Shrek Forever After (PG)

SHREK FOREVER AFTER (Rated PG for some rude humor, brief profanity):  The sequel life of this highly successful animated franchise appears to be at an end.  Financial returns are high, but are less than  expectations.  Even the ubiquitous use of 3D (in an increasingly large number of theatres, but thankfully not here) has not fulfilled Dreamworks' hopes to reach beyond the $70.8 million it brought in so far. 

Are people tiring of the quixotic yellow monster's escapades in his fantasy world - still based on William Steig's well read children's book?  Not even an amusing new plot nor the return of the voices of Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (wife Fiona), Antonio Bandaras (an obese Puss) & Eddie Murphy (loose-lipped donkey) along with new stars (Glee's Jane Lynch, The Office's Craig Robinson, Mad Men's Jon Hamm) has been of help.

Certainly, this is a well mounted sequel #4.  The quality of the CGI animation is tops, even better texturally detailed than before; the script by Josh Klausner & Daarren Lemke is sharper, aimed at adults as much as the tykes at whom it was originally aimed; and the story, while not veering far from the tone of the earlier versions, has enough zip & conflict to hold all audiences.

Shrek, tired of being the nice ogre workaday family man (with three tots in tow), longs wistfully for the good ole growly ogre days.  Enter a pint-sized answer to his boring, mundane life:  Rumplestilskin (a flaming red-headed Q.Tarantino lookalike voiced by Walt Dohrn) with contracts to solve all problems.  Shrek agrees to give up one day of his past in order to enjoy a day of roaring, nasty ogreship again.  And it's a lot of fun until he realizes what has been included in the fine print.   A deadline's also been included;  by sun-up, unless he works out a solution to the contrary, Shrek could be toast. 

Does he work it out just as the sun throws its first rays into the castle?  Guess.

Nothing's wrong about this flick, really.  I guess ogre fans are just not interested in more-if-better of the same.  (Grade:  B+)