The worst thing about Shrek 4 was Shrek 3.
Shrek Forever After has got to be one of the best-looking movies in the series, the special effects look great. There are lots of nice sight gags here and there, and the hilarious "fairy tale setting with a modern twist" is done in a way noone else has been able pull off.
The movie did a very good job of duplicating what the first and second movies did: it focused on the relationship of Shrek and Fiona. This is what was lacking in the third movie, which was an obvious attempt to milk the series for all it's worth. In fact, if we ignore number three and call the this a trilogy, Shrek 4 comes across as a pretty good movie. That would actually be the biggest problem I had while watching it, I kept remembering how bad the last movie was and it kept me from enjoying this one.
Now, the one complaint I have to make against this movie is the villain. Lord Farquad, Fairy Godmother, and Prince Charming were hilarious villains, and fit in perfectly by turning their respective fairytale archetypes on their heads. In my opinion, Rumpelstiltskin fell flat as a villain, not from any poor acting, but because the series set such high standards for melodramatic and funny antagonists.
I recommend this movie for anyone who liked Shrek 1 and Shrek 2, it continues the theme perfectly, and is a great family movie that's still targeted at adults.
