There is nothing specifically wrong with Shrek the Third, and if this film had come out in 2001 (like the original) the grade would have been higher. But as it stands, for this time and place, Shrek the Third is pretty close to average. It’s no longer a cool looking and funny animation. It’s a pretty typical effort for 2007, great for kids, but only decent for adults.
That said, I did laugh at least a dozen times during this movie, so it’s not like it’s a death slog or anything. The laughs all come from Donkey and Puss in Boots with Shrek either playing it straight or doling out moral lessons. Justin Timberlake, for the first time in his career, isn’t really noticeable as Arthur. He’s just sort of there, wishing the writers had written him funnier lines. There are a few poop/vomit jokes here too which clearly play down to the children’s sense of humor (but don’t do much for those of us over 13).
The story (umm. Does it matter?) is Shrek attempting to find Arthur so he can install him as the new king. Shrek doesn’t want to be king. Prince Charming is pitted against Shrek and Fiona in an epic battle of who should run the land of Far Far Away. Wanna guess how it ends up? Yeah. You got it. Good guess.
Now for some kudos. The donkey dragons are pretty sweet. Eddie Murphy singing is always good fun, and the Antonio Banderas cute kitty look makes me laugh every time. The movie is also pretty brisk, although I think it’s about 90 minutes instead of the 84 I’ve seen reported. Compare that to something like Pirates 3, which is twice as long and rated PG-13, and you’ve got the perfect box office missile. Shrek is a blatant grab at about $500m and it will work. Again, there’s nothing specifically wrong with it other than how inevitable it all feels.
So then, I would recommend this one to adults with children, and children who have been dropped of at the theater for a few hours. Babysitters will find comfort in this too. No, I wouldn’t call this a date night in any capacity unless you’ve just adored the first two. I liked both of them, and I think this one is decent, but I wouldn’t call it a world-beating film. In fact, the major theme from this version of the green ogre is how little passion I can work up either way. It’s just kind of there. See it and get a few laughs. Or don’t and save your money for next week. Either way you’ll get no argument from me.
