Shrek 4 : Il était une fin

"Shrek Forever After" is a surprisingly good film. Though it is not as great as "Shrek" or "Shrek 2" it is a HUGE improvement over "Shrek the Third." The movie helped the franchise gain some of its heart back that was lacking in the third film and had some terrific action scenes. The first time I saw it I didn't think it was very funny, but when I went back to see it a second time I was laughing plenty of times. The film also teaches an important lesson that if you have a good life you should not give it up for anything. If Shrek had never met Fiona or any of his friends they all would have had rough lives. Overall, the movie is a great conclusion to the film series.

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.

I really enjoyed the first "Shrek" film back in 2001 and was an even bigger fan of "Shrek 2," which came out just three short years later. Then "Shrek the Third" hit theaters and I couldn't believe what I was watching. Not only did the third film have a horrible story but the charm and wit of all the original characters was gone. I was actually angry that I paid money to see the third film and really didn't want anything to do with the "Shrek" franchise any longer. To my surprise even after hearing nothing but complaints about the third one, the final chapter of the Shrek saga was still being made. When I saw the trailer for "Shrek Ever After" I was less than impressed probably because I was still angry about the last film. Regardless of how I felt as well as many over movie lovers, "Shrek Ever After" was released into theaters just three weeks ago and received average reviews. This past weekend, I decided to go see the film with my girlfriend just to see how the final chapter ends...

"Shrek Ever After" picks up right where "Shrek the Third" left off. Shrek and Fiona are now married with kids. They are the most respected and sought after family of Far Far Away and everyone in town loves them. One day after going through what seems to be a midlife crisis, Shrek becomes flustered and flips out at his kids birthday party. He makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to give him one day of his life in order for him to feel what it is like to be free again without having kids, a wife, and of course being respected instead of feared. This is where the plot thickens as Rumpelstiltskin tricks Shrek into signing the contract that states he has never been born. The only way to break this contract is to make Fiona, who has no clue who Shrek is, fall in love with him all over again.

As soon as the credits began to roll, my first response was that wasn't too bad. Given the fact that "Shrek the Third" was a slap in the face to the Shrek franchise, I was somewhat impressed with the final entry. I wouldn't say I was blown away with it but it was like a masterpiece compared to the third film. The character Rumpelstiltskin was actually a fun character and I liked his personality. That was one of the main things that really made the film work especially since Prince Charming in the last film was such a boring and uninteresting character. I also thought the whole reliving the earlier chapters of Shrek's life worked well and I liked what they did with Fiona in this film. They made her a much tougher character. Then of course last but not least Puss in Boots, who is the best character in all the films.

Even though I enjoyed this film, I have to admit I am glad this was the final chapter because I can't see this franchise surviving another film. While the storyline about the midlife crisis and appreciating what you have was good especially for this type of film, it just seemed like the writers were pushing it a bit. I don't know exactly why it seemed that way but I guess its just that most of it seemed like more of the same. The charm was there unlike in the third but it wasn't as potent as it was in the original two films. That's probably my main complaint about the film, this felt like a movie that was just made as a good bye to the franchise. It wasn't truly necessary but almost served as an apology for the 3rd film. I loved how they never even addressed the main character from the 3rd film. It was like he never existed, which I have to admit was pretty funny.

In the end, I can't really say anything too harsh about the film. I think kids will like it although it is a bit more dark and depressing than the other chapters. I would say out of all of the films, this one is geared more towards adults than anyone else. The movie was also deeper than all the other entries. It was a decent final film and I applaud the writers and director for trying to redeem the franchise. I wouldn't say its a must own but for those who enjoy these characters and enjoy Shrek as a whole, I recommend seeing the final chapter at least once. Sure its no where near as unique or fun as the original two but if you want to pretend the third film never happened this one would be a good filler for that. It's not on a Pixar level as far as quality goes but in terms of a decent animated flick at the box office, "Shrek Ever After" is a good choice.

MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Shrek Ever After" is a 7 out of 10. Take the kids, the family or who ever else likes the franchise and just enjoy the simple yet fun final chapter.

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.

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")