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After finding love (Shrek), meeting the parents (Shrek 2), and becoming a father (Shrek the Third), the beloved Shrek has arrived at the inevitable realization of getting his happily ever after — a life filled with love, laughter, friends, family — and repetition.  What he wouldn’t give to have one more day as a snarling and feared ogre who wreaks havoc on the townspeople.  In Shrek Forever After opening this weekend, his wishes are granted.   Shrek (Mike Myers: Austin Powers, Wayne’s World), Donkey (Eddie Murphy: Norbit, Trading Places), Fiona (Cameron Diaz: Vanilla Sky, The Mask), Puss (Antonio Banderas: Desperado, Interview with a Vampire), and the rest of the Far Far Away gang return to help our hero realize that what you wish for, may not always be what you want.

In this installment of the franchise, Shrek longs for the days of old and makes a deal with the vertically-challenged Rumpelstiltskin (voiced fittingly and hilariously by Walt Dohrn) to have one day to roam again as the ogre he remembers from his pre-marriage and family days.  No cares in the world, swamp bathing on his own schedule, and terrorizing villagers with his roar — a day of bliss.  Shrek blindly signs a contract with the double-dealing dwarf who’s smart enough to find loopholes in even the Ten Commandments.  Turns out the fine print in Shrek’s deal is he has to pay for the wish by giving up a day from his past.  Rumpel takes the day Shrek was born to erase the future where he saves and falls in love with Fiona.  With Shrek out of the way, one of Rumpel’s previous deals over Fiona’s fate pays off.  Rumpel becomes ruler of Far Far Away land and guarded by an army of witches, led by a trio of hipsters (TV’s Meredith Vieira, Kathy Griffin & Mary Kay Place), rules with an iron fist while hunting ogres day and night to ensure nothing can spoil his Napoleonic reign.   When Shrek arrives in this warped future, all he wants is to find his family and friends and get his old life back. The problem is, no one knows him.  Fiona is now leader of the ogre resistance and Donkey, his previous constant compadre, has been reduced to a pulling mule for wicked witches.  To add insult to injury, Shrek only gets to exist in this version of Far Far Away land for one day.  At the end of the day, his wish ends and Rumpel’s day is cashed in — Shrek will have never been.  With only one day to right what was wrong, a challenging and wild ride await our hero.  Regaining the trust and love from Fiona, Donkey and his friends proves ultimately and intimately — he didn’t know what he had until it was gone.  Forced to prove his love for Fiona again while getting re-accustomed to Donkey’s unique personality, teaches him a lesson we can all see in our lives whether we’re 15 or 40.  Family and friends is the true happily ever after.

This film was just a pure joy to watch.  The filmmaker (Director Mike Mitchell: Sky High) and writer’s (Josh Klausner & Darren Lemke: TV’s Lost and Date Night) spin gold with their ability to incorporate common folklore and childhood fairytales into the films storylines.  Who would have thought the Pied Piper of Hamlin could ever be used as a bounty hunter?  Seeing the Gingerbread Man as a Roman gladiator ensconced in a makeshift coliseum filled with charging animal crackers — the film is just laugh-out-loud inventive.  Rumpel steals the show with his charm and seething undertones while convincing hapless victims to sign contracts.  Not to be left out, Donkey gets a great stint as a car radio, forced to deal with constant swaps of the radio dial and switching his style of singing with each flick.  I’m certain Eddie Murphy relished every opportunity to stretch his vocal cords and belt out a few tunes (anybody remember his 1986 hit “Party All The Time?”)  In the end, Shrek Forever After is a fantastic family film with story and visual imagery to appeal to all ages in the family.   Like its predecessors, it even manages to rehash classic pop tunes from the years in whimsical and hip sounding ways.

You might be wondering why there’s been no mention of eye-popping 3D images.  Don’t worry, the 3D is top notch, and like Alice In Wonderland  (2010), it’s like watching a film through an old 1980’s ViewMaster; no blatant ‘in your face’ shots or clichéd sword scenes.  The truth is, the film doesn’t need it.  It’s characters, concept and storyline execution transcend the need to give it 3D visualization.  This sudden rush by studios to give you everything in 3D (ticket prices providing twice the revenue) is wasted on this film.  Some current film makers are even fighting the trend – Director M. Night Shyamalan refused Disney Studio bosses push to turn “The Last Airbender,” his upcoming July 4^th blockbuster, into a 3D print.  The almighty coin rules all in Tinseltown, and as principled as he might be, I wouldn’t be surprised to see ‘Airbender’ on 3D when it hits BluRay.  The Shrek filmmakers did give you some hidden 3D treats though, you’ll have to look in the foreground of Shrek’s entry into the soiled and dirty Far Far Away Land — there’s a nice jab at Disney Studios (even more blatant than Jeffrey Katzenberg, part owner of Dreamworks Pictures that owns the Shrek franchise, modeling the look of the Shrek character after his ex-boss former Disney CEO Michael Ovitz.)  I saw at least two others throughout the film, but you have to look quick!  I’m certain there are even more.   Email me if you spotted one or want the few I found.

Shrek Forever After (2010) is rated PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language.

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