DVD Review - “Shrek The Third”
GRADE: B-
I was very hesitant giving this film a B-, if I were in a worse mood I may have just given it a C. These are very hard words for me to write. I love the “Shrek” films and think that the first movie was pure genius, it even won the first ever “Feature Length Animated Film” award at the Academy Awards back in 2002. The sequel “Shrek 2″ did the unthinkable by being just as good, if not better, than the original “Shrek”.
In the past animated side kicks like “Donkey” and “Puss N Boots” were delightful characters that helped to balance out Shrek’s moody disposition, in these films the pair become a bit obnoxious. The film has it’s bright moments with the focus on the Princesses being up-scaled. The voice work by Amy Poehler, Amy Sidaris, Cheri Oteri and Maya Rudolph is comic bliss. The action scenes with the Princesses get the most laughs in this film. Justin Timberlake doesn’t offer much up as “Arthur” the newest character in the series.
The animation in “Shrek the Third” is stellar and a step up from the original. The characters are more polished and the backgrounds are just as lush and realistic as ever (if not better). But as far as plot lines and story telling go, this tale of “Far Far Away” falls flat. The laughs are sporadic and they don’t come as fast as they did in previous “Shrek” movies. Some jokes I felt were too aimed at adults and just plain tacky.
The introduction of the creepy “Shrek” babies in this movie can only mean that “Shrek 4″ will be about Shrek raising a family. The premise at this point is getting thin, and if I were the producers, I would think of ways to end the franchise at #4 before the hip reputation of these films is completely ruined by mediocrity. This movies will make kids laugh and it will charm some folks, but this sequel doesn’t fall into the same “multiple viewings” category that the first two did.
Leave a Reply