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After the success of the first three films in the Shrek series, a fourth entry appears with more adventures of Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, and Puss in Boots. But in addition to all the laughs the first three films have brought, SHREK FOREVER AFTER features a whole new element in the series 3-D animation.

After challenging an evil dragon, rescuing a beautiful princess and saving your in-laws’ kingdom, what’s an ogre to do? Well, if you’re Shrek, you suddenly wind up a domesticated family man. Instead of scaring villagers away like he used to, a reluctant Shrek now agrees to autograph pitch forks. What’s happened to this ogre’s roar? Longing for the days when he felt like a “real ogre,” Shrek is duped into signing a pact with the smooth-talking dealmaker, Rumpelstiltskin. Shrek suddenly finds himself in a twisted, alternate version of Far Far Away, where ogres are hunted, Rumpelstiltskin is king and Shrek and Fiona have never met. Now, it’s up to Shrek to undo all he’s done in the hopes of saving his friends, restoring his world and reclaiming his one True Love.

In an effort to shake things up, he enters into an unfortunate pact with the devil or, more precisely, new villain Rumpelstiltskin. Suddenly, he finds himself in an alternate Far Far Away in which he was never born: Rumpel is king, Fiona is the fierce warrior leader of a band of rebel ogres, Donkey is in the employ of a band of cackling witches, and Puss, well, Puss has really let himself go — he’s now a pampered housecat with a serious eating disorder.

Desperate to reclaim his former life, Shrek attempts to woo back Fiona and extract a kiss from his “one true love” that will undo the effects of the spell.

Josh Klausner and Darren Lemke’s screenplay creates some fun with the personality and visual changes the familiar characters have undergone, but as with so many sequels to sequels, “Shrek Forever After” has lost much of the simple charm, humor and heart that marked its predecessors. No doubt looking to exploit the sensory stimulation offered by 3D, the filmmakers have ramped up the action, most notably in a high-flying broom chase featuring Shrek and Donkey and the witches and an elaborate climactic battle sequence.

The 3D effects are undeniably impressive, but like many other examples of this increasingly popular form, some of the visual quality is sacrificed with the inevitable image darkening. The fact that much of the story is set in a literally bleaker landscape doesn’t help matters.

As per usual with the series, this edition includes numerous pop cultures references — a nod to “The Wizard of Oz” got a big laugh — and several musical montages set to classic pop songs, including the Carpenters’ “Top of the World.”

By this point, the estimable voice talents have their acts down cold, with each once again providing invaluable contributions (especially Banderas, whose hilarious Puss steals scenes with abandon). Newcomers include Dohrn, whose Rumpelstiltskin displays an amusingly hysterical edge; Jon Hamm, lending his stern baritone to his role as an ogre who makes Shrek look wimpy; and Jane Lynch and Craig Robinson as ogre rebels.

Want to know more about Shrek Forever After ? Visit the Shrek Forever After website & know more about this Final Shrek installment.