Film File - Shrek Forever After
After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws' kingdom, what's an ogre to do? Well, if you're Shrek (Mike Myers), you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek is now a local celebrity who begrudgingly agrees to autograph pitchforks. What's happened to this ogre's roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a 'real ogre', Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn). Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate reality of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) have never met. Now, it's up to Shrek to undo all he's done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one true love. Returning for the adventure are Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) as well as a few new faces. By now, the classic fractured fairytale of Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss In Boots and their adventures in the magical land of Far Far Away are well-known throughout the world. Based on the popular children's book 'Shrek!' by William Steig, the films have received critical praise, worldwide box-office success and the first-ever Academy Award bestowed upon an animated film. Suffice it to say, Shrek and the characters of Far Far Away have earned their rightful place in cinema and animation history. As with most continuing stories, every chapter brings new experiences and opportunities for a character to develop. In the case of Shrek, the next logical step seemed to be a midlife crisis of sorts, with an image of Shrek looking at himself in the mirror and staring at his old 'wanted' poster thinking to himself, "What have I become?" Like any film franchise on its final outing, it would have been the easy option to replay another version of the previous two megahit prequels, and, mostly, the filmmakers have opted not to take that route. With the usual top notch animation - even more dazzling in 3D - and the expected subversive script, this is a sharp, clever film with laughs aplenty. Amongst the distractions are witches with a taste for cupcakes, a pied piper on mouse-sized roller skates, an monster chef with a garlic beard, and an overweight Puss in Boots that steals the show. The action is pacy, the humour is weird and wonderful, and the times flies by as this supposedly last ride for Shrek & Co goes by in a flash. Surely there'll be another one?