Shrek 4: The "Warmed Up Pizza" Gambit

You know how when you are really, really hungry but you're either too lazy or in too much of a hurry to do any cooking? And you've got that pizza you ordered (or made) yesterday sitting there in the fridge and it would be such a shame to let it go to waste because, hey, pizza doesn't really keep very long and it's best to eat it ASAP? And even though it isn't as good as it was fresh, even warmed up pizza is better (and quicker) than just about anything else is fresh?

Welcome, my friends, to Shrek Forever.

The first Shrek was one of those increasingly rare things in Hollywood; an original concept that was both entertaining and meant something and that appealed to a broad cross section of the public. Kids loved the fantasy and comedy, while adults could appreciate the dense fairy tale cross referencing and the in-jokes aimed at them, kind of like a 21st century "Rocky and Bullwinkle". Likewise the sequel, which only fell somewhat short because it didn't have the originality (i.e. we'd seen the characters and world before) of the first film.

I admit I never saw "Shrek 3", mostly because of poor reviews and a general sense that at this point they were doing the requisite milking of the franchise. My guess is that since it did involve all of the original creative team, a "meh" Shrek film is still probably a lot more clever and enjoyable than most kids' films on the market (or any, actually).

Shrek Forever sounded viable to me because it was lauded as the "final" Shrek, and usually by that point in a series they tend to pull out all the stops and quit being coy with in-jokes and stale plots and really feel free to do more daring things with storylines. It's also (usually) the last time you get to visit the characters and it's nice to know how things 'finally' turned out for all of them. It's the same reason that comic books and TV shows tend to garner more interest near the end of their runs; because people know that whatever happens from this point on will probably stick as the creators have less time to undo their machinations. (It's only a pity the creators can't sustain this kind of tension earlier in the series!)

On this level, Shrek Forever comes up a bit short. The story opens with Shrek becoming disillusioned with his life, overwhelmed by the drabness of being a father and uncomfortable with being a local celebrity. Noticing his dissatisfaction, local troll/troublemaker Rumplestiltskin manipulates the ogre into giving up just one day of his life in order to have a day of nostalgia, where he is feared by the villagers and all of the events that happened to change that status never occurred. However, there's a catch that Shrek isn't aware of; the day that Stiltskin takes in return is the day of Shrek's birth, meaning that when Shrek's fantasy day ends, so will his life.

Thus begins an urgent quest by Shrek to undo the bargain and save his own life, as well as restoring the kingdom (and his family and friends) to the life they enjoyed because of his latent heroism. Along the way he 're meets" friends and foes alike, and on a deeper level begins to understand how important his old, 'boring' life truly was, not only to him but to everyone around him.

"Shrek 4" is a fairly direct knock off of "It's a Wonderful Life", with Shrek in the Jimmy Stewart role of a man who is graphically shown what things would have been like if he had chosen the more selfish, easy route in his life. It's a bit predictable but it's also a proven crowd pleaser; who among us hasn't wondered something very much like this? Like the last couple of films, Shrek 4 also tries to duplicate the adult references to fairy tales and has some interesting sight gags with the characters (the Gingerbread Man is an automatic laugh, and the evil giant goose is a new and deliciously weird and welcome addition to the cast, and Rumplestiltskin is another in a line of great and idiosyncratic villains), but it doesn't quite ever match the original's bite and wit. Understandable and not forgiveable, but definitely notable.

By now the series has reached the 'pizza' level, where even when it's warmed up it's still sorta/kinda good and near enough to the quality level of the original that you give it a pass, because 'hey, it's pizza!'. The characters are all familiar by now and the writers put them through familiar paces and dialogue, there is a touching and knowing humanistic theme, and the animation and voice actors are spot on, as usual. I didn't notice the music as much this time as I did in the first couple of films, but the "Top of the World" segment was really fun and energetic.

I've heard this is to be the "final" Shrek, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I don't want them to keep milking the franchise until it's drained of all originality, but at the same time I rather enjoy visiting this world every few years, as long as they keep things reasonably fresh.

After all, you can only reheat pizza so many times.