Shrek 4: e vissero felici e contenti

After three films of diminishing quality, more than anything, Shrek Forever After begs the obvious question: why? Unfortunately the answer is also all too obvious with the franchise having grossed one billion dollars domestically and oodles more overseas. For what it's worth, this instalment is better than the last but fails to hold a candle to Shrek 2 and pales to the point of apparition when compared to the original.

The characters that populate the "Shrek" universe remain as endearing as ever in principle, but after four movies there is little that can be done to keep them animated, so to speak. That is why it comes as no surprise that the plot of this film has the mythical land of Far Far Away being turned on its head by the devious Rumplestiltskin, morphing all familiarity into a bizzaro world of sort, and I'll admit, it does add an iota of charm to the proceedings. Shrek (Mike Myers) finds himself tired of family life with his ogre wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and longs for his bachelor days of terrifying townsfolk and signs a contract with 'Rumple' as he is less than affectionately called. Things don't turn out nearly as he imagined and Shrek must fulfil a loophole in the contract to turn things back to the way they were.

The original gang all return along with Shrek and Fiona. We have the swashbuckling Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), the chatty Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Julie Andrews and John Cleese as the Queen and King respectively. There are also a number of celebrity voice cameos including Larry King and Regis Philbin and all add up to a lively time at the movies. In the movies defence, the lack of freshness never translates to boredom.

The biggest issue with Shrek the Third was the weak attempt to inflate the voice cast, making things more monotonous yet. DreamWorks has clearly learned from this mistake and in addition to tweaking the familiar character's personas in this alternate reality, find a decent villain in Rumplestiltskin (Walt Dohrn) along with great comedians the likes of Craig Robinson and Jane Lynch. The animation is as stellar as ever and it never ceases to amaze how lifelike a film can look that has a talking donkey at its center.

What makes this descendant of Shrek somewhat distinguishable is that it presents itself more as homage then adhering to the spoof ideology that characterized the others. Shrek Forever After is part Aladdin, part Bedazzled and more than a sprinkle of It's a Wonderful Life. There are also many more laughs in this film than the previous, and can often be attributed to site gags sprung from the new universe (an obese Puss in Boots provokes more than a few guffaws).

What everyone has to remember, first and foremost, is that the "Shrek" franchise is meant for children and I don't believe any of the four instalments could disappoint an eight year old. It is the accompanying adults that need to be wary of the growing tedium in the franchise, but thanks to a plethora of talented actors and a significantly more satisfying storyline, Shrek Forever After makes for an entertaining diversion, even if it's no longer magical.

The first Shrek was funny and original, and one of my favourites of its year. The first sequel was just as delightful and as charming, and while the third film wasn't as bad as I thought it would be it did suffer from being too tired and contrived. Shrek Forever After is an improvement on Shrek the Third while lacking the charm, heart and magic that was there clearly in the first two.

Thankfully, the story is not as contrived as it was in the third film. I loved the idea and it did start off well, the "what would life be like if Shrek had never existed?" reminded me of one of my all-time favourites, It's a Wonderful Life. However, in the middle act it did have its predictable parts. The pace sags a bit too in the middle act particularly when there are parts that don't have as much humour as I would have liked. Also, while the animation was very good on the whole, I did feel that Rumplestiltskin's facial expressions were occasionally overdone and forced.

Criticisms aside, the animation is very good, very colourful and lively with some nice backgrounds. The soundtrack is also great, while the jokes are fresher and wittier than the last one, Donkey getting the best of them. The characters are still likable, the pace is in general snappy and the writing is amusing. The voice acting is also top notch, not only from Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz who are rock-solid but especially from Eddie Murphy who seamlessly comes very close to stealing the film while Antonio Banderas makes a welcome return as Puss.

Overall, not a classic but an improvement and an entertaining film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I saw "Shrek Forever After" on special screenings and I really hoped it would live up to the first 2 films. But at the end of the day, it wasn't as good or magical. I kind of felt disappointed because even though the Third Installment was bad I was hoping they went back and recognize their mistakes. But this movie does have its strong points, it was quite funny and entertaining. There were moments in there that felt like the first two films, and overall it is a very enjoyable ride that even though it doesn't live quite up to the first two films. It is worth your money just to have fun with it.

7.2/10 I'd recommend people to see this film, but don't go in it with HIGH expectations.

On the day that Shrek rescued the cursed Princess Fiona from the tower where she was kept prisoner of the dragon, her parents King Harold and the Queen were ready to sign a contract with the cunning Rumpelstiltskin delivering the kingdom Far Far Away to him. On the present days, Shrek feels bored with Fiona, his family and friends and near a breakdown, and he misses the years when he was a terrifying ogre. Rumpelstiltskin overhears a discussion between Shrek and Fiona and meets Shrek, offering a deal to make he feels a frightening ogre again. In return, Shrek should deliver one day of his childhood to Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek is lured and Far Far Away is distorted under the reign of the tricky Rumpelstiltskin. Now Shrek misses his family and friends and has to win Fiona's heart again to save Far Far Away, his friends and himself.

I have just watched "Shrek Forever After" and my expectations were very low, based on the IMDb user's rating and a couple of reviews that I had glanced. However I liked this underrated animation a lot, which has a good story with many hilarious moments. Once again, Donkey "steals the movie" and this character has been for years the best role of the wasted Eddy Murphy. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Shrek para Sempre" ("Shrek Forever After")

Well it was bound to happen, most animation saga's or trilogy's end eventually and some better than others. With Shrek Forever After this is the case, still packed full of gags, funny moments and hilarious one liners its a good end to a fun enjoyable franchise. We all hoped it would also end this way, in a positive way as the last 11 years has been Shrek sequels some better than others. With this final adventure, old characters are reunited and new ones enter the fray.

Plus we also get a fresh new setting for this latest and final tale, some good dialogue too and of course improved animation. Considering this was always gonna go up against Toy Story 3, we knew it would be a close fight for the throne of the summer blockbuster. Otherwise, however Shrek Forever After has done a good job of grabbing it for me until I see Toy Story 3, until then I believe this is the best animation summer blockbuster of the year.

If you want quick gags, laughs and family fun Shrek Forever After is for you and also for fans of the franchise.