|
|
|
Shrek
the Third
(2007)
2007 hasn't been a very good year for sequels,
has it? We've already seen Spider-Man 3's web break, Hannibal
Rising take a bite out of its predecessors' glory, and
next week's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End looks
set to plummett over the edge. Following suit, this week's
addition to the rehash list isn't going to save the trend.
After the groundbreaking 2001 original Shrek and the
decent (for a sequel) Shrek
2 in 2004, Dreamworks has succeeded in ruining
a pretty good series. Given its dependency on bodily function
humor and overall lack of quality, the latest installment in
the Shrek canon would be more aptly titled Shrek
the Turd.
Shortly after the events of Shrek 2, Shrek (Mike Myers) and his
wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) have little time to mourn the death
of Far Far Away's King Harold (John Cleese), as Shrek sets out
to find the kingdom's only other heir (aside from himself). With
the help of his old pals Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss-in-Boots
(Antonio Banderas), Shrek easily finds young Arthur Pendragon
(Justin Timberlake), but there's a lot more in store for them
when they get back to Far Far Away. In the ogre's absence, jilted Prince
Charming (Rupert Everett) and his army of fairy tale villians take the kingdom
by force and set a deadly trap for Shrek and his friends.
The main problem I had with Shrek the Third is that it's too much
of the same old thing. The characters, situations, and post-modern
take on fairy tales were brilliant the first time around, and
were strong enough to sustain the second installment, but the
clock has struck midnight, and their magic has worn off in round
three. While originally very humorous and endearing characters,
Shrek, Donkey, and Fiona have run their course and provide very
little of the film's humor. The few times I found myself
actually laughing were in response to the strong supporting cast
like Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), Gingerbread Man (Conrad Vernon),
and a slew of "Disney" princesses
(voiced by SNL alums Cheri Oteri, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler,
as well as Regis Philbin and Amy Sedaris). If it weren't for
these small but memorable vocal performances, and that of Eric
Idle as a batty old Merlin, I might not have laughed at all.
One reason the film stands on such flimsy legs is that it lacks
the emotional strength of the first film, and even the weak
moral core of the second. While "ogres have layers," this film doesn't.
The filmmakers lay on the fatherhood schmatlz too early in the
story and continue to let it thicken until it overwhelms everything.
Okay, so Shrek is scared to be a father. Fine, I get it. But
throwing him into an awkward fatherly role (to the teenaged Artie)
seems a bit too forced, even for an animated family film. Unwanted
as it may be, this element of the film isn't even followed through
enough to justify its injection into the film in the first place.
It's rare I go into a sequel expecting very much, but I did at
least think that Shrek the Third would continue to push the visual
envelope it first toyed with in the original. Unfortunately,
the rest of the computer animated world has continued to evolve,
and Shrek is
stuck in the metaphorical middle ages. Only one sequence grabbed
me, and that was a Pearl Harbor influenced raid on Far Far Away
by an evil army, borne on broomsticks. But other than that, even Over
the Hedge is more innovative on a visual level.
I'm fairly certain Shrek will bring in a sizable amount of green,
as most people can't stop themselves from seeing sequels and
the first two films weren't bad. And we'll definately have no
shortage of the big green gulloot with his Shrek the Halls made-for-TV
Christmas special later this year and the greenlit Shrek 4 and Puss-in-Boots spinoff
(both in 2010). If this film is any indicator of its followers' qualities,
they'd be best served to appear as straight-to-video fairy tales.
And if this were actually Shrek the Last, the series isn't
going out happily ever after.
-Mark
Moreland
|
|
|
|
All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
|
|
 |
Director:
Chris
Miller
Writer: Andrew
Adamson, Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman, Chris Miller & Aron Warner,
William Steig
Starring: Mike
Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas,
Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, Eric Idle, Justin Timberlake
Distributor: Dreamworks
Runtime: 93
min
Rating: PG
Release Date: May
18, 2007
|
|
 |
|
