Everybody’s favourite ogre is having a mid-life crisis; Shrek isn’t the scary creature he used to be; life with Fiona and three demanding baby Shreks has evolved into a depressing routine. Unwisely, he signs a Faustian agreement with the evil Rumpelstiltskin to give the nasty little fellow a day out of his life in exchange for a return to his former life; but the day he signs away is the day he was born, so, like James Stewart in IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, he faces a world in which no-one knows him….
True love’s kiss is, of course, the answer to all his problems – but Fiona, who is leading a SPARTACUS-like revolution of enslaved ogres, has other things on her mind than kissing….
The SHREK franchise is a hugely enjoyable one, with funny characters and a knowing way with mocking fairy-tales and popular culture. This is said to be the last in the series, and it is looking a little tired; Shrek’s grumpy middle-aged frustrations occupy a bit too much running time. But there are always compensations; Puss in Boots has become a fat cat now, and as voiced by ANTONIO BANDERAS – he’s hilarious; and EDDIE MURPHY’S motor-mouth donkey is always good for a laugh.
MIKE MYERS, CAMERON DIAZ and the rest are back again, while WALT DOHRN, head of the team that cobbled together the story for the film, is fun as the very nasty Rumplestiltskin. I saw the film in 3D, and the animation was, as always, excellent; it’s probably just as good in 2D.