Shrek Forever After

At last, the popular Shrek series that started nearly a decade ago is coming to a close. In this darker instalment, Shrek (Myers) finds himself frustrated by married life and the annoyances of being a father. He runs into the mischievous Rumpelstiltskin (Dohrn), who lures him into exchanging a day of his life for one magical day as a single Ogre. As a result, Shrek is transported to an alternate universe where none of his friends know him and Rumpelstiltskin rules the kingdom of Far Far Away with a tiny iron fist. In this topsy-turvy world, Fiona (Diaz) has become a wild warrior princess leading Ogre rebellions, Donkey (Murphy) acts as a chauffer for witches, and Puss (Banderas) has given up his boots and bears a disturbing resemblance to Garfield. In order to return to his old life, Shrek has to find a loophole in Rumpelstiltskin’s contract before it’s too late.

The final chapter holds many surprises for Shrek fans, who will appreciate the high standard of animation and parody that they have come to expect from the series. The jokes are still there, though they don’t seem to come as often or as effectively as they did in previous films. Even so, the story interestingly explores what happens after the ‘happily ever after’ that we are all waiting for, and thus offers a more profound take on love than your average animation film.

Though it does not particularly live up to the first two instalments (let’s face it, what could?), Shrek Forever After remains an intriguing and entertaining conclusion to the films that gave us a much needed alternative presentation of a fairytale.

Ana Paula Pereira de Souza