I haven’t liked a Shrek movie since the first one. I found that film to be refreshing, funny, and made for both adults and kids alike. The following two films, however? Not so much. They relied too much on toilet humor and seemed to pander to the lowest common denominator. That being said…I actually kinda liked Shrek Forever After. Please note the word “kinda.”

Shown in exceptionally impressive 3D, Forever After is basically a rip-off of It’s a Wonderful Life, where Shrek basically gets to see what life would be like had he never been born after he is tricked into signing a contract with the sneaky Rumpelstiltskin. Life for Shrek has become monotonous and hard since the birth of his kids and the explosion of his popularity. Longing for quieter times, he asks for a day just to be an ogre. This is where Rumpelstiltskin comes into play. Realizing how sucky the alternate universe is without him—Donkey is forced to haul carts by witches, Fiona was never rescued and leads an ogre resistance against the tyrant Rumpelstiltskin, and Puss in Boots is fat—Shrek must race the clock to make things right or disappear forever.

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Yeah, the story is hella stale. It feels like Dreamworks is merely trying to just pump more money out of the Shrek franchise by doing a “what if” storyline. And, much like the past two predecessors, Forever After tries to parlay too many pop culture references into comedic gold. This is a movie, first and foremost, for children, right? That’s what I get from all the burp jokes. So why pepper the film with allegories that will go over their head and are a decade too old to hit hard with adults? The whole film feels tired.

But, remember what I said about “kinda?” Well, there are definitely some moments that weren’t too shabby.  Basically anything with the fat Puss in Boots made me giggle shamelessly. I can’t help that I adore fat, animated animals. And, I felt like Donkey was actually fairly humorous this time around and less obnoxious. Other gems include the Gingerbread Man fighting Animal Crackers and Craig Robinson as a chimichanga cook.

Plus, the animation is REALLY impressive. The 3D is very eye-catching, and you can tell Dreamworks spent a ton of money making Forever After look as good as it could. This is definitely one of those instances where 3D actually added to the movie, unlike the recent Clash of the Titans remake.

What was refreshing in the first film feels processed and dated in Shrek Forever After. While there are some definite moments that make the film more than just a steaming pile of recycled shit (cough cough Shrek the Third), I have high hopes that this fourth outing will be Shrek’s last.

--Darcie Duttweiler