Dreadful 'Shrek' Movie Is in Netflix's Top 10 Right Now
The Shrek library is continuing to dominate Netflix's Top 10, but it is one film in the franchise in particular that is making a surprising climb up the streaming charts. Despite its overall poor critic and audience consensus, Shrek Forever After: The Final Chapter, the fourth installment in the Shrek film series that is also known as Shrek 4, has officially become one of the most popular titles currently on Netflix.
Released in 2010 and loosely based on the 1990 picture book Shrek! by William Steig, Shrek Forever After follows a now married Shrek as he struggles with the responsibilities and stress of being a domesticated family man. Missing his days of a solitary life when he was feared, Shrek is tricked by Rumpelstiltskin into signing a contract that leads to disastrous consequences. The film is produced by DreamWorks Animation, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and directed by Mike Mitchell. It stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and Antonio Banderas, who reprise their previous roles, with Walt Dohrn introduced in the role of Rumpelstiltskin.
After making its way to Netflix on Friday, April 1, the movie has slowly been climbing its way up the streaming charts. While it has yet to break onto the overall streaming chart, Shrek Forever After has secured a No. 4 ranking among movies on Netflix U.S. behind Without a Paddle, Cleaner, and The Call. The film is also performing well on Netflix Kids, where it also currently ranks No. 4.
The film's current Netflix popularity is a bit of a surprise considering its otherwise dreadful consensus. Shrek Forever After only ever managed to grab a user Metascore of 58 on Metacritic, meaning there is nothing more than mixed or average reviews. The film garnered a similar consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, where it is certified rotten with just a 54% audience score and a 58% critics score. The critics consensus reads, "while not without its moments, Shrek Forever After too often feels like a rote rehashing of the franchise's earlier entries."
Despite the overall negative consensus to the film, Shrek Forever After's popularity on Netflix comes as little surprise. Currently, a trifecta of films in the Shrek library are taking over the streamer, with both 2001's Shrek and 2004's Shrek 2 also ranking on the streamer's charts – the two films currently rank as No. 6 and No. 7 on Netflix Kids, meaning they fall just a few places behind Shrek Forever After. Netflix is home to several other Shrek titles, including Shrek's Swamp Stories, Shrek The Musical, and spinoff film Puss In Boots.