Just when we thought that Dreamworks had run out of fairy tale ideas they return to, well ... show us that they really don't. In this latest and final installment of the Shrek series, Shrek lives his happily ever after life only to find it too frustrating and mundane, desiring to live the old ogre life he used to at the beginning of the first film. Therefore, he decides to sign a contract with Rumplestiltskin to have that. But there's a catch ... he has to give a day in return but Shrek doesn't care what day. Now Shrek finds himself in a world where everyone is scared of him but all his friends don't know him.
Part of what made the first couple films so enjoyable was their charm and mix of somewhat adult humor with themes and storylines that kids could understand. Sure, the films were a little bit more crude than one would usually expect for a family movie, but they were still pretty good. The humor was good and they were really quite creative. This film really is nothing like the first two. It's more like the third film but with a creative energy puttering out.
Shrek Forever After has not only a plot that no kid could ever understand, but the charm and humor that used to exist is virtually lacking. It's still better than earlier family films of the year such as Diary of A Wimpy Kid, but the enjoyment factor of the earlier installments isn't quite there. Even three had a pretty heavy adult storyline but I still enjoyed it. At the same time it can be said that the animation by Dreamworks is wonderful. On the big screen you can tell the detail that the animators put into the film with spots and lines on characters and surroundings. Everything is amazingly detailed. Unfortunately that doesn't save the film lack of creativity. When all that the Shrek makers can come up with is Rumplestiltskin, the Piped Piper, and multiplying ogres, then the carriage has turned back into a pumpkin before the movie started. It's the films like this that are leaving Dreamworks behind in the animation game with Pixar.
No comments:
Post a Comment