After raking in over $900 million with Shrek 2, it was only a matter of time before the world’s most famous ogre (Wayne Rooney not withstanding) would be back on our screens.
Having struggled to win his in laws’ affections last time round, Shrek is now very much part of the family. So much so, in fact, that when the king (Cleese) of Far Far Away suddenly croaks Shrek (Myers) finds himself next in line for the crown.
But with a baby on the way and no real interest in ruling a kingdom, Shrek sets out on a quest to find another possible heir to the throne, Fiona’s (Diaz) long lost cousin Artie (Timberlake).
Meanwhile, his old nemesis Prince Charming (Everett) convinces a merry gang of fairytale villains including Cyclops and Rumpelstiltskin to launch an attack on Far Far Away and take the kingdom for themselves.
They say:
Empire: “Another summer threequel, another case of slipping standards – not so much in the visuals, but in the all important gag rate.”
Variety: “While still mirthful and eccentric enough to amuse his hordes of admirers, the irascible green ogre is beginning to show signs of encroaching middle age.”
Chicago Sun: “A damped down return to the Kingdom of Far Far Away, lacking the comic energy of the first brilliant film and not measuring up to the second.”
We say:
The theme of the summer blockbuster season so far? Threequels. After Ocean’s 13, Spider Man 3 and Pirates 3, Shrek the Third is the latest off the production line (The Bourne Ultimatum and Rush Hour 3 are out next month) and, just like its predecessors, the law of diminishing returns is very much in evidence.
With Andrew Adamson, director of the first two movies, having jumped ship to the Chronicles of Narnia franchise, it falls to first time helmer Chris Miller to try and stretch the Shrek series out for one last pay day.
The main message of the first film was that beauty is only skin deep, something Dreamworks would have done well to remember when commissioning this latest adventure. Spectacular to look at it may be but dig below the surface and there is nothing there, for youngsters or adults.
Lacking in the sharp pop culture references and movie in jokes that enlivened the first two films, over 18s are unlikely to find themselves laughing out loud, while Shrek’s inner battle with the weight of impending fatherhood will mean little to younger viewers.
The introduction of Merlin (Idle) slows the pace of the plot disastrously and Donkey and Puss (the stars of episodes one and two respectively) are marginalised and given no fresh material – a worry for the latter character seeing as Banderas has just signed on for a Puss in Boots spin off.
Timberlake is a bland presence as Artie and without the benefits of press notes it seems unlikely that anyone would be able to keep up with the procession of fairy tale inspired characters that pop up throughout.
When Shrek returns to Far Far Away at the end of the film he finds the kingdom in utter disarray, overrun by lazy impostors. It's a perfect metaphor for the current state of Hollywood and its reliance on tacky threequels to bolster the bottom line.
CAST
Mike Myers
Cameron Diaz
Eddie Murphy
Antonio Banderas
Justin Timberlake
John Cleese
Eric Idle
Rupert Everett
Julie Andrews
DIRECTOR
Chris Miller
TIME
92 mins
POSTED...
Wed 27 Jun 2007 at 10:12pm
