Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I had passes to see this flick last night, but I opted to stay home and get caught up on some of my work (and play a little Halo 3 Beta) instead. I haven't ever hated watching a SHREK movie, but I find them so forgettable... cotton candy... Chinese food. They don't stick with you, except unlike the cotton candy and Chinese food, I never felt the urge to revisit the films. Sure, I've caught scenes on TV and watched a little, but I only found myself getting bored. So, as you can see, I didn't cry over missing the screening. Luckily Geekinthecity also caught the film, so you can still read up on how it came along. Enjoy!!!
GeekintheCity here from the beautiful City of Roses, I just came back from a screening of DreamWorks Animation's newest flick: Shrek the Third... If you use this review, simply call me... GeekintheCity... The Shrek films have a strange placement within the world of animated films. They don’t quite fit into the realm of animated classics like early Disney films, but nor are they the wholly forgettable flashes in the CGI pan, ala Hoodwinked or even Ice Age. The balancing act the Shrek films perform is quite surprising when you consider the fact that Shrek is pretty much a one trick pony (or Donkey as it were)… Shrek is gross, but has a heart of gold and a wacky Scottish accent. Fiona is spunky and sweet. Donkey is loud and obnoxious, but he is a friend without fail. Puss ‘n Boots is Antonio Banderas (and anyone who thinks otherwise is simply fooling themselves). Toss the above characters into a bizarre amalgamation of our childhood fairy tales with some real-world quirks, rinse and repeat. See, on paper the Shrek films don’t look all that impressive. Although that is true for any story, since they’re really only six basic tales and I won’t delve into storytelling 101 explaining them… Ask you Literature Professor, they’ll give them to you. Still, the Shrek films work and they work well. What, you thought I was going to knock on the series? No, I do genuinely enjoy the Shrek movies. While they don’t hold a special place in my heart like other animated films, like The Iron Giant, Toy Story, or Sleeping Beauty (my personal favorite Disney animated film); the Shrek movies will always garner a laugh. The Shrek films have a genuine charm that appeals to both adult and child. How did Shrek the Third fare with the previous two films? Um, it did okay. I still can’t figure how I really feel about Shrek the Third. All the elements are there. For all his growth, Shrek is still loud and rough but maintains that soft core. Fiona is still spunky and sweet, trying to balance her human life with her Ogre life. Donkey is still obnoxious and lacks social graces, but has nuggets of wisdom just when Shrek needs them. Puss ‘n Boots is still Antonio Banderas. The film opens with the heavy subject of life and death. (Sure, wrapped up in cute animated creatures, but the theme is still there). As the trailer explains, the king is dying and the land of Far, Far Away needs a new leader. Having learned his lesson in the second Shrek film, the king now wishes for Shrek to rule the realm. Shrek, being an Ogre doesn’t want the job. As if that were enough, Fiona drops the “time to start a family” bomb on the flatulent green Ogre. As expected, ‘ol Shrek balks at this as well… There wouldn’t be a movie if Shrek grew enough to accept all the responsibilities of adulthood. Therefore, the three men of Shrek (Donkey, Puss, and the titular Shrek) depart to find a long-lost heir to the throne. Is he really trying to save the kingdom, or is he just running from his responsibility..? However, all is not well in the kingdom of Far, Far Away. Prince Charming is itching for revenge. Recruiting all the fairy tale villains, he launches an assault on the kingdom. Fiona, revealing that spunky side, organizes all the Princesses of Far, Far Away to fight back. Shrek and crew arrive at a medieval version of Beverly Hills High School. They find the would-be king Arthur, blandly voiced by Justin Timberlake. At first Shrek and Arthur don’t get along. Then they do once they share a tender moment under the stars. (This seems to be Shrek’s favorite time to ponder the meaning of life). I don’t need to go into details for you to know how this all ends. The good guys will win and the villains will lose. Even the younger audience members know how a Shrek film is going to end. However, you don’t go a Shrek film for a deep plot filled with twists. You go for the charming character interaction and the wink and nod jokes that kids laugh at, but adults truly get… Is that what we get in Shrek the Third? It did, but only in small elements. Like many third films in a franchise, the writers of Shrek the Third felt the need to add even more characters to the movie. As a result, Shrek the Third is extremely busy and rarely has time to focus on any one story element or character. In fact, Shrek himself might have the least amount of screen time. Then again, no other character gets to dominate the film either. As such, the movie is just a series of funny moments while lacking any driving force. With the first Shrek film, the story was straightforward. Even the busier Shrek 2 still maintained one driving force. With Shrek the Third, while the plot is definitely there, it gets lost within all the heavy-handed themes and fart jokes. Will Shrek wear the crown? Will Shrek accept fatherhood? Will Arthur find his inner strength? Will Prince Charming steal the kingdom? Will Shrek and Fiona stay together? Will Donkey and Puss do more than give one-liners? Will the writers wrap it all up and still give us our happily ever after? Therein lays the real problem with Shrek the Third. The movie is incredible busy and since the writers do need to wrap up everything they spent the first third establishing, they skip the journey and jump from once scene to another. They forgot that most of the fun had in the Shrek films is the journey. The audience enjoys watching these flawed but incredibly loveable characters grow as they travel to their destination. The scenes we do get are fun, although age is beginning to show in Shrek the Third. Gone are most of the jokes targeted towards adults, but safe for the kids. To me, that was always one of the appeals of the Shrek films. For every burp and fart joke, we also got a wink-wink, nudge-nudge joke. It worked without raising the cockles of more concerned parents. Parents didn’t need to explain the joke; it would simple fly over the kids head until they were the appropriate age. Even the pop culture references that many critics lament were missing, as was the gentle ribbing against the other animation giant, Disney. Considering Radio Disney sponsored the screening, I think we can effectively bury the hatchet between DreamWorks Animation and Disney. The vocal performances were also not what we’ve come to expect from the Shrek movies. The energy level just felt diminished. (Poor King Arthur, Justin Timberlake has zero vocal charisma). I was reminded of the Star Trek Animated Series, sure, the characters all sounded correct but they lacked emotional quality. I wonder if the actors recorded their scenes together, as was reported during the first two Shrek films. Even the vocally animated Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers seemed to phone it in. Perhaps that is the main issues with Shrek the Third. We’ve been here before. We’ve heard all the Ogre jokes. We’ve heard all the Donkey babbling. We’ve heard it all before. Is it possible to keep the third film in an animated series fresh? Sure, but adding more and more plots and characters aren’t the way. Right Sony? However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the film. I know I’ve spent the bulk of this review bagging on the movie. The movie isn’t bad, not by any stretch of the imagination. The animation is top-notch. The movement is fluid and the physical expression of all the characters is simply wonderful. When there was action, you felt the energy and excitement as strongly as any other live action film. The jokes, while on the more childish side, were still humorous without becoming obnoxious. Although I could have done without so many poop jokes, it is hard to avoid when babies are one of your core plot points. Then again, as a childless 31 year-old guy (married or not) I am not the target audience for Shrek. The fact that each ramped up pooppie joke garnered bigger and bigger laughs from the kids in attendance proved it. Again, I am totally fine with that. If it makes the kids laugh without being overtly disgusting, then Shrek the Third did it’s job. While am not the best source when it comes to deciding if a movie is good for the little ones or not, I can say that Shrek the Third is just gross enough to make kids laugh and parents feel okay. If the grade school bathroom humor in the first two Shrek film didn’t bother you, this one won’t one either. Shrek the Third is a fine film and a great way for the younger crowd to spend an evening with the family or a Saturday matinee with their friends. With so many movies this summer aimed at an older audience this season, Shrek the Third is a pleasant gift. However, to an adult who has grown accustomed to the all ages encompassing charm of the Shrek films, something was just missing. GeekintheCity gives Shrek the Third 3 out of 5 Critical Hits.
