Another 'Rotten' Movie Makes Its Way to Netflix's Top 10
Days after director Tomas Alfredson's 2017 psychological thriller The Snowman, which has an abysmal 6% Rotten Tomatoes score, made its way into the Netflix Top 10, yet another film with the dreaded certified rotten status is enjoying time on the Netflix charts. Shrek Forever After, the fourth and less-than-stellar installment in the beloved animated franchise, may be certified "rotten," but it has proven popular enough to earn a spot on the streaming charts.
Released in 2010, Shrek Forever After follows Shrek after he has settled into a domesticated life and is now longing for the days when he felt like a real ogre. After he is duped into signing a contract with devious Rumpelstiltskin, he finds himself in an alternate version of Far Far Away and must find a way out of the contract to restore his world and reclaim his true love. The computer-animated movie was directed by Mike Mitchell with a voice cast including Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews and John Cleese.
Shrek Forever After made its way to Netflix on April 1. Since its Netflix debut, the film has been enjoying time on the streaming charts, consistently ranking within the Top 10. It currently ranks No. 9 in the U.S., beating out the Will Smith-starring animated film Shark Tale. In fact, it seems animated films are currently dominating the Netflix charts, Minions: The Rise of Gru (No. 6), Sing 2 (No. 5), and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (No. 4) also ranking. On Netflix Kids, Shrek Forever After fares even better, currently claiming the No. 5 spot and only falling behind Matilda, Minions: Rise of Gru, Sing 2, and The Lorax.
The movie's Netflix popularity comes as a bit of a surprise given its dreadful Rotten Tomatoes results. The film only holds 54% audience score and 57% critics score, making it certified rotten in both categories. The movie's critics consensus reads, "While not without its moments, Shrek Forever After too often feels like a rote rehashing of the franchise's earlier entries." Shrek Forever After is so disliked that critic Federico Furzan wrote for Cinelipsis, "a terrible sequel that does nothing to gain its value." Meanwhile, The Spectator's Deborah Ross wrote that "the rot set in with the third film, I think, and now, with the fourth, it's decomposed and gone to that black sludge you get at the bottom of the bin."
The film's current Netflix success comes amid news surrounding the Shrek franchise. In early April, Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri confirmed that Shrek 5 is currently in the works. At this time, few details about the upcoming film are known, but did say that they "anticipate" the original cast – Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy – to reprise their roles, adding that "talks are starting now, and every indication that we've gotten is there's tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return." Meledandri did not share further information.