It all comes to a head at his children’s first birthday party.  Shrek storms out of the house and is approached by the devious Rumpelstiltskin who offers a solution to his problems.  He’ll give Shrek a day off – a chance to see what his life would have been like if he was just an ordinary ogre.  In return, Shrek must give Rumpelstiltskin a day from his past.

It seems likes a fair deal with Shrek who then signs the contract.  Alas, he has been tricked by Rumpelstiltskin who has gone back in time and eliminated our beloved green ogre.  The current day Shrek now has less than 24 hours to find a loophole in the contract or else he too will vanish.  There’s no time to waste.

For the first time in the series, the film has been made in 3D.  This fact coupled with the easy to follow storyline should make it a winner with the younger audience.  As a full fee paying grown up, I’m less convinced.  Maybe the series is getting tired but I don’t think this has the originality or adult humour I remember fondly from the first film.  There’s only one new character too – Rumpelstiltskin.  I was hoping for a few more.

Eddie Murphy again provides the majority of the jokes as the sly donkey.  I know he’s had plenty of hits (as well as plenty of flops) over his career but I’m convinced Murphy’s best work has come from the Shrek series.  With the help of the talented animation team that works behind the scenes, Murphy has created a memorable character.

Shrek Forever After opened with $70m in its first three days in the United States.  This may sound great but it’s well below the opening weekends of the last two films.  I’ve a hunch this will be the last in the series so if you’ve enjoyed the ride so far, be sure not to miss one last adventure with Shrek and his crew.