Shrek Forever After

Release Date: May 21, 2010 

Runtime: 1 hr. 33 min. 

Director: Mike Mitchell 

Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews. 

When “Shrek” first emerged in 2001, it was clever, humorous and contemporary. Its sequel was equally entertaining, while the third, not so much. Needless to say, the fourth and final chapter proves to be no different. The repetitive nature of the script and overly outdated jokes keep this film from reaching new ground. While the premise of “what if” seemed promising at first, the story quickly becomes formulaic, even going as far as borrowing ideas from the second film. Perhaps the only redeeming quality is the nature of the characters and their ability to evolve. This time around, we find Shrek as a ‘family man’ who feels nostalgic of his days as a liberated ogre. He’s certainly grown into the role, even if he’s just a green and animated version of Mike Meyers. The opening sequence is jumbled and accelerated, though it at least gives some sense of time lapse. Then, the story unfolds in a typical manner until at last, like any fairytale, there’s nothing else to do but say, “the end.” Let’s just hope DreamWorks learns from this and stops at two for future outings. 

Rating: 2 stars