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Review #463 of 365
Movie Review of Shrek the Third (2007) [PG] 92 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.25
Where Viewed: Metropolitan Metrolux 14, Loveland, CO
When 1st Seen: 27 May 2007
Time: 3:5 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Scheduled for Release on: 13 November 2007
Directed by: Chris Miller (debut)
Co-Directed by: Raman Hui (Fat Cat on a Diet)
Screenplay by: Jeffrey Price (Last Holiday), Peter S. Seaman (Last Holiday), and Jon Zack (The Perfect Score)
Story by: Andrew Adamson (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Featured Voice Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Mike Myers (Shrek 2) • Eddie Murphy (Norbit) • Cameron Diaz (The Holiday) • Antonio Banderas (Take the Lead) • Julie Andrews (The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement) • John Cleese (Charlotte's Web) • Rupert Everett (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) • Eric Idle (Ella Enchanted) • Justin Timberlake (Black Snake Moan) • Cheri Oteri (The Ant Bully) • Regis Philbin (Pinocchio) • Amy Poehler (Blades of Glory) • Maya Rudolph (Idiocracy) • Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy)
Soundtrack: order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
A brief history: I saw Shrek. I didn't think it was all that great. I thought it was too derivative. I didn't think the 'parody' of all previous fairytales concept was new—it wasn't actually. Did you not see the "Fractured Fairytales" on the "Bullwinkle and Rocky Show"? Anyway, I was also disappointed that Shrek won the Academy Award® over Monsters, Inc. which was far more innovative of story, mythology, and characterization than was Shrek. So, in retaliation. I boycotted Shrek 2. Vote at the box office, I always say. I think I must have been the only one, though, because Shrek 2 made zillions of dollars. I'd look up the exact figures, but I'm certain it was huge. How so? Shrek 3 was green-lighted moments later. Shrek 4, by the way, has already been green-lighted. Why not? It's the biggest animated film franchise Dreamworks SKG has to offer, and the only legitimate competition for the Pixar•Disney® empire. In any case, though I took my own sweet time, and I waited until it was very convenient, and I'd already seen Bug, and my niece was available to attend, before I broke down and saw Shrek the Third. So, here's where I eat a little bit of crow. Some of you have probably been hoping for this for a while. I like to think I'm right.
"… best in the trilogy … laugh out loud funny most of the time…"
So, when I found myself laughing alongside my three year-old niece most of the movie, I had to gulp a bit. Maybe I should not have gotten that White Cherry Icee® after all. Between the brain freeze and the non-stop jokes, my mind sort of hurt a bit after. I also regretted not seeing Shrek 2 and giving it a chance to redeem the franchise. It's sort of ironic, because, I guess, a lot of people have been saying that Shrek the Third is not as good as the first two especially not the first one. That makes me gulp again. Huh? Shrek was the not so great one as far as I know. It was sort of funny, I guess. Anyway, I really enjoyed the story of Shrek the Third better, with some caveats, of course. I think the writers also missed the boat on a few funny things they could have done that would have been even better, but I'll save that for a spoiler paragraph at the end.
Shrek the Third, so called because it's the third film and because it makes a nice pun as Shrek's father-in-law, the Frog King of Far, Far Away, croaks after a nicely dramatic final death sequence bequeathing his thrown to Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) he claims to be the rightful heir to his thrown not withstanding some other mysterious heir named Arthur—oh, that's where King Arthur comes from. Well, Shrek has little or no desire to be king. He likes living in the swamp with Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) who happens to be pregnant with ogrelings though she can find no suitable time to spring the news on him. So, Shrek enlists his trusty companions Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) and Puss 'n Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) to help him track down Arthur and return him to the kingdom to assume the throne. While he's gone on this misadventure, jilted Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett) seizes the opportunity to galvanize great literary villains from Captain Hook (voiced by Ian McShane) to the Wicked Witch to help him take over Far, Far Away. He does so imprisoning Queen Mother Lillian (voiced by Julie Andrews), Fiona, and her Princess posse Sleeping Beauty (voiced by Cheri Oteri), Snow White (voiced by Amy Poehler), Rapunzel (voiced by Maya Rudolph), and Cinderella (voiced by Amy Sedaris). When Shrek, Donkey, and Puss 'n Boots, finally find Arthur (voiced by Justin Timberlake), he turns out to be a complete misfit high school kid and hardly a logical choice to ascend to lead Far, Far Away in Shrek's place.
It did have two problems that should have been addressed better. Unfortunately, these problems are all too common in children's literature these days as they have been in the past. First, the depiction of archetypal female characters as weak, self-important, regrettably catty is far too common. Even though in Shrek the Third, the Princesses get strong and fight for the cause, it seems out of character given their previous behavior. Being strong and fighting for a cause are traits women commonly exhibit, not the other way around. Second, it seems like it's becoming increasingly common to populate films for children with nerdy guys who go on to become heroes. They are weak, called losers, and made to be misfits. As one of those guys, you'd think I'd be ecstatic to see one of my own make it big. On the contrary, I would prefer that films for kids not make it seem like it's okay to make fun of people who are different. It's almost as if the idea is that we should make fun of people so they have something to overcome, something that toughens us up, etc. Wrong. It is not ok to make fun of people. Period. A geek can become king without being teased. Teasing, harassing, and bullying kids is wrong. Nobody says anything to the kids that tease Arthur. Not even Shrek. I think that was a misstep that should have been corrected. It's not enough to show Arthur winning out and being offered a kingdom to show up the people that made fun of him. What would have happened if Shrek had not shown up? Would the teachers or the leaders or somebody in the school have stood up for him or better yet empowered him to stand up for himself and helped the culture of the school learn that such behavior is wrong? These two things aside, though, and Shrek is not the first, though I wish it would be the last, to bumble these concepts, Shrek does a good job morally in most other ways. As for taking younger kids, well, there are a few scenes that I wish my niece had not witnessed. There are a couple of very realistic fires that aren't so cool. Overall, I had a splendid time enjoying Shrek the Third. I would rate it the best in the trilogy, unfairly though as I've not seen the second one. Spoiler alert: Do not read the following paragraph below the photo of Justin Timberlake if you haven't seen the film.
Shrek the Third, so called because it's the third film and because it makes a nice pun as Shrek's father-in-law, the Frog King of Far, Far Away, croaks after a nicely dramatic final death sequence bequeathing his thrown to Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) he claims to be the rightful heir to his thrown not withstanding some other mysterious heir named Arthur—oh, that's where King Arthur comes from. Well, Shrek has little or no desire to be king. He likes living in the swamp with Fiona (voiced by Cameron Diaz) who happens to be pregnant with ogrelings though she can find no suitable time to spring the news on him. So, Shrek enlists his trusty companions Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) and Puss 'n Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) to help him track down Arthur and return him to the kingdom to assume the throne. While he's gone on this misadventure, jilted Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett) seizes the opportunity to galvanize great literary villains from Captain Hook (voiced by Ian McShane) to the Wicked Witch to help him take over Far, Far Away. He does so imprisoning Queen Mother Lillian (voiced by Julie Andrews), Fiona, and her Princess posse Sleeping Beauty (voiced by Cheri Oteri), Snow White (voiced by Amy Poehler), Rapunzel (voiced by Maya Rudolph), and Cinderella (voiced by Amy Sedaris). When Shrek, Donkey, and Puss 'n Boots, finally find Arthur (voiced by Justin Timberlake), he turns out to be a complete misfit high school kid and hardly a logical choice to ascend to lead Far, Far Away in Shrek's place.
Well, this is a fairytale of sorts, so you know it's going to have a happy ending not to worry. I thought the ending was darn good--far better than the first one. I'm a sucker for happy endings and a great moral to the story. I thought the voice cast was terrific. As for the animation, well, the geniuses behind the computer code continue to amaze and astound with their cgi characters, backgrounds, and props they put up on screen. It's almost to the point now where I don't even think about the animation anymore. It's so seamless, so astounding, so crisp and beautiful. I also worry that I can never go back to 2D hand drawn animated cartoons. The script was funny, interesting, and full of inside and outside jokes and good-natured humor. When I say I was laughing most of the way through, it's not a lie. My niece and I, occasionally were the only two laughing—she laughs at anything I laugh at, but who cares. If people didn't get the joke, their loss. I thought this was the best Shrek movie ever, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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It did have two problems that should have been addressed better. Unfortunately, these problems are all too common in children's literature these days as they have been in the past. First, the depiction of archetypal female characters as weak, self-important, regrettably catty is far too common. Even though in Shrek the Third, the Princesses get strong and fight for the cause, it seems out of character given their previous behavior. Being strong and fighting for a cause are traits women commonly exhibit, not the other way around. Second, it seems like it's becoming increasingly common to populate films for children with nerdy guys who go on to become heroes. They are weak, called losers, and made to be misfits. As one of those guys, you'd think I'd be ecstatic to see one of my own make it big. On the contrary, I would prefer that films for kids not make it seem like it's okay to make fun of people who are different. It's almost as if the idea is that we should make fun of people so they have something to overcome, something that toughens us up, etc. Wrong. It is not ok to make fun of people. Period. A geek can become king without being teased. Teasing, harassing, and bullying kids is wrong. Nobody says anything to the kids that tease Arthur. Not even Shrek. I think that was a misstep that should have been corrected. It's not enough to show Arthur winning out and being offered a kingdom to show up the people that made fun of him. What would have happened if Shrek had not shown up? Would the teachers or the leaders or somebody in the school have stood up for him or better yet empowered him to stand up for himself and helped the culture of the school learn that such behavior is wrong? These two things aside, though, and Shrek is not the first, though I wish it would be the last, to bumble these concepts, Shrek does a good job morally in most other ways. As for taking younger kids, well, there are a few scenes that I wish my niece had not witnessed. There are a couple of very realistic fires that aren't so cool. Overall, I had a splendid time enjoying Shrek the Third. I would rate it the best in the trilogy, unfairly though as I've not seen the second one. Spoiler alert: Do not read the following paragraph below the photo of Justin Timberlake if you haven't seen the film.
I loved the body changing part that Merlin accomplishes when he sends Arthur, Shrek, Donkey, and Puss 'n Boots back to Far, Far Away. The first time I ever saw this concept in a movie was when the characters got all mixed up by some crazy invention they found on "Gilligan's Island" and, to this day, it's one of my favorites. I thought the writers, though, missed the boat on this part when they didn't mix up everyone and put Arthur in Shrek, Shrek in Donkey, Puss 'n Boots in Arthur, and Donkey in Puss 'n Boots. This would have given them a unique opportunity to create more comedy, and give a stronger ending when the Arthur-inhabited Shrek could have risen to give the uplifting speech that saves the day only then for everyone to realized that he's not the real Shrek.
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Other Projects Featuring Shrek the Third (2007)
Cast Members
Mike Myers
• Eddie Murphy • Cameron DiazAntonio Banderas
• Julie Andrews • John CleeseRupert Everett
• Eric Idle • Justin TimberlakeCheri Oteri
• Regis Philbin • Amy PoehlerMaya Rudolph
• Amy SedarisCo-Directors
Chris Miller
• Raman HuiCo-Screenwriters
Jeffrey Price
• Peter Seaman • Jon Zack| Book | CD Soundtrack | DVD |
| VHS | Toys | Cereal |
| PS2 | Clothes | Dinnerware |
| Outdoor Toys | Chia Shrek | Shrek 2 DVD |
Shrek the Third (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Don't ignite the swamp gas just yet, Shrek is back in Shrek the Third. This time around, he's inherited the throne from the croaking frog king, a gift he'd rather not accept. So, he voyages off with Donkey and Puss 'n Boots to find Arthur to relieve him of his duty. Back in Far, Far Away, however, Prince Charming has other plans for the kingdom. Great voice cast, hilarious jokes, and a fun story, made this the best of the Shrek films. Hats off to Justin Timberlake for joining this cast and fitting in. The writers have delivered a funny film with a great moral story. Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz have done it again with great vocal performances. The film is laugh out loud funny most of the time.
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