|
Shrek Forever After
| Released |
2 July 2010 |
| Director |
Mike Mitchell |
Starring
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Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Walt Dohrn |
Writer(s)
|
Josh Klausner
Darren Lemke |
Producer(s)
|
Gina Shay, Teresa Cheng, Andrew Adamson, Aron Warner, John H. Williams |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
92 minutes |
| Genre |
Family |
| Rating |
G |
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Redemption for the friendly green giant...
It was with a certain amount of trepidation that I approached the cinema on my way to see Shrek Forever After, the fourth instalment in what has now become a multi-billion dollar franchise for Dreamworks Animation. Of course it's that word "franchise" that sends shivers down the spines of most self-respecting film lovers, as great movies are spun into cash cows, and the stories and characters that we come to know and love become tired and unconvincing. With the arrival of Shrek the Third, the curse of the franchise had well and truly hit Shrek, Donkey and the rest of his compadres, as the freshness and witticism of the first two movies were nowhere to be found. What we were left with was a movie with enough colour and charm to please its younger fans, but none of the depth and humour which had given it it's original universal appeal.
However I'm more than pleased to report that for me, Shrek's final outing recaptures some of that lost fairytale magic and ends the series with more of a bang than a whimper. We join Shrek and Fiona who are happily nestled into the joys of family life in the swamp, surrounded by their friends and occupied with the trials and tribulations of raising three young ogres. Nonetheless, it soon all becomes too much for poor Shrek, who cracks up mid-life crisis style at his kid's first birthday party, and yearns for the good old hedonistic ways of his past, when men were men, ogres were hated, and changing nappies was as alien a thought to Shrek as having friends.
Rumpelstiltskin (voiced by the relatively unknown Walt Dohrn) plays the role of smooth-talking villain and deal maker in this story, and Shrek is taken in by his willingness to listen to his troubles, a generous drink, and a tempting offer of one day to be free and feared again, or as he puts it; "one day as a real ogre". Of course the devil is in the detail, and like all deliciously devious villains, "Stilskin" has a trick up his sleeve, and Shrek soon realises that he has inadvertently swapped a day from his past- his day of birth- for his escape, and has created an alternate reality where he was never born, Fiona was never rescued, and "Far Far Away" is in the hands of Rumpelstiltskin, who's villainous ways pervert the normal way of life in the once-happy kingdom.
The final instalment gained new writers (Josh Klausner and Darren Lamke) and a new director; Mike Mitchell, and it seems that this was what was needed to bring back that original spark, as the re-imagining of the fairytale land of Shrek, Fiona et al bursts onto the screen with a welcome zeal. It allows for a nostalgic look back at characters such as the Gingerbread Man and Pinocchio, even for the younger fans who have grown up with it, and offers a lot in the way of laughs as we meet puss - no longer a dashing feline hitman but an overly pampered fat-cat, and Princess Fiona- who takes the turn to be rebellious Xena-like warrior of an underground resistance of Ogres determined to overthrow Rumpelstiltskin and his evil tyranny.
Antonio Banderas and Eddie Murphy, a.k.a. Puss and Donkey respectively, steal the show and reaffirm themselves as Shrek's saving graces, not only in the land of Far Far Away, but also the in the big bad world of Hollywood and cinema ratings. While Shrek Forever After doesn't live up to the high standard achieved with the first two instalments by a long shot, there's still enough in this to keep you happy, which I'm pretty sure is music to the ears of a lot of parents out there. And for the fourth instalment of a big-money franchise, that's quite impressive.
- Eadaoin Browne |
