Anyone who saw the extremely poor third Shrek movie would be forgiven for thinking that Shrek Forever After 3D was just another cynical cash-in sequel, the sort of thing which Hollywood has built a bad reputation for of late.
But in a rare move for an animated franchise (Pixar movies don’t count as they are the kings of the animated world) the fourth movie in the series is a return to form long thought dead…. in other words it’s very good.
Shrek Forever After finds our anti-hero Shrek (Mike Myers) living the married life and the proud father of three little ogres. Fed up with the humdrum existence and craving the good old days of frightening villagers and terrifying children, he makes a pact with the evil Rumplestiltskin for one day of fun in return for any day from his past.
Once the deal is done, all goes from bad to worse as Shrek realises the true meaning of the phrase “you don’t know what you’ve lost till it’s goneâ€.
When you talk about the fourth film in a series you will inevitably compare it to what has come before, so with that in mind I’d put Shrek Forever After second on the list behind the original, followed by parts two and three. As you’d expect, the characters haven’t changed in any real way, other than Puss (Antonio Banderas) who has gained a few pounds.
The big changes are in the scripting and the action which are both a lot tighter (they’ve also removed the obligatory song and dance routine. Yay!) and the use of 3D enhances rather than distracts you from what’s going on.
Shrek Forever After proves that there is life in the old dog of animated features for kids and adults alike. When Shrek was first released it was praised from all quarters for bringing intelligent, witty and charming characters to life (Puss in Boots still my fave) to rival those created by Pixar. As each sequel was released the praise got smaller and smaller until the frankly horrendous third movie all but killed the franchise. But Dreamworks Animation ploughed on and in true Hollywood fashion, breathed new life into the characters.
Why all the effort you say? Well it just so happens that Shrek is making way for another cast member to take over the helm. Yes, finally Puss is getting his own movie. So it makes sense that they finish off Shrek’s adventures in style and keep the audience happy so that when the Puss franchise kicks off, a ready-made audience is, well, ready-made.
So yes, Shrek Forever After is a fitting end to a franchise that introduced us to some of the funniest animated characters of our time and I for one cannot wait to see a film devoted to Antonio Banderas and his Puss in Boots.
Andrew Kennedy
