LuckyWillShrek Forever Aftermath
June 28th 2010 03:58
The basic gist of the plot is that Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) is leading the perfect life. He has a loving wife, Fiona (Cameron Diaz); 3 beautiful kids; a comfortable home and a host of adoring friends headed by Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). The problem is that Shrek is an ogre, a creature renowned for its solitude and menacing personality, so “the good life” isn’t really something he’s all that accustomed to. Feeling trapped and emasculated, Shrek turns to a strange magician named Rumplestiltskin for a taste of the life he left behind; to be a real ogre again for just one day; but oh what a day. Unfortunately for Shrek, Rumplestiltskin has a habit of exploiting the fine print on his contracts and when our hero signs, he finds himself thrust into a world where he was never born and time is against him to fix it. Shrek must race to reunite his friends, beat the bad guys and woo his princess all over again before his problems become far more permanent.
As is the tradition with these Shrek films we are introduced to a host of strange new characters, this time it is an army of rebellious ogres. If you thought Shrek was big, wait until you see these guys because they are a tough looking crew that make him look about as threatening as Pinocchio. Almost all the old characters make an appearance in this final chapter even the queen (Julie Andrews) and now deceased king (John Cleese) of Far Far Away in a flashback. The film also warrants the return of Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother but they are somehow forgotten. As is usually the case with time travel/alternate reality stories there is always an issue with the chronology of events and their causes. I won’t spoil it for those waiting to see the film but if you know your Shrek history just think about what should or shouldn’t have happened to these characters in his absence.
After four films the humour is still going strong and there are plenty of laughs to be had. It doesn’t take Donkey and Puss long to inject their usual idiotic banter and the support crew of Ginger, Pinocchio and the three pigs are typically enjoyable. However it feels like that humour has been toned down just a little to accommodate more nostalgic and tender moments. Rather than making you laugh all the time you will find yourself smiling a bit as well, not because it’s funny but just nice. Given that this is the end of the franchise, you can forgive its makers for wanting to leave audiences feeling warm and fuzzy; like everything has been wrapped up and all stories told but a few more laughs would have certainly been well received.
It was an odd choice for a finale because the majority of it was spent developing characters that basically didn’t exist. I would have liked to see more evolution of the Shrek story dealing with his growing family and King Arthur’s transition from awkward teen to commanding leader rather than jumping into an alternate universe and diverting away from all that. It would have been great as the second or third film idea just to keep things moving and fill pages and will be saved if a 5th film is released but as an ending to the saga I would have to say I was feeling more satisfied after Shrek 3.
That being said it is not a bad film. It felt very short and seemed out of place in the series but it was still funny, fresh and entertaining. There are rumours here and there as to whether this will or won’t be the final time we see Shrek. With its strong box office performances and a bit of luck hopefully the creators will do a back flip and churn out at least one more just to finish things off.
Still well worth a look for an enjoyable outing with friends or family.
3 Baby Green Ogres/ 5
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