Shrek Forever After 2010

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: Side by side, the four Shrek films look like the stages of man. You have Shrek as ogre, Shrek as husband, Shrek as daddy, and now, Shrek as George Bailey. Read more

A.O. Scott, At the Movies: [It] kind of engaged me a little bit. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Dreamworks seems bored with the ogre who laid the golden egg. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: The first summer movie thus far to deliver on its promise to put on a good show. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Mr. Murphy's toothy, shifty-eyed Donkey who distills the series' attitude of cheerfully curdled hipness. In his eternal upbeat cheekiness, he is a creation to rival Peter Pan. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Third times are rarely charms in the movies, much less fourth go-rounds, and it takes more than ho-hum 3-D and video-game-ready action sequences to liven up diminishing returns. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: A recycling machine that recalls the high points of previous installments without demonstrating the need for a new one. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: All of this would be extremely irritating, and easy to dismiss as cynical manipulation of the moviegoing public -- except for the fact that even recycled Shrek is still pretty funny, and that kids will thoroughly enjoy it. Read more

Tasha Robinson, AV Club: Kids' movies are rarely profoundly thoughtful, but there's no reason to be this insulting about it, either. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Shrek the Third made more than $322 million. Why kill the goose that laid the golden egg? Because it's time. Read more

Janice Page, Boston Globe: Shrek Forever After is being billed as the last of four big-screen romps featuring the lovable slime-green ogre with the cheesy Scottish accent. And to see this final installment is to know: It's time. Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: Shrek Forever After wanders far, far away from the infectious and propulsive zing that we've come to expect over the past nine years. Read more

Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News: There is no happy ending for the Shrek franchise. Read more

Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: Director Mike Mitchell and screenwriters Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke, all relatively new to the franchise, manage to lead the winning returning cast in a fresh direction. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Directed with zest by Mike Mitchell (from a script by Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke) and shot in 3D, this final Shrek sequel has plenty of verve. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Who is supposed to be excited by this? What child would care? What adult would care? Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Everyone involved fulfills his or her job requirements adequately. But the magic is gone, and Shrek Forever After is no longer an ogre phenomenon to reckon with. Instead, it's a Hot Swamp Time Machine. Read more

Eric D. Snider, Film.com: If there were a Shrek TV show, this could be the two-part finale of, say, season 3. It isn't bad. It just doesn't belong on a movie screen. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: For the most part the screenwriters never lose sight of the moral of this story: Whatever else gets tossed into the mix, Shrek must be the heart and soul. In this, Myers is a master; he makes it seem easy being green. Read more

Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly: By the middle of the second act, Forever After finally finds its groove, becoming mildly amusing (the actors -- Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas -- are in fine form) but never rising to the inspired heights of the original. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: For once ... I hope the filmmakers haven't ruled out another sequel. As Shrek Forever After proves, there's life in the big green guy yet. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Happily, it's a move that revives our aging ogre, and renews his flagging franchise. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: After the frantic spurt of fairy-tale allusions and jokes in the first three Shreks, this one inches along with a few mostly pointless action scenes and the occasional mild pun. Read more

Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: The quick wit and multitiered pop-culture referencing that made the inaugural Shrek so much fun doesn't feel so quick or multi almost a decade down the line. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: As It's a Wonderful Life knock-offs go, this one isn't half-bad. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: It's the characters that pull us in when familiarity flatlines our interest. Read more

Mary Elizabeth Williams, Salon.com: Like last year's Up, this isn't merely a cute kid's movie with funny one-liners and adorable critters. It's a soulful meditation on the age-old question: Is that all there is? Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The magic is gone. Like its watermelon-headed hero, Shrek Forever After has the midlife blahs. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: It's no classic, but Shrek Forever After is a pleasant reminder that every time a cash register rings, this ogre turns angelic. Read more

Stephen Cole, Globe and Mail: The shout line on the Shrek Forever After poster says it best: It ain't ogre till it's ogre. Read more

Rob Salem, Toronto Star: It now requires nothing less than the retroactive destruction of Shreka(TM)s idyllic family life to inject some necessary conflict back into the franchise. If you cana(TM)t fix something that isna(TM)t broke, your only recourse is to break it. Read more

Mary F. Pols, TIME Magazine: Can an ogre jump a shark? I think so. Read more

Anna Smith, Time Out: An entertaining conclusion to the franchise -- one that parents should happily endure. But let's hope that's all, folks. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: In the fourth and ostensibly final installment, Shrek and company still have some appeal, but the energy is lacking and the fun feels forced. Read more

John Anderson, Variety: Whether or not Shrek has outlived his usefulness as a profit center, it's clear that time and technology have passed him by. Read more

Ernest Hardy, Village Voice: It takes the film a deadly long time to kick in, and when it does, it largely retreads formula: ironic use of pop standards, musical numbers with contemporary choreography played for maximum laughs, risque one-liners. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: After a disappointing third outing, this Shrek brings the cycle of fairy-tale-themed films to a fine finish. Read more