Movie Review: Shrek Forever After

Shrek was awesome, Shrek 2 was almost legendary, but the last one before this, Shrek The Third, was a disappointment. I, personally, thought that the Shrek franchise went the wrong direction with its insipid third movie.

Fortunately, while this last installment of the franchise didn't reach the same caliber as the first two animated films, I can say that Shrek did it again... well, partially. But this was obviously a big step back in the right direction.

I mean, although the storyline was pretty basic, predictable and, at times, a bit gimmicky, I somehow felt that it didn't hurt the movie's charm. I thought the heart was back bigtime - which the last movie disappointingly lacked - and everything felt sincere and surprisingly touching.

This also recaptured the fun of the series while potentially being the darkest one in terms of plot. I thought the humor may have gone a little old and, to some extent, didn't have that sharp comedic edge of the first two - the context didn't really allow it - but there were seriously a good number of genuine laughs in the film. Donky and Puss were still there to provide effective comic relief, as always.

On a technical standpoint, it was, of course, very good. I found the animation to be really crisp and visually stimulating. Yes, it was not, in any way, a breakthrough or a technical milestone but it was nice that the franchise kept the 'Shrek' tradition of looking amazing. The soundtrack was also good. To me, the scoring was more of a musical treat that ranged from songs of The Carpenters to Beastie Boys. Haha.

Quite frankly, this end to the series wasn't as MAGICAL as the original, but I certainly had a blast with this final installment. Something that's more than enough of a reason to see the classic lovable ogre for the last time.