Shrek the Third Review..

It's the year of the big three with so many films reaching their third instalment, and stateside it's turning into the summer of the sequel.. " Shrek the Third " has been one of the more anticipated films of the season as we await the return of the jolly green giant..

Rated: [ PG ] Mild Animated Violence, Mild Themes

Cinema Release: 7th June 2007

Running Time: 93 minutes

Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake

This time we find the kingdom of Far, Far Away in uproar once again with the death of the king and the search for a new monarch in the form of the once and future King Arthur since Shrek has shirked his ties to the throne in favour of savouring the swamp with ogress Fiona.. Prince Charming has less than charming plans afoot, rallying the villains of the fairytale world to revolution ( In a storyline suspiciously similar to " Happy N'ever After " which was in itself suspiciously similar to " Shrek " ).. Despite the many impostors that have come in its wake, " Shrek ", like the character itself, stood head and shoulders above the rest.. Somehow " Shrek the Third " feels like one of those fakes, not the real deal, like a faint facsimile of previous efforts.. There seems too much smug polish, throwaway gags and disposable plot.. As the plot takes Shrek further away from Far, Far Away, " Shrek the Third " seems to be running on empty with humour that seems half - baked and ideas that feel like leftovers from the previous films.. What's missing are the punch lines that soar just over the children's heads and into the adult's hearts with precision not normal for a kid's movie.. Because of this, to me " Shrek the Third " seems eerily incomplete, like the writers went on vacation halfway through and nobody noticed..

The story is formulaic at best, and unlike the fist films, they jump immediately into the action without much introduction or buildup.. One way in which this instalment is superior to its predecessors is that it is it draws more expression from its characters than ever before.. Shrek becomes even more sympathetic and the character goes on an interesting journey reconciling the two sides of his character: his natural ogreness and his inherent compassion as he faces the prospect of becoming a father.. The character suddenly seems three - dimensional even if the art form isn't.. The voice actors themselves were always an animated bunch to begin and Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas are brilliant once more but this time Eric Idle is the standout as Mr Merlin..

So like I said, there is a lot to laugh at here especially for children.. But unlike the first two films, parents may be rolling their eyes at parts and certainly won't be laughing right along with their kids throughout.. The animation is crisp and clean as usual, and the regular characters all deliver serious laughter.. Still, as a fan of the first two movies you can't help but feel like something is missing here.. There are no wonderfully placed jabs at pop - culture idols or political figures.. In many ways, what you see is what you get with " Shrek the Third," and what you get is a very predictable, very juvenile, albeit very funny capper to a franchise that is just about out of steam.. " Shrek the Third " shows a franchise starting to falter.. This third instalment might have produced a fairytale finish, the happy ending the genre is so insistent upon.. But this is not that happy, nor anything like an ending, as there are reputedly two more films to come..



I give " Shrek the Third " 2.5 out of 5..