"Shrek Forever After" is a surprisingly good film. Though it is not as great as "Shrek" or "Shrek 2" it is a HUGE improvement over "Shrek the Third." The movie helped the franchise gain some of its heart back that was lacking in the third film and had some terrific action scenes. The first time I saw it I didn't think it was very funny, but when I went back to see it a second time I was laughing plenty of times. The film also teaches an important lesson that if you have a good life you should not give it up for anything. If Shrek had never met Fiona or any of his friends they all would have had rough lives. Overall, the movie is a great conclusion to the film series.

Best Shrek. It is a special movie, one of the best movies of all-time. It is a masterpiece on par with the mona lisa. What is so masterful about Shrek is its ambiguity. We never are certain if Shrek really did believe in the values that he professed. At the same time that he sets himself up as above the world, he longs for the affection of the common people. This is symbolized by his exploitative, and patronizing love for a chorus girl, Fiona. Her character is given a paper-thin characterization, the closest thing to a flaw in a perfect movie. Despite the film's pessimistic outlook, it is studded by moments of joy, beauty and emotional truth. The supporting cast of characters, most of them regulars from Wells' Mercury Theater are also superb. So many scenes in this movie linger forever in the memory, one is left with a stirring vision of the frailty of the human condition, the film gives us no easy answers and while being fiercely critical of many of it's characters is universal in it's compassion and sympathy, this is perhaps the most vital ingredient for great art. It's influence, was immediate, incalculable and mostly unacknowledged, the film was a box office and critical failure due to Hearst's efforts and it was not until years later that this film got the respect it deserved. Nowadays there is not one living film director of serious artistic intent that has not been deeply influenced by Shrek 4ever after. It's not just a masterpiece it's a creative touchstone.

This is the last of the four SHREK movies, and it's a great conclusion of the saga.

Here Shrek lives a regular life with Fiona and their three sons, but every day is always the same again and again, and he is nostalgic of his good old days, when he was feared by everyone. After exploding of anger at their sons' birthday party, he is tricked by the evil Rumpelstilskin that makes Shrek signing a deal that he would have lived just a day like a real ogre.

At the beginning it's all OK, feared and hunted by everyone, but he soon discovers that he ended in an alternative reality, where he wasn't even born. Consequently Donkey doesn't know who is his best friend, Fiona never met him and Puss is fat. And, Rumpel rules supreme Far Far Away, with witches (and then the Pied- Piper) at his orders. Soon Shrek befriends a group of fighting ogres with Fiona as their commander, and with Puss and Donkey's regained friendship, they all fight Rumpel's kingdom and Shrek can share his true love kiss with Fiona, and the spell is broken.

This movie follows the footsteps of ''It's a Wonderful Life'', with Shrek in the James Stewart role, only in a darker way and with no custodian angels. And in the ending credits there is a brief summary of the previous three movies, with some scenes mixed with the names of the crew members.

The first Shrek was excellent (and I also wrote a long review on it), the second was funny and enjoyable, the third... I found it also amusing and funny, although it received poor reviews by different websites and newspaper critics, and this is also highly enjoyable.

The animation is always great in every detail, the soundtrack is always outstanding (and the movie ends with Weezer's cover of ''I am a Believer'', the hit song of the first movie), and the actors are, as always, well suited in their roles, especially Walt Dorn as Rumpelstilskin and Eddie Murphy as Donkey, my favorite character.

I recommend this movie to all fans of the series.