This weekend in the US, DreamWorks releases the final instalment in its most successful franchise to date, as Shrek Forever After finally hits cinemas. The film, the fourth in the Shrek saga, has enjoyed a surprisingly low key build-up, especially considering the attention that its big rival this summer - Toy Story 3 - has been garnering.

The early trailers didn't look promising, and it was suspected that Shrek Forever After was cut from the same cloth as Shrek The Third, as opposed to the ideas-packed original.

And now, the reviews have been coming through which, while far from savage, do lean towards the idea that the days of the big green ogre are rightly being brought to a close. Still, there are clearly positives to be found here...

Here's a round-up...

Cinematical

"The magic of the first flick is all but lost, but Shrek Forever After is still good enough for the kids. And that's OK. I just wish (as a grown-up kid myself) that Shrek's last adventure was a little fresher than this."

New York Daily News

"The 3D visuals are especially impressive, offering a depth that's still too rare among animated films. The same could be said for the script, which recalls - if doesn't quite match - the 2001 original in warmth and humor."

Associated Press

"This fourth and allegedly final installment in the series is lifeless, joyless and woefully devoid of the upbeat energy that distinguished the earlier movies - well, at least the first two. If 'Shrek the Third' from 2007 felt tired, 'Shrek Forever After' is practically narcoleptic."

Hollywood Reporter

"This fourth installment in the popular animated franchise demonstrates it may finally be time to let Shrek and Fiona live happily ever after."

News In Film

"Shrek Forever After is a serviceable final chapter and worthy bookend to a fairy tale that needed some finality."

The Huffington Post

"Shrek Forever After, if not as witty as the first two films in the series, is still funnier and more exciting - and more emotionally connected - than most of the summer's blockbusters so far, including both Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood."

The film doesn't arrive in the UK until July 2nd, but is out in the US on Friday. If all goes to plan, we should have our review for you the other side of the weekend...