of plot is sort of taking the easy way out, the story as it stands isn’t too bad. It manages to stitch together whatever fairy tale tropes haven’t already been used by the series into one more semi-rollicking adventure, and maintains a sense of emotion throughout without sinking into a saccharine mess until right at the end.
Like the other Shrek films, it relies a little too heavily on pop-culture references and reuses some old jokes, but it still has enough genuine energy and wit to see it through. A lot is done for it by the presence of Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, who continue to bring enthusiasm to characters in danger of becoming stale. It’s a testament to the enduring popularity (and hence, profitability) of the series that it’s managed to keep all four of its big-name stars throughout its lifespan.
All in all, Shrek Forever After is an enjoyable film and a worthy final outing for the jolly green giant.
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ANTHONY GOUGH
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