Shrek Forever After

We haven't done this together as a family for some time... catch a movie! Since Daughter finished her exam last Thursday, Other Half asked her whether she'd like to catch a movie... kids seldom say no to movies; especially when it's their kind of movie. So on Saturday, after Son came back from his driving refresher's course, we headed for the cinema.

I notice the kind of movies we go for these days have all been kids movies.... the latest one, Shrek Forever After is no exception. The only time you can catch me watching a movie from the beginning to the end these days is at the cinema.... Else I'd be fast forwarding or doing something else while the movie runs.... LOL!

Anyway, this is the last of the Shrek movies, so I was made to understand. I get lost in all the sequels after a while but my kids seem to able to remember the ones that they've watched. But, I enjoyed this round of Shrek, who seems to be facing his 'mid-life-crisis'. And so he wishes to go back to his good old days, when he was free of all cares and responsibilities; when he was a true ogre.

All that was needed is a villain and Rumpel filled that role in quite nicely. He gave Shrek a contract in which Shrek gets his wish but has to give him back something. The devious Rumpel asked for the day when Shrek was born. Silly Shrek (he's having midlife crisis remember?) gave it away cos he thought it would be harmless.

The bliss of freedom was short lived when Shrek realises that he will lose all that is important to him... in movies it's easier to have a happily ever after ending. And this is Shrek... though there have always been twists in Shrek movies, the ending is still usually happy. So after some (kid) heart stopping moments, Shrek finally got back to his true love again....

Mid life crisis given a 'Shrek-y' dimension..... kinda interesting. It's still entertaining to watch the Gingerbread Man who has to live a live of a 'gladiator' in this movie. Also of Puss-in-the-Boots who have gotten bloated with lots of TLC from Fiona. And the ever and incessant chatters of the Donkey. Kids like all these fairy tale characters... and they shriek in glee their antics. I found them entertaining too..... the parody.

Anyway, a movie outing for a family of four is not cheap these days. Plus pop-corn and drinks, a RM50 note wont' even cover! I remember those good old days when dad used to take my brother and me for midnight movies at Ficus Palace. Kids went in for 50 sen. Adults paid something like RM1.50. One of us would sit on dad's lap. Those midnight movies were treats to us. That's where I got my dose of Jackie Chan movies and Shaolin kungfu flicks. And we watched many of them as dad was a kungfu movie buff back in those days..... Half the fun was walking home after the movie, sometimes half groggy cos it would be close or past 1 a.m. It would usually be on Fridays so that we could sleep late on Saturday mornings...... my kids will remember their movie going days in comfortable (overly cold) cineplexes!!!