Cinema review
Directed by Chris Miller
Starring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Julie Andrews
Release date 29 June 2007

Harold, the frog king of Far Far Away, is on his deathbed. Before he can croak, the king names the two figures next in line for the throne – the clumsy ogre Shrek and a bullied high school student by the name of Arthur Pendragon. Reluctant to take up the crown himself, Shrek sets out to bring Arthur back to the kingdom. Meanwhile, a bitter Prince Charming gathers a band of fairytale villains to lay siege to the kingdom…

Shrek the Third is the Lethal Weapon 3 of foul-smelling ogre movies. Sure, it’s amusing to see this collection of familiar faces back in action, saying and doing exactly what we expect of them. But deep down you know that it’s a franchise running on empty, a concept extended beyond its natural sell-by date.

What Shrek the Third does wrong is perhaps best seen by what Shrek 2 did right. 2004’s sequel expanded and in some ways improved upon the original formula, and was smart enough to feature a simple plot that was just about different enough from what had gone before. Shrek and Fiona were still central to the knockabout antics, but there were memorable new characters too like Julie Andrews’s Queen Lillian and Antonio Banderas’s feline lothario Puss-in-Boots (both of whom return this time round).

Shrek the Third suffers from the outset by a plodding half-hearted plot. Okay, it’s only a device for transposing modern day jokes to a fairytale setting, but a strong and amusing premise is still necessary to lend the film structure. This second sequel plays safe by featuring Prince Charming as the principal villain, effectively saving the movie from coming up with any new threat. We’ve already come to know Rupert Everett’s foppish prince from part two, and, while he does raise the odd smile, it means there are few surprises and the story has little real momentum.

Elsewhere, there are new characters to be found, though none of them are much cop. Eric Idle does a grating line in zany as the ex-wizardry teacher Merlin (more Splitting Heirs than Monty Python), while Justin Timberlake is hopelessly bland as Arthur Pendragon. The former cryer of rivers proved that he has the presence to cut it as a bona fide movie star in recent gangster flick Alpha Dog. Here though, his vocals are so anonymous and flat it could be Chris O’Donnell behind the bullied king-in-waiting – which is possibly the greatest insult in the world.

Of course it goes without saying that the CG animation is exemplary, especially when the DreamWorks whiz-kids attempt something ambitious, such as flooding Shrek’s home with mini-ogres. There is also a fair share of laughs, from throwaway gags (look out for the camp strutting trees in Prince Charming’s theatre troupe!) to Pinocchio’s convoluted attempts not to lie. Once again Murphy’s Donkey and Banderas’s Puss are the source of the funniest scenes, having evolved into a neat little double act. Surely it can’t be long before they’re blessed with their own spin-off series?

But it’s a collection of amusing moments stretched to breaking point. Many of the modern day gags (especially in the high school scenes, packed with olde worlde jocks and stoners) feel rather smug, while elsewhere the sledgehammer-subtle message about learning to accept your responsibilities is almost enough to have you throwing up your breakfast. The inevitable Shrek 4 is going to have to work harder than this. Matt McAllister

VERDICT: 6/10
Some laugh-out-loud moments, but without the magic of previous ogre outings.