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Review of Shrek Forever After (Harry Gregson-Williams)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if you seek a very satisfying conclusion to the Shrek franchise that remains remarkably faithful to its established sound while exploring a melodramatic new villain's theme and an impressively fluid, cohesive narrative.

Avoid it... if you've never cared for the somewhat derivative nature of these scores and their themes, because Gregson-Williams still does more repackaging than reinvention for this assignment.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

Shrek Forever After: (Harry Gregson-Williams) Despite its longevity over the course of the 2000's, the DreamWorks Shrek franchise has progressively lost its ability to challenge box office records, though enthusiasts of the concept can take solace in the knowledge that 2010's Shrek Forever After is widely considered a superior film to 2007's Shrek the Third. Undecided about the title of the fourth entry for quite a while was DreamWorks, which eventually determined that Shrek Forever After (or Shrek: The Final Chapter) would best represent the conclusion of the franchise. To avoid the criticism experienced by the previous two films, which generally concentrated on the redundancy factor of the plots, the writers of Shrek Forever After decided to infuse the fairy tale kingdom with the seemingly popular concept of temporal paradoxes and alternate universes, forcing the famed ogre to restore his life (and that of everyone else in the story) after he signs a pact with the Devil, here the magician Rumpelstiltskin. After Shrek is fooled into forging the deal so that he can escape his role as a hero by going back to his childhood days of terrorizing villagers and living the simple life, he is forced to overthrow Rumpelstiltskin, who has become king. Re-assembling his usual gang of supporting characters proves easier than winning a kiss from Princess Fiona, which is the only key to restoring the kingdom to its original form. Battles between hoards of ogres and Rumpelstiltskin are the backdrop for the antics of all the audiences' favorite characters, and the entirety of the principle cast from the first film returns for this last hurrah. The music for the Shrek franchise has always been entertaining, though not particularly demanding, ranging in quality from average to spirited fun. The original collaboration between composers Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell yielded a set of themes that has barely evolved throughout the sequel scores handled by Gregson-Williams alone. While most of the thematic references exist for basic continuity, the surrounding material is truly the wildcard in these scores. The action and fantasy music in Shrek 2 provided an engrossing listening experience not matched by the less cohesive ideas in Shrek the Third.

Fortunately, Shrek Forever After features the most tightly woven musical narrative of any of the scores, satisfying in its expression of the usual franchise themes, sub-motifs, and general instrumentation while integrating well the new villain's identity. The orchestral ensemble is not interrupted by an abundance of electronic or specialty instruments, utilizing a mixed choir for several major cues and spreading the playing duties across the soundscape (nothing here has even a faint whiff of the bass-heavy, Hans Zimmer-influenced orchestration and mixing habits of the day). Solo piano, woodwind, and xylophone performances of sentimental or longing sequences assist in balancing the hyperactive ensemble ruckus that is better directed in this score than Shrek the Third. Three themes are interwoven well in Shrek Forever After, the score opening with the princess' fairy tale theme once again. This idea, which can still draw comparisons in tone and progressions to Mark Knopfler's The Princess Bride, is frequently revisited in melancholy tones ("The Exit Clause," "Fiona Doesn't Love Me," and "His Day is Up") as Shrek laments his decision later in the film. The primary theme for Shrek is introduced in a "business as usual" performance in "Same Day, Every Day" before undergoing dramatic mutations prior to its restoration in the majestic finale, "Never Been Better." This theme's action variant, formerly associated more closely with the dragon character, often informs the ogres' resistance against the new villain of the kingdom, maturing into a full blown expression with choir in "Rumpel's Defeat." It still clearly reminds of Trevor Rabin's Deep Blue Sea theme after all this time, though the redemptive half of the theme has oddly clarified similarities to the Kermit the Frog classic, "Over the Rainbow." Also returning are minor motifs familiar to franchise enthusiasts, including the acoustic guitar for the now obese cat, Puss. Rumpelstiltskin receives the score's lone new melody, though it is very well handled by Gregson-Williams throughout the score. Based on a pair of ascending notes followed by an ominously descending pair, both firmly dramatic in the minor key, the villain's theme has many classical qualities to represent his strangely ornate style (likely tied to his stereotypical royal aspirations).

The theme for Rumpelstiltskin is a devious idea easily quoted with those memorable, initial four notes, and it represents the score's melodramatic core as well. The opening of "Rumpel's Kingdom" expands upon the idea to give it an overwhelming sense of peril, a 5-note variant utilizing brass in ways that will remind listeners of David Arnold's bloated fantasy material from his James Bond scores. The employment of a solo violin late in "Rumpel's Kingdom" (and later with immensely romantic tragedy in "Rumpel's Announcement") once again equates that instrument with demonic forces, making that lengthy cue the surprisingly dark highlight of the entire score. As previously mentioned, the narrative of Gregson-Williams' score is extremely smooth and easy to follow. There are few challenging moments of awkward dissonance, the last seconds of "His Day Is Up" the obvious exception as tension builds for the restoration of the universe. In the end, fans of the franchise and Gregson-Williams' contributions to it should be very satisfied with this work, and its 42 minutes on album is a perfectly presented listening experience that doesn't overstay its welcome or demand the skipping of any troublesome tracks. The recording and its mix are very well executed and the cues are long enough to avoid a jumpy, haphazard personality. The one major detraction in Shrek Forever After is the lack of a greater role for entirety of the fairy tale theme in this final story; it's such a lovely idea and has been rather short-changed (and abused) in its application throughout the franchise. It's also interesting to note that this is the first of the Shrek sequel scores not to officially acknowledge the use of themes written in part by John Powell, begging more clarification about their division of duties for the original effort since there aren't any major themes in the franchise noticeably absent from Shrek Forever After. In conjunction with the concurrent release of the impressive music for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Shrek Forever After confirms that Gregson-Williams is contributing substantially to the remarkable year for film music that 2010 has become through its first half. Don't be surprised if some fans of the composer find themselves revisiting Shrek Forever After far more frequently than Prince of Persia, because it's always pleasing to hear an old friend sent off on a high note.  ****

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 42:25

• 1. Once (More) Upon a Time (1:59) • 2. Rumpelstiltskin (3:30) • 3. Same Day, Every Day (3:32) • 4. Shrek Signs the Deal (3:36) • 5. Rumpel's Kingdom (4:21) • 6. The Exit Clause (2:36) • 7. Ogre Resistance (1:50) • 8. "Din Din!" (0:30)

• 9. Rumpel's Announcement (3:17) • 10. Planning the Attack (2:10) • 11. Fiona Doesn't Love Me (3:17) • 12. Deal of a Lifetime (3:04) • 13. The Main Event (1:49) • 14. Rumpel's Defeat (2:22) • 15. His Day is Up (2:43) • 16. Never Been Better (1:31)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes extensive movie stills, but has no extra information about the score or film.

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