As the Shrek franchise grew, it quickly plummeted from being a reasonably well-regarded animated comedy that allegedly appealed to both adults and children to being a ubiquitous nuisance beloved by children (easily the stupidest people on Earth) and reluctantly tolerated by their parents. With two hugely underwhelming sequels working against its credibility from the outset, it is with a certain degree of surprise that I have to admit that Shrek Forever After wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. That’s not to say that it isn’t derivative, unambitious and condescending (as almost all films aimed at children seemingly need to be), but it’s a good deal better than most of the other jive shit you could place your children in front of for an hour and a half. That said, the modern child is, of course, a vessel into which you, as a parent,must funnel as much rubbish into as is humanly possible in order to qualify yourself as a suitable guardian. If they want to see this film, you’re probably going to have to do so as well, regardless of how much you expect you’ll enjoy it or not. Rest assured I laughed aloud many times, though sometimes for reasons perhaps not intended by the filmmakers. Craig Robinson’s ostensibly homosexual, African-American-ogre chef is a particular highlight. At theother end of the spectrum, there are babies who I think we’re supposed to find amusing in some way. It’s a mixed bag. I suppose the best thing I can say about this film isthat it’s not phoned-in in the same way as the two sequels that preceded it. It’s far from being a classic, but then again, in all honesty, what children’s films are? Make them listen to Close To The Edge instead.
Words: Oisín Murphy
