MOVIE NEWS: Shrek Forever After

It must be tough to make a sequel to something. I mean, I’ve never done it myself, but I imagine it’s hard enough to make one good movie in the first place. But then, with a sequel, you have to have it live up to the standards you’ve created, please old and new fans alike, and so on. Pressure!

However, after watching Shrek Forever After, the fourth movie in the Shrek series, I can tell you that the film’s creators make it look very easy.

The story here is that everyone’s favourite ogre, Shrek, is settling into his family life on the swamp. Only things are getting a little humdrum, and he longs for the good old days when he was feared by all. But when he makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to spend one day in his old life, he transports himself into a version of reality in which he was never born — and none of his friends have any idea who he is.

Can Shrek undo his deal with Rumpelstiltskin, or will time run out before he gets the chance? You’ll have to see the film to find out!

Here are a few observations I had about the movie:

1) It’s funny. This isn’t really news, as all Shrek movies feature lots of laughs, but it still bears mentioning. Donkeys singing, witches hip-hop dancing, Rumpelstiltskin wearing a variety of wigs… all hilarious! Also, just about everything Puss in Boots said had me chuckling.

2) It’s imaginative. What would your life be like without you in it? Shrek gets to find this out when he makes his deadly deal. It turns out everyone’s changed: Fiona is an angry ogre-warrior, Donkey pulls heavy carts all day for Rumpelstiltskin, etc. It’s all very strange and interesting. The story really allowed the filmmakers to do some fun, new things with the characters — a must for any good sequel.

3) It’s a fitting finale. Everyone involved in the film says it’s the last one in the series. In fact, most of the previews I saw changed the title from Shrek Forever After to Shrek: The Final Chapter. If that’s true, the filmmakers can be proud of the way they ended things. But that’s all I’ll say on that front. (I don’t want to totally spoil it for you!)

All in all, I really liked the movie. The story was fun and heart-warming, and the animation and voice acting were top-notch. If you liked any of the three previous movies in the series, you will no doubt like the final chapter.

And that’s it for me today. Talk to you later in the week.

Craig, owlblog@owlkids.com