Review Rewind: Shrek The Third (2007)

(Well it still beats going to the dentist right?)

Cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas & Justin Timberlake

Directed by: Chris Miller & Raman Hui

Screenplay by: Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, Chris Miller & Aron Warner

Plot:

Shrek Goes on a quest to find Arthur, the rightful heir to the king's throne of Far Far Away, after refusing to take the throne himself.

Verdict:

There is a pivotal moment in Shrek The Third that perfectly sums up the disappointment of Shrek's latest adventure. After a magic spell goes slightly wrong, Puss In Boots and Donkey end up switching bodies and... nothing funny actually happens. A potentially ingenious gag that doesn't even muster a snigger let alone a decent laugh. Instead it just feels lazy and desperate; a feeling that more than once pops into your head during the course of Shrek The Third.

It's a great shame that when you have two hilarious and likable characters like Donkey and Puss In Boots - who both stole the show in parts 1 and 2 respectively - and you leave them on the sidelines in favour of, pop culture and fairy tale referencing. In fact there is so much of that going on here, it doesn't feel clever anymore, it just becomes irritating.

Frustratingly there are moments of genuine brilliance here. The opening scenes are snappy, playful and funny, gently reacquainting us with Shrek and co. And Fiona's amphibian father's overwrought death scene is expertly played out by John Cleese. While elsewhere, Shrek has a riotous nightmare about being a father, and the gingerbread man sees his life flash before his eyes in a sequence so brilliant, so funny, it deserves to be in a better sequel than this.

It would be harsh to also criticise Shrek The Third's threadbare story because to be fair, the previous Shrek's themselves weren't blessed with the greatest of stories to tell, but still you cant help but notice the poor repetition on show here; Shrek on a quest again, Prince Charming as the villain again. New character additions are highly unmemorable too with Merlin, voiced by Eric Idle, just plain annoying and hugely misjudged, and Arthur, voiced by Justin Timberlake, a whiny, bratty, uninspired hero.

Whether this will be the last time we see Shrek and co. is debatable but it is probable Shrek The Third will still take big bucks at the box office. So another sequel could materialise and if it does lets hope the writer's look to Shrek 1 and 2 for inspiration, rather than this uninspired sequel.

DD