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Shrek Forever After
Review by Ross Anthony

In the first act, big laughs are "Far Far Away." But that doesn't mean the film is bad, just different than expected. In fact, save for the "necessary" action scenes, I don't see a whole lot here for the kids. That said, middle-aged marrieds will relate to Shrek's very married mid-life crisis to which the whole film speaks, a la, George Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life (which, by the way, if you're so young you haven't seen this classic, you'll find it on any cable station during Christmas).

So, strangely George (I mean Shrek) starts out as a poignant drama with some cute notes here and there. Midway through, Shrek begins to remember that, once upon a time, he used to make audiences laugh out loud. The grease starts kicking in with edgy satirical humor. The quiet theatre comes alive at this point. We hear each other laugh. But the film stays loyal to its earlier dramatic tone as well and ends more concerned with its sweet message than climactic action. I appreciate that. Further, while earlier action doesn't rise much above run of the mill. That last castle-ball-breaking scene is actually elegantly imagined and choreographed. (A nice visual analogy for the push-and-pull of married life.)

Despite a long wait for big laughs, and a tedious contract-signing scene, I'm tempted to give Shrek 3 an A- because it kept my interest, made me laugh and actually touched me in an emotional way. Further, I greatly enjoyed its use of that big beautiful IMAX 3D. It's a marvel to look at. (I'm sure seeing it in 2D would negatively impact the viewer experience.) However, I found the villain character "Rumple" somewhat annoying. I'm not sure if the problem is in the scripting or the voicing, or even the rendering, but for this reason I'm rounding down to a B+. Still, an enjoyable experience overall though.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --


  • Shrek Forever After. Copyright © 2010.
  • Starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Jane Lynch, Eddie Murphy, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas. Directed by Mike Mitchell at Dreamworks SKG

Grade..........................B+ (2.5/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Friday, 18-Jun-2010 10:24:19 PDT