“Abandon all hope ye who enter here”. Such reads the sign that confronts Queen Lillian and King Harold as they approach the unfriendly terrain of Rumpelstiltskin’s land in the opening scene of Shrek Forever After. 93 minutes later and you are left wondering who the words were really directed at. Beneath the fireworks of what has been celebrated as the the final chapter of a universally adored franchise lies an apology for an exit that is more dogged than triumphant.

It’s been a summer drought which has left film-lusters like us weeping into our Back To The Future comfort blankies. For a whole month, no opening film has grossed more than £4 million. This has been due to a number of things; the World Cup, the glorious un-British sunshine, as well as because, well, the films out at the moment are a bit crud. But it looks like Shrek 4 has changed all that.

Though it’s not going to be opening in the UK until August, Shrek 4 has topped the US chart in its opening weekend, knocking off Iron Man 2 from the number one spot. However, its not taken anywhere near the amount Shrek 3 raked in – just $71.2 million in comparison with $121 million.

Whether you’re quivering with excitement or sick of the whole damn thing, you can’t help but admire team Shrek for their punning persistance. A few weeks ago we reported that Dreamworks had released four new posters for their upcoming Shrek 4, each baring inspiring tag-lines such as “where ma witches at?” and “it aint ogre till its ogre”. For all those out there crying “more! More!”, we’re happy to provide

Paramount have released the first trailer for Shrek 4 – Shrek Forever After which is (hopefully) the final instalment of the Ogre’s adventures.