Shrek Forever After: Review

If only William Steig (the creator of Shrek) could have seen how Hollywood has turned a truly unique animated fairytale epic into a big pile of celebrities worshipping themselves over the course of 3 movies.

 With Shrek Forever After being the final chapter in the fairytale series, one cannot help but look back at and wonder how the hell did the movie that won the very first Oscar for Best Animated Feature could spawn the despicable rape that was Shrek 2, Shrek The Third and now this big ole pile of bullshit.

So in Shrek Forever After, Shrek has turned into some sort of family man, he's got a wife, three kids, everyone loves hime and yadda yadda yadda. He goes through his mid-life crisis and all he wants to do is go back to the time when he was a scary ass ogre where he was free to do what he wanted. In comes Rumpelstiltskin who gives him a way to get what he wants but evidently erases him from ever being born.

Now, say what you want.. but I was one of the very few people who hated the second Shrek movie. And every other movie since the first one has just been a great insult to the beauty of the original. See in the first Shrek, they told an epic story that was both a parody of a fairytale and a fairytale in itself. Since then, the series has been more of who's the celebrity voices that's going to be in the movie and an endless array of pop culture jokes and techno dancing.

Shrek Forever After is just like a TV show that had it's moment in the first season and has been struggling ever since to reach that same standard. And just as it is about to overstay it's welcome, the filmmakers decide to put one more nail in the coffin by doing the It's A Wonderful Life episode of the TV show.

Yes, you lousy uncultured Malaysians. No, Shrek Forever After wasn't original.. nor heartfelt.. nor a nice experimentation of what life would be like if you weren't born. This whole entire movie was a complete, frame for frame, story for story rip off of Frank Capra's classic It's A Wonderful Life. Not that any of ya'll would know that considering most of the Malaysians that were in the same theatre as me were laughing their asses off when the Pied Piper started playing Crazy Frog.

I won't be surprised if Shrek 5 is the clip show episode where all the characters are just sitting down and going, "Hey, Donkey.. remember that time in Shrek 2 where we..." and it just flashes to that scene. Ugh God spare me the shame please.

But I will give Shrek Forever this much.. it was a huge improvement from the last movie. Certainly much funnier. There were certain moments in the film where I will guiltily say, had me chuckling quite a bit. Mostly with that fat ass cat. You know.. if the Puss In Boots spin-off really does happen, I will be all for it man. And the CGI in this one is really cool to. One being the broom chase sequence, me and my girlfriend were practically going, "This would look so great if it was in 3-D."

It really sucks to see such a great cinematic character fall from grace like this. Shrek Forever After shouts mediocrity and poor writing in every aspect of it's production. Shrek goes out in an embarrassing, uninspiring finale.

RATING: 3/10