Shrek the Third

[McMurphy]

Viewers of Shrek and the Realm of Far, Far Away left the title character and crew enjoying the fruits of their conquests. With Shrek living happily ever after with his wife Princess Fiona and his comical sidekicks Donkey and Puss In Boots, one would expect that little material is left for Dreamworks to attempt to beat or match the record success of Shrek 2 (biggest North American premiere weekend for a 3D animated film to date), and such a worrier's habit is not unfounded with Shrek the Third.

The plot to the bookend of the Shrek trilogy opens with a bitter Prince Charming vowing to leave his peasant lifestyle of starring in tavern dinner plays that he has been forced into and gain seat room upon the thorn that, to him, is obviously his to take. While Shrek voyages with Donkey and Puss in Boots to find Artie, an alternative heir to the kingdom, after the croaking King Harold is on the verge of (cough) croaking, which would force Shrek into a very uncharacteristic role of Head of the Castle, a pregnant Princess Fiona defends Far, Far Away from the ambitions of Prince Charmless.

The plot may not sound all so hallow from the above description, but, due to the lack of new interesting characters and reoccurring jokes stale from the previous films, Shrek the Third delivers few honest chuckles and feels slow moving for a picture only an hour and a half long. That is not to say that the film doesn't have its inspired moments. For example, the Snow White parody-turn-homage to Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" is more than clever and unexpected. What doesn't work as well is the pop cultural references and the pace of action. Shrek 2 hit the audience so quickly with references in hopes to keep the parent portion of the crowd entertained that people actually complained that they often missed some of the jokes because they were still laughing at the previous pun. The cultural references, which will be ungrounded a few years from now, are there, but they aren't as inspired or delivered in an one-two punch combination style.

In the end, Shrek the Third serves up a portion of what everyone loved (and some hated) from the previous two films, but the audience is only getting a slice this time around. Children will still beg to have the tickets purchased, but parents may have a little harder time at being equally entertained.

[Joel007]

Awww I loved the fast paced comedy in the 2nd film I was hoping for more of the same.

Thanks for the review!

by the way, i think you meant "Throne" instead of thorn.

[McMurphy]

Darn it! I even proofread it before posting.

[Joel007]

The context makes it even more amusing

[McMurphy]

Oh, well, yes, in that case, I---cough---had meant to do that.

[As far as Shrek 2, I, too, really enjoyed it. The tempo of the action and humor was quick, and the film didn't overstay its welcome with its audience. Which reminds me, for those of you hoping to catch a little extra during the credits like done with Shrek 2, don't bother. There are no hidden scenes at the end or during the credits in Shrek the Third.]

[Joel007]

Thanks for the advice!

I'm going to watch it regardless

[the_faery_queen]

are there lots of dragon donkeys? cos i love those things. i even brought a few plush ones on ebay

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by the_faery_queen

are there lots of dragon donkeys? cos i love those things. i even brought a few plush ones on ebay

Yeah, they make more than a cameo appearance, which is nice. I, too, was wondering if they would include Donkey's children in the film since, when you really think about it, they only appeared in "extra footage" at the end of Shrek 2.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Joel007

Thanks for the advice!

I'm going to watch it regardless

Me too, but thanks for the review.

BTW There is at least one new character - an Ogre baby.

[the_faery_queen]

im glad to hear it they were the cutest things ever! little tiny dragon donkeys

[McMurphy]

Originally Posted by Dave

Me too, but thanks for the review.

BTW There is at least one new character - an Ogre baby.

Oh, there are certainly some new characters in The Third---in fact, there are ogre babies---but most viewers may find the new additions, such as the hippie Merlin voiced by Eric Idle, quite lackluster compared to the fantastic addition that Puss in Boots was in the second film. With the exception of the babies, which do have a funny nightmare sequence, the new characters are very human, and I think that may be the issue. Most likely, a viewer is not going to be walking out of this film with the impression that a new interesting character has been added to the roster.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by McMurphy

Oh, there are certainly some new characters in The Third---in fact, there are ogre babies---but most viewers may find the new additions, such as the hippie Merlin voiced by Eric Idle, quite lackluster compared to the fantastic addition that Puss in Boots was in the second film. With the exception of the babies, which do have a funny nightmare sequence, the new characters are very human, and I think that may be the issue. Most likely, a viewer is not going to be walking out of this film with the impression that a new interesting character has been added to the roster.

Having just seen this tonight I tend to agree. There were definately some good scenes - the Snow White one mentioned, the Ogre Baby Nightmare mentioned, the Donkey-Puss body switching.

I was wondering whether I might find it improves with passing time, or that if I had never seen 1 & 2, then would I view it differently. I think the answer to both is probably "yes" but I think it falls short of them.

[The Ace]

I saw 1 and 2 and while this isn't in the same class I still liked it.

[qwik]

Originally Posted by The Ace

I saw 1 and 2 and while this isn't in the same class I still liked it.

I agree, the first and 2nt ones were the best but the 3rd one was still good..