Leave him the Shrek alone already…

Whether it be Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, or the third installment in the animated series about the swamp’s most lovable ogre, one thing is very clear, Hollywood is still under the impression that quantity equals quality. Of course, if I was starring in, directing, or producing films that, cumulatively speaking, gross millions upon millions of dollars, well, I may be a little eager to keep throwing out film after film as well. Forget about substance – never mind the fans! What do they know about quality anyway? Never mind about hiring a writer or worrying about having a screenplay that doesn’t simply regurgitate previous storylines and dialogue! Just make it ‘look’ good and it will be!

It has been made abundantly clear to me, after having seen Spiderman 3, that I should stop expecting ‘more’ out of a movie simply because the spending budget has gone up. If anything, I’ve learned that the more money spent on the movie’s cinematography, usually equals ‘no’ money spent on the writing. This is the definitely the case with Spidey, but, would this theory apply to Shrek as well?

The film picks back up pretty much where the sequel left off; Shrek and Fiona are happily married, living in Far, Far Away land. Just to keep the tally for you, the cast is up to two ogres, a donkey, a jealously handsome villain, and the cast and crew from every Grimm fable, oh, and a very naughty, nasty kitty. So, like me, you may ask yourself, what’s next? Well, what comes next is pretty much what came before; however, I must admit, I am highly fond of the naughty, often potty-mouthed, animated gang of miscreants, so I must admit to enjoying the third installment immensely, even more so than the second installment.

Shrek (Myers) and Fiona (Diaz) have finally smoothed out most of the ruffles in their relationship when, cue sinister drums, King Harold’s (Cleese) health begins to fade. This leaves Shrek, as the king’s sole male heir, with the responsibility of stepping up to the plate to rule the happy, mythical territory. Naturally, being a sour, surly Ogre, Shrek wants absolutely nothing to do with the job. So when he hears tale of a long lost relation of the king, Shrek goes tramping off on a quest to find the male heir and convince the schmuck to take up the responsibility.

As far as plots go, that’s pretty simple right? Well, to give the writers credit they do attempt to throw in a few subplots to keep the flick plodding along at a cool pace. Our loveable sidekicks, Donkey (Murphy) and Puss (Banderas), find themselves dealing with out-of-body experiences, ala Wild Kingdom’s version of Freaky Friday, while, back at the castle, Princess Fiona assembles her own team of kick butt femme fatales, (with special note to a fearsome Snow White!) and, together, they hold down the forte against a raiding Prince Charming (Everett).

The movie’s real humor comes from Fiona’s revelation to Shrek that she is having baby cravings, and no, I don’t mean to eat. This, typically, sends Shrek into full-blown hysterics. The big lug is having day-mares about soiled diapers, his swamp being overrun by dozen upon dozen of tiny, grubby swamp go stealing babies. He envisions babies everywhere, on his head, arms, swigging from the ceiling – what’s an ogre to do? How will he cope with being a father?

As if the fates heard his silent plea, Shrek soon finds himself face to face with the sole surviving heir of King Harold. Prince Arthur (Timberlake) is just the chap! He’s a social outcast, a little guy stepped on and shunned by his peers, who better to long for a position of power that will show all his bullies what he can do? Well, there is just one problem. Prince Arthur is just a kid! A wisecracking, insolent teen to be precise, and, just like most adolescents, he delights in infuriating the lovable ogre at ever turn. And, in doing so, amuses we the viewers as well.

The only drawbacks that I could see about this film mainly arose from the under use of both Donkey and Puss-in-boots, the overuse of the always annoying Prince Charming (although watching him do dinner theater was truly hilarious), and the fact that the, usually, razor sharp wit had been considerably dulled. I’m not sure if the latter is due to the fact that the film felt more ‘kiddie’ oriented, versus the more adult-oriented humor of its predecessors.

All in all, I felt the same affection for all of the characters, managed to refrain from rolling my eyes and groaning at the dialogue (except where it was called for), and highly give my recommendations for renting or purchasing this for the little ones. My niece can already quote this movie from beginning to end, having seen it twice in the theater alone. I guiltily admit to seeing it several more times with her on DVD.