In this delightful fourth installment of the popular Shrek saga, the domesticated ogre (voiced by Mike Myers) faces new challenges brought on by his yearning for those glory days of his old life when his roar scared people away and he could bask in the mud for as long as he wanted. At home with Fiona (Cameron Diaz), he helps take care of their three young children and on daily basis fends off local fans who want his autograph. Wanting something beyond the pressing duties and repetitions of family life, Shrek signs a pact with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn); he'll get to turn the clock back and live a day as he used to, but in turn he has to give up a day of this past.
Suddenly he finds himself in a alternate world of Far Far Away in which the day Skrek was born never happened. Rumpel rules the realm as a selfish and self-absorbed king whose close allies and functionaries are all witches. Two of them have tied Donkey (Eddie Murphy) to a carriage and made him a beast of burden. Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) is a pampered fat cat who eats and sleeps a lot. Fiona is tough warrior who leads a band of rebel ogres. In order to restore his world and reclaim his one True Love, Shrek must endure a series of ordeals that test his mettle and help him see how much he misses his life as a family man.
Mike Mitchell directs this animated feature released in 3-D. The screenplay by Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke retains the humor and the humanity of Shrek and Fiona as they struggle to understand each other as strangers in the alien world of Far Far Away. They must race against the clock to the point where they are ready to experience the True Love's Kiss which can change everything. The final confrontation between Rumpel and Shrek takes place in the medieval castle. The king has his witches and a bounty hunter called the Pied Piper to help him.
Shrek Forever After comes across as a bountiful parable on the spiritual practice of gratitude or as the lead character says: "I didn't know what I had until it was gone." It takes most of us a long time to appreciate the specialness of our ordinary lives. The most sublime error of all is to throw this all away for an imagined escape to the past when things were different. This is it! This is the magic moment of love, and life, and true presence!
Special features on the DVD include "Spotlight on Shrek"; "Secrets of Shrek Forever After; deleted scenes; and a commentary by the filmmakers.
