Review

Review Date: 20-May-07
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Shrek the Third (2007)

Ahhh, this is the Shrek with whom I fell in love. The minds behind this lucrative franchise apparently listened to my criticism of the second Shrek flick and veered from the mean-spirited path to the good-natured one. They also redirected their focus to the character that matters, the great green ogre himself, and let the secondary characters be secondary. What a welcome return! "Shrek the Third" is a simple tale which doesn't sacrifice its heart for its funny bone.

The latest chapter opens with our hero (again voiced by Mike Myers) and his wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) still in love and living at her parents' castle in Far Far Away. Three things arise to threaten their happiness: one, a planned coup by the egomaniac Prince Charming (Rupert Everett); two, the death of the king which puts Shrek in line for the throne; and three, Fiona's news that she's pregnant. Eager to return to the peace and quiet of his swamp, Shrek wants the responsibility of neither a kingdom nor a child. Being a decent chap, however, he gives Fiona as much enthusiasm as he can muster and agrees to go in search of the other possible heir to take his place. He is accompanied on his mission by sidekicks Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), as blithering and über-suave, respectively, as ever.

The person whom Shrek seeks is the only new character of note, and he brings a lot to the film. This is none other than Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake), a gangly youth whose medieval-style prep school teems with cliques ruled by the popular Lancelot. (Sending up high school and the generation gap: good examples of how this series aims laughs at adults as much as children. But don't worry, there are plenty of poop jokes too.) Artie is eager to trade a low social position among his peers for a throne in his own kingdom until he realizes that a king bears a heap of responsibility. This opens the door for some much-needed bonding. Stranded at the hermitage of Arthur's old teacher Merlin (Eric Idle), an amusing new age crackpot, Shrek accomplishes a handy bit of parenting simply by sharing of himself. Then it's off to Far Far Away, where Charming has taken over and imprisoned Fiona and her handmaidens Cinderella, Snow White, and the rest of them. (Worse, he has put the Gingerbread Man for sale on the bakery's day-old shelf!)

The showdown that ensues allows Shrek to prove his worth as an ogre of uncommon sense, humor, and kindness — i.e., a good dad, although he was the only one who doubted it — and everybody but Charming to feel good about themselves to boot. Cue sunset and mandolins ... or in this case, another catchy remake by Donkey and Puss. "Shrek the Third" boasts the excellent animation which distinguished the other two movies and, best of all, the bedtime-story sweetness of the first.

Copyright © 2007 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.