Shrek the Third Reviews

Shrek the Third finds the series suffering from diminishing returns, as it is weaker than both of the preceding movies. The plot revolves around Shrek's attempt to find King Arthur as the rightful heir of the Kingdom of Far Far Away whilst simultaneously the disgruntled Prince Charming recruits a posse of shady characters to support his attempt to claim the throne for himself. It's pretty thin stuff which suggests that the scriptwriters were devoid of inspiration following the first two Shrek features.

Not a particularly amusing movie, it is lacking the creative wit and satirical aspects which made the franchise so enjoyable. On the plus side the cast are as good as ever and do well with what is rather weak material. Unfortunately the character development is poor throughout with nobody being given anything to do which adds depth to their persona. In this one Shrek is about to become a father which had the potential to be quite interesting, but this is squandered on a weak dream sequence which went on for far too long and lacked memorable dialogue. The series regulars are joined this time by Justin Timberlake as Arthur, who was disappointingly bland and Monty Python's Eric Idle who was thankfully far more enjoyable as Merlin.

The most impressive aspect of the whole production was the quality of the animation. The beautifully detailed scenes are a joy to behold and the characters' movement is impressively smooth and realistic. I was particularly impressed by the motion and colour of the sea which was brilliantly done.

Overall I found this to be quite enjoyable but it never achieves the same level as the first two Shrek films. Worth watching, but not particularly memorable.

To start with, I don't think 'Shrek' and 'Shrek 2' were really that amazing. I mean, they were both really good, that's for sure, and it was really surprising that the sequel was at least as good as its predecessor but they are not that impressive especially when you re-watch them nowadays. Anyway, the first movie still managed to develop some interesting ideas (the main one being that the ogre as the hero) and, astonishingly, the makers were still able to add more nice things in the sequel (the main one being mixing 'Shrek' with 'Meet the Parents'). and that's where it went wrong with this 3rd installment. Indeed, the whole thing about Shrek becoming a king was just not interesting or entertaining at all. I remember, the first time I watched it, I was with my wife and the kids at the theater and I think I fell asleep a couple of times. Eventually, I re-watched it on DVD later on but it was still underwhelming. I mean, the animation still looked terrific, there were a few nice jokes here and there but the plot was just disappointing. To conclude, honestly, I think I'm rather generous with my rating but I guess it is still worth a look nonetheless, especially if you like the genre.

"The Frog King is dead."

Due to the tremendous box office success of Shrek and its sequel, 2007's Shrek the Third was inevitable. While this second sequel to 2001's Shrek was justified from a business perspective, the question looms: was it necessary from a creative perspective? Moreover, if it was necessary, why couldn't it have been at least somewhere near the quality of its forerunners? Almost without fail, the third part of any movie series falls short of its predecessors (see other 2007 threequels: Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End), and Shrek the Third is further evidence of this. Despite the main voice cast returning and despite a clever concept, this third Shrek movie lacks the magic, awe and inspiration of the preceding pictures, leaving an empty carcass. The problem lies with the sluggish pacing, the uninteresting way the plot plays out, and the boring characters.

In this sequel, Shrek (Myers) and Fiona (Diaz) are poised to become the rulers of Far Far Away after King Harold (Cleese) dies. Shrek dreams of returning to his swamp with Fiona, however, and is less than enthusiastic about enduring the responsibility of being a king. Therefore, Shrek and his proverbial crew of companions - Donkey (Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Banderas) - set out to find a replacement for Shrek. The only possible candidate is a distant relative of Fiona's named Arthur (Timberlake). You know, as in King Arthur, Knights of the Round Table, etc. Anyway, the trio of heroes set out on a quest to find Artie and convince him to be king, while Prince Charming (Everett) seizes control of Far Far Away with the help of an assortment of fairytale villains.

One word is guaranteed to repeatedly run through one's mind throughout Shrek the Third: forced. The comedy is forced, the emotion is forced, and everything in general is forced. The characters, meanwhile, have developed surprisingly boring personalities. A few films ago, Shrek was a cranky ogre, Donkey was Shrek's obnoxious sidekick, and Fiona was a spoiled princess. These conflicting personalities played well against each other, but as the series progressed everyone has mellowed out and become amazingly bland. Their psychiatrist is probably thrilled, but for movie-goers it's disappointing. No longer are the characters fun to hang out with, and no longer do they do anything of interest. Worse, Shrek the Third is one of the talkiest animated movies in history. There are too many long, awkward, uneventful stretches of dialogue marred by flat staging, and the whole enterprise feels like a forced sitcom (there's that word again). Not that the film needed frequent action, but a sense of enchantment is pivotal in order to keep the pace going (Pixar movies generally do this skilfully). With boring characters, dull humour and few exciting set-pieces, the movie is a snooze.

The problems stem from the fact that Shrek the Third doesn't adhere to its own advice: it is not itself. The first two Shrek flicks were family movies with an adult edge, whereas this third film is a dull, watered-down kid's picture in which the level of fun is reduced. It's difficult to believe what started as a satiric fairytale eventually spiralled down into a series of superficial catch-phrases and half-hearted attempts at sentimentality. Not even Donkey has many good lines, nor does Puss in Boots. Yet, these two are still the best parts of the show, which is an indicator that something is wrong. And how many cartoons can you remember feature a funeral sequence that's accompanied by Paul McCartney's song Live and Let Die from the old James Bond movie of the same name?

The best aspect of Shrek the Third is the look, which is stunning. With this entry to the franchise, the filmmakers raised the bar yet again, with marked improvements in textures and several character-based elements (most notably motion). On the other hand, the human characters have become citizens of the "uncanny valley"; the creepy region between real and unreal (the same problem has plagued other animated movies, most notably The Polar Express). Additionally, the film's grand finale is a speech, meaning there's no stunning visual sequence to blow your mind like the first two movies. At least the voice talent does not disappoint (for the most part) - virtually everyone from Shrek 2 returns, including Mike Myers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Fiona, and John Cleese as the King of Far Far Away, just to name a few. Another major name was added to the voice cast this time around: the much-heralded Justin Timberlake as Arthur. Truth be told, Timberlake does his job well enough, but his performance lacks the proverbial zing of his fellow cast-members.

What's perhaps most disappointing about Shrek the Third is the lack of content for older viewers. Oh sure, kids will likely enjoy this one, but the first Shrek worked on different levels for viewers young and old. Unfortunately, Shrek the Third is just a painfully dull, unimaginative animation effort, and with the first movie at the back of one's mind as a vehicle for continual comparison, the picture is made even worse. While the movie may offer three or four good laughs, it provides less enjoyment and more time to ponder whether this series should go far far away for eternity. Unfortunately, a fourth Shrek - Shrek Forever After - followed in 2010.

4.2/10

I was going to the cinema in June 2007 expecting a hilarious, witty yet serious family film from a franchise that I will be expecting from every time but when I was watching it, I thought that the story was so flat I almost walked out of the cinema. I was only 10 minutes into it before I just had to say that I am not enjoying it. I watched all of it to see if it made any difference but it made no difference whatsoever. Shrek The Third is a very stupid, ridiculous and awfully written and weak minded film that I think could have been a lot better. Shrek The Third is a boring, flat and poorly structured film that I think was almost a disgrace when comparing Shrek 1, 2 and Shrek The Halls with this one. Shrek The Third was a bit cheesy for my taste. I think that most people find this one disappointing. Despite it is as short as the first two films, it seems like it drags on a bit for some reason which is weird because the story seems short. The only good thing about this film was the absolutely brilliant 3D animation within it.


All of the voice casts Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, Julie Andrews and Rupert Everett reprise their brilliant roles once again. Justin Timberlake portrays the voice of new character Archie. Shrek's life becomes more awkward than it already was especially when Harold names him the heir to the throne of Far, Far Away. When Harold dies, Shrek goes on another quest with Donkey and Puss In Boots to try and find Archie who is the nephew of King Harold and Queen Lillian but just as Shrek is leaving, he recieves an unexpected surprise from Fiona: she's pregnant! Prince Charming vowes revenge on Shrek and Fiona after the death of his mother and wants to take over Far Far Away.


It is a damn shame Andrew Adamson didn't direct this film because this would have been a lot better. Chris Miller makes an absolutely appalling impression of Shrek. I felt so bored in the Merlin scenes. Those scenes in the film were irrelevant in my opinion.


I am glad there was another 2007 Shrek film because it has replaced Shrek The Third as third Shrek film that I like. Shrek Goes Fourth better be better than this major disappointment. If not, the great Shrek franchise that it was will be dead. 2007 had some disappointing threequals like Spider-Man 3 and Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End but neither of those two are as disappointing as Shrek The Third.

Upon King Harold's death, Shrek becomes the heir of Far Far Away. Not wanting to give up his swamp, he, with the help of Donkey and Puss in Boots, will search for the other heir, Artie. Meanwhile, pregnant Princess Fiona and her girlfriends try to prevent Prince Charming in becoming the new king.

The way I see it:
Shrek 1 was hilarious.
Shrek 2 was pretty funny.
Shrek 3 was "just" funny.

So, not the best of the lot. It has its moments. Some funny lines. Although I do sincerely hope this is the last of the lot for Shrek (let's give this sequel a rest!!!), this is a nice movie for kids. They'll laugh for sure.