The weakest link in the series, still entertaining

Rating: 6/10 (14 February 2011)

The third installment of the Shrek Saga shows an unhappy king-to-be Shrek, who starts a journey in search of Fiona's only cousin, Arthur, the second in the throne line, to bring him to Far Away so Shrek and Fiona can devote themselves to a quiet family life in their muddy swamp. However, Prince Charming has found the perfect plan to get the throne, convincing all the loser fairytale characters to become an army in search of their own happy-ever-after.
The old characters are still as lovable as always. Some of the new ones are also very well drawn psychologically, especially the nervous insecure new age retired professor Merlin, beautifully drawn, with great movement and almost human in appearance. The drawing of the backgrounds is really stunning, detailed and funny regarding the names of shops, street signs, etc. The same can be said of the theater stage that Prince Charming prepares to become the king of Far Away, beautiful and so creative. There are still some funny moments. My favorite ones are the one involving Snow White singing to enter the castle, Shrek's dream about babies, and Gingerbread's flashback on his life.
Despite the great visuals, the storyline is simple, more for children than for adults. The script is not as witty and original as the previous two, and some of the jokes and funny situations are, in fact, a repetition or extension of others already seen in the previous movies. The movie has very poor reviews and I think they are just motivated by the comparison with the other two Shrek movies, which are far superior in quality.
No doubt, this is the weakest link of the Shrek series However, as a stand alone movie, if you don't compare it with the others, is still a decent one.