REVIEW: SHREK FOREVER

GROWN UP SHREK, DARK BUT FUN

Sequels are usually a bit of stretch but the makers of Shrek Forever After manage not only to keep us involved in the storyline, but also take the whole Noah's ark full of characters along very nicely for a joyride through not one but three sequels. The main characters -Shrek and Fiona Ogre, grow on us quite nicely too.

Shrek's life is perfect, and he is living in domestic bliss, with his loving wife Fiona, three kids, his best friend donkey and his dragon-donkey kids and dragon wife and happy villagers. But it's the monotony of it's perfectness that begins to get at him. And longs for the good old days when he could roar like all ogres do and scare the villagers away, and wallow in the mud when he wanted. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for...

 

Of course the result is great fun, and propels the story forward and hurtles past the familiar (Pinocchio still saying, 'I'm a real boy!') and the now not so familiar (Fiona, Puss, Donkey, Gingerbread boy in great new avatars). And the new and different (Rumplestiltskin and his witches and other villainous characters). Fiona, Donkey, Gingy, 'Not familiar'? You gotta see the film to see the transformation.

However, my grief was with the 3D effects. Alice In Wonderland uses it marvelously and so does Avatar. So the old fashioned objects coming at you style 3D is a tad disappointing. But then only if you are nitpicking. It is a joyful rollercoaster ride and we should simply enjoy the well written lines like

Donkey (to Puss): You are a cat-astrophe!

Puss: Your are ri-donk-ulous!

Shrek make you laugh with some really cool twists to the tales you have grown up with. Thankfully it's not just a tale for kids. Grown up humor about trailer park trash, and dialog like, 'Where my witches at?' is guffaw-inducing. The animation is first rate (the waffles look so real, I was hungry instantly) and you emerge from the theater wishing this weren't the last one in the series. The movie is so good, it makes you want to go back home and revisit the previous three.

So put up with other people's noisy kids, and take your own to see this one. And tell us if you too coveted the flute. I did.

Comments

[suniti]

Thank You for writing this... thank you for saying this was good :) If you had panned this one I would have felt verrry bad. I am a big fan of shrek series and am looking forward to seeing this one :)

-s