May 22, 2010 (Sampurn Wire):Shrek Forever After- A fine finish

Rating: 3.5 out of 5*

Starring: The voices of Cameroon Diaz, Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Walt Dohrn and Antonio Banderas

Director – Mike Mitchell

Shrek is back this time in 3-D. While some might call it an unwelcome thing feeling that the oversized green ogre has already overstayed his welcome with feckless second and third chapters. But for many, this fourth installment of the Shrek franchise will be an extremely entertaining enterprise as this one is not only smart, imaginative but also an exceptionally hilarious sequel that wraps up the series.

In this film, Shrek (Mike Myers) is feeling the pressures of fatherhood and the mundane nature of daily life and his marriage with Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz). He longs for his days as a bachelor ogre. When Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) comes into his life and offers him a deal to relive his bachelorhood, Shrek takes the bait. This sets into motion a sequence of events in which Shrek never existed and Rumpelstiltskin becomes the king of Far Far Away. It’s up to Shrek to fix the past so he can fix the future.

The fourth and final installment of the Shrek series has a tremendous amount of heart. Writers Klausner and Lemke have been able to capture the spirit and warmth that made the first two movies so wonderful, and if Shrek’s journey doesn’t get you feeling a little emotional, then you have to be lying to yourself. The action scenes are well shot and fast paced, and the imagery is further enhanced by the crisp and vivid animation, which absolutely pops in 3-D. And although not all of the humor hits the mark (the dancing scenes with the Pied Piper are a bit tacky), enough of it works that it shouldn’t bring back those bad memories of “Shrek the Third.”

And there’s not enough you can say about remarkable voice talents of Myers, Diaz, Murphy and Banderas, who have settled nicely into their roles. Dohrn is also equally impressive as the unpredictable Rumpelstiltskin. These actors really bring their characters to life, which makes it so much easier to lose yourself and be immersed by the narrative.

After a disappointing third outing, this “Shrek” brings the cycle of fairy-tale-themed films to a fine finish.

-Sampurn Wire