Shrek. Oh how it was loved. Here was a fresh idea, with some of the best children’s dialogue aimed at adults since The Simpsons. Shrek 2 followed thereafter, amidst a hype of marketing. It was watchable, just. And then came Shrek The Third. The less the said the better about that. Shrek Forever After is subsequently the fourth, and supposed, final instalment in the series. And hopefully it is.

There’s something wondrously funny about the original in that it appeals to all age ranges, with different jokes hitting different notes with each audience. My two year old cousin loves the idea of a talking donkey, my mum still loves the brimstone joke and there is enough in between to keep everyone entertained. Shrek 2 failed by adding too much and losing sight of that which made the original, original.

By the time the third film rolled around it had accumulated so much baggage the characters just turned into thin attempts to move a story on far past the point of its being dead and limp. So it’s good to see that the producers have gone back to the basics for the latest outing. Shrek signs a contract he shouldn’t and wakes in a It’s a Wonderful Life-esque world. The kingdom of Far, Far Away is in ruins and Fiona is leading an ogre resistance movement.

Queue a set of now commonplace jokes, run-of-the-mill characters and unused 3D potential and you can pretty much guess what’s going to happen next. Shrek fails to live up to the hype once more, it’s only saving grace that it floats just above the third film.

Even more unfortunate though is another wasted 3D ticket. The 3D-ness is limited throughout and for a family, paying the extra is not only worthless, it’s damaging to future sales. Hollywood needs to sort out it’s waste of 3D. Combined with already less than favourable reviews and issues of motion sickness, they may kill off the entire premise before it even gains traction.

Overall, Shrek Forever After is a watchable children’s film. But don’t expect Shrek 1 levels of humour.

My rating: 5/10