The fourth (and supposedly final) installment of the lucrative Shrek series finds our ogre hero dealing with a mid-life crisis of sorts. Having met the love of his life in the first film, conquered his fears of scary in-laws in the second film and impending fatherhood in the third film, Shrek should be living in a fog of domesticated bliss. Instead, he starts to feel the walls crowding in around him as the responsibilities of fatherhood and tedium of married life wear him down, and soon Shrek is pining for his carefree days as a single ogre. So he turns to the fairy tale mischief maker, Rumpelstiltskin, for one day of his old life back... but the request comes at a hefty price. In true "It's a Wonderful Life" fashion, Shrek gets to glimpse the world as it would be had he never been born. He meets his downtrodden friends, who no longer know who he is, and must win his wife's hardened heart all over again. Though there are plenty of laughs thrown in for the kiddies, the message of the story is clearly for grown-ups: You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Shrek - who started off the series as a one-dimensional grouch - has now evolved into a modern day man with real fears, problems, and regrets. We see him selfishly give up his family life and then repent for his sins afterward, and the journey he goes through is cathartic. Shrek may not be of Jimmy Stewart caliber, but the role suits him well and the film is tender and heartfelt. Here's hoping the filmmakers don't make good on their promise of this being the last film and continue giving us more of this lovable curmudgeon.
4 out of 5 stars
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