Shrek Forever After

Why does poor old number 4 so often get booted from the title of the fourth film in a franchise? You know, like 'Terminator: Salvation' or 'Alien: Resurrection' and, um, others for example. Is it just psychological? A gentle way to try and help the audience forget that the studio is milking every last drop it can from a series? That's probably the case with Shrek Forever After, especially after the rubbish Shrek 3. Thankfully this is a return to form for Dreamworks' green cash cow.


For one thing, it gets rid of the stunt casting (not a phrase to get mixed up!) that weighed down part 3. No Justin Trousersnake or similar pop muppet doing voice duties here. In fact the big new character, Rumpelstiltskin, is voiced by the fella that came up with the story and he delivers an excellent, sneering performance. He did a good job with the story too as it reinvents everything we've seen before and makes things original and fun again. Wife and eldest son were giggling throughout (Mrs F was the loudest in the entire audience!) and I will admit to a few guffaws because of the chunky Puss In Boots.

I think I was a bit distracted though because Inception was playing on several other screens in the cinema and I am desperate to see that. I could hear it calling like a big screen siren, "Come and look at me with my metaphysics and clever-clever story and visual loveliness" - and then one of Shrek's kids would fart and bring me back to the land of Far, Far Away.

Not much left to say really. It's probably the third best Shrek movie but then parts 1 and 2 were pretty damn good. Definitely a good way to end this series - even if they are doing a spin-off about Puss In Boots next. What was I saying about milking it?