Starring: The voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron
Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Rupert Everett. Rated PG.
Once
upon a time, in a land so distant it came to be known
as Far, Far Away, lived Shrek, a grumpy but otherwise agreeable ogre whose
days, once wasted gloomily in a desolate swamp, were now spent happily with his
ogre princess, Fiona. At least, that’s where we last saw the big, green lug, in
Shrek 2, getting used to married life and his posh new digs. In Shrek the
Third, he faces two new challenges – the prospect of inheriting his late
father-in-law’s throne, and impending fatherhood.
That’s right, he’s having a baby – the only question is,
how many? In one of the film’s most imaginative sequences, Shrek (Mike Myers)
envisions his cottage overrun with baby ogres, grabbing and clutching at his
tattered tunic, filling his living room (quite literally) with bile. It’s every
prospective parent’s nightmare, and Shrek, whose self-esteem is intrinsically
low, is certain he will make a poor father. He’s just as sure that regal life
doesn’t suit him – he is an ogre,
after
all – and sets out in search of Arthur, who stands next in line for the throne.
Shrek is accompanied by his faithful sidekicks Donkey
(Eddie Murphy) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas), whose running commentary
remains an inspired source of comic relief even as the franchise begins to show
its age. Shrek the Third will delight its younger fans, but it is a slighter
pleasure for adults. As in Shrek 2, the strategy here, which is not
altogether unsuccessful, is to take the things people liked about the original
and cram more of them into a breezily entertaining 90 minutes. But bigger isn’t
always better.
The land of Far, Far Away is full of new personalities in
Shrek the Third. Among them: Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live) as the
treacherous Rapunzel; Amy Sedaris as an obsessive-compulsive Cinderella; and
Ian McShane as the fearsome Captain Hook. Even the new king of pop, Justin
Timberlake, joins the fun as Arthur, a teenage outcast who is slow to embrace
his new role as ruler of the fairy-tale universe.
None of the latest additions boast the commanding presence
of Shrek 2 newcomers Puss In Boots or Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), who
returns here to usurp the crown. Naturally, he’s no match for Shrek, but as the
irritable ogre hunts down Arthur, Charming opportunistically seizes the castle,
flanked by a motley crew of fairy-tale monsters who want their happily ever
afters.
An almost certain monster hit at the box-office, Shrek
the Third is more obviously calculated and less inspired than its
predecessors. The franchise has legs, no doubt, but they’re starting to look a
bit arthritic. (The same cannot be said for the animation – Shrek’s colorful
world has never seemed so vibrant.) Though the devious wit of the original
remains, it is obscured by too many classic-rock interludes (courtesy of Led
Zeppelin, Heart and Paul McCartney) and nudging pop-culture references that
seem by now just part of the formula. It’s pleasant and passably diverting,
with a few big laughs, but this Third is hardly the charm.
