Movie Review: Shrek 4 Forever After--3D at Its Best

Shrek: Forever After was a movie my young children just had to go see. I, myself, however, was a bit skeptical.

The decision was made by my wife and I to find the earliest showing around, so we wouldn't waste the whole day at the theater. What we didn't know and weren't prepared for was that the showing we chose was the 3D version, and the price for the whole family was almost $50. For a matinee? Really?

"No wonder we don't go to the movies that much," I said.

"That's because of the super HD 3D technology," said what looked to me like the manager standing behind the ticket booth cashier.

I tried not to roll my eyes.

Well, at least they improved the 3D glasses. No more cardboard frames with one red and one blue lens, these are solid, Evis Costello glasses.

Next I spent another 20-dollar-bill and change on a bag of Twizzlers, a drum of soda, and and a tub of popcorn which we later installed in the back yard as an above-ground swimming pool.

"It better be a damn good movie for $50," I was thinking as my family hurried down the hallway and put on our glasses. But as we entered the theater in the nick of time (we had just missed the previews), and saw the giant turning pages of the fairy tale book jutting out of the movie screen--not with the corny special effects of 1980's technology, but with crisp clear images that your eyes are used to seeing in 2D--now hovering just out of arm's reach. I began to think that manager was right about this technology stuff.

Not only did horses ride out over the seats in front of us, and witches flew their broom sticks around the front of the theater, but the entire movie had a depth that I was quite impressed with. Layers upon layers of animation were all given their place, not just sticking out of the screen, but also seeming to sink into the world behind the screen. Amazing. Hands down, the best 3D experience I've ever had. Now I regret not seeing Alice in Wonderland and that overhyped movie, Avatar, in 3D.

So how was the actual movie?

I loved Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shrek 3, but I was wary that a 4th movie, Shrek Forever After, was risking the entire franchise. Wrong again.

The plot of evil Rumpelstiltskin ruining the lives of Shrek, his family, and his friends was superbly written. It mixed elements of Groundhog Day, making the monotonous and mundane life hilarious, with a "what if I was never born?" scenario out of It's Wonderful Life.

Old characters were refreshed, not just with new jokes, but also by dropping them into an alternate reality where they had to deal with a Shrek-less world. In fact, after three movies worth of time getting to know the main characters, the story actually pulled at your emotions, making you feel sad for ogre Shrek's very human flaws and feelings. My wife cried for the last 15 minutes of the movie, and I can't say that my manhood wasn't threatened by my own animated sappiness. But I never had to dry my 3D glasses. In addition to this new depth of feeling, many new characters were unbelievably, laugh-out-loud funny.

Overall, Shrek Forever After was--I can't believe I'm saying this--perhaps my favorite Shrek of all time. Between the technology, the superb plotline, and the deepening of characters, Shrek did not disappoint, he inspired. But $50 for four tickets is one ogre of a price to pay.