Watchable, but I couldn't help being disappointed.

Rating: 5/10 (23 September 2007)

My Take: The weakest of the successful SHREK series. A few laughs though.
After seeing art in the first two "Shrek" films, we would have expected more from "Shrek the Third". Although most of the laughs work, the creators make a mistake thinking it'll save the story. The story, basically, is almost nonexistent. It runs in a short 92 minutes, much too short, with not much happening with as much joy as those in previous SHREK films, partly due to the emptiness of its story. Still, there are enough well-executed comedy bits and I must say our Ogre still has the charm. The story has Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) destined to take over the kingdom of Far, Far Away, after the king (voiced briefly by John Cleese) passed away. Shrek, who thinks he's unworthy to take the king's position, instead searches for Arthur, who happens to be Princess Fiona's (voiced by Cameron Diaz) cousin. He finds Arthur (voiced by Justin Timberlake) in a Medieval College, being a total wimp. This is not the picture of a ruler, right? But no time for that, Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett) demands a Royal treatment (a term here which I mean "he wants to be king"). So of course, we get Shrek and his gang to the rescue and all that jazz. This leads to a couple of fun bits (including princesses that would put Lara Croft aside), but none quite as joyfully executed as those in its predecessors.
As far as sequels go, disappointments are bound to come. I enjoyed the first "Shrek" film, it can easily pass as a modern instant classic, and the second one, "Shrek 2", is indeed a modern classic and their's no doubt about it, but "Shrek the Third" just makes you laugh, good enough, but I think we need more than "good enough". Instead of a lot of writers who know how to make people laugh, the directors (two of them, actually) could have at least hired ones that write a good story. The characters in this film are not given enough depth or interest, not unlike those in the those in previous SHREK films, so filled with zest and energy, as well as soft bits and adult-related personalities. The conclusion, which might be the weakest link of the film, is easily rushed.
Still, If you liked the first two films then there is no stopping you from watching this one. Shrek and the gang, although unoriginal, still provide a bunch of smiles, and I did laugh a lot in this picture. Watch out for that ROSEMARY'S BABY-inspired nightmare!
I'm ending this fairy tale of a film review by saying that I did like this entry. It was funny but lacks the creativity of the first two. With so much characters in this film, I would have expected them to have more life than a bunch of comedy bar-inspired figures molded to fairytale characters. SHREK THE THIRD is a much better view on video. It's worth buying and, with expectations that it would fall short of its predecessors, it does offer a few good laughs.
Rating: **1/2 out of 5.