CASEY PHILLIPS: There’s something to be said for keeping your expectations reasonable and then meeting them. That’s exactly what first-time “Shrek” director Mike Mitchell has pulled off with “Shrek Forever After.”
The fourth “Shrek” film was created and marketed largely as a 3-D picture, but despite seeing it in a mere two dimensions, I found the story held its own, even if it didn’t break the series’ successful “twisted fairy tale” mold.
The plot reimagines Shrek’s life had he not become a hero, which breathes new life into characters who were at risk of growing stale after three films. To wit, Eddie Murphy’s Donkey is a surly beast of burden; Cameron Diaz’s Princess Fiona trades in her gown for a battle ax to lead a band of resistance fighters; and Antonio Banderas’ Puss in Boots is a much tubbier kitty.
Thanks to this fresh take, I found myself paying attention to the plot, which doesn’t take many risks but merely plows ahead like a good pack mule, delivering the funny without fuss.