The Unnecessary One.

Rating: 5/10 (3 August 2017)

This film really disappointed. I loved the first two, the second one was the high point which is rare for sequels. This film focused less on Shrek and more on Justin Timberlake's take on a version of King Arthur that I don't even think the kiddos would have wanted.
I have to wonder, Justin Timberlake was referenced slightly in the second film, could that have had anything to do with his presence in this movie?
I feel the main problem with this film is the lack of Shrek, yes Shrek is throughout the film but rather than have the lovable Shrek that existed in this film, we focus more on his family dynamic which intertwines with the plot line of Arthur. Shrek becomes somewhat of a secondary character in his own franchise no longer the happy go lucky ogre but a (sigh) even more complex and developed character. Don't get me wrong, you need to flesh out a character, but I think you can go a little too far with just about anything, like drugs...
I feel if they had tossed the whole "fatherhood" plot line the film would have been markedly better. Perhaps focusing more on Shrek getting back to his swamp and out of Far Far Away.
The conflict from the previous movies was about finding true love and overcoming stereotypes, the second one did something similar with the parents and Fiona choosing the real Shrek over the "new" Shrek. Both of the prior films focused on topics that had more to do with an ugly ogre than a family ogre.
This is reminiscent of the "Ice Age" films where the mammoth started a family over the course of the films and they gradually got worse and worse even though the animation effects were getting better and better.
I feel the Arthur plot line could have been done better if they had fleshed it out more. In fact this film feels really fast certainly not as long or effective as the previous films.
The villain was also somewhat of an odd choice, it really did not make much sense for the vapid Prince Charming to have the cunning or nerves to start a villain rebellion and take over the city. A better villain should have been Morgan La Faye or Mordred, two characters that would have fit better into the Arthurian mythos.
I feel that maybe what could have been done instead of Shrek seeking out Arthur would have been for the young Arthur to instead seek out Shrek to slaughter as a way to prove himself worthy as king. Leave Far Far Away out of the picture and maybe even have the "problems with Fiona" subplot to not to be about potential fatherhood but instead getting back together in the end and overcoming petty differences.
Really, they should have stopped at the second Shrek film where the characters were "happily ever after" and not much else could be done with them. I know that Shrek is a semi sarcastic adult take on fairy tales, but potential fatherhood is, well, not as big a draw as a sarcastic ogre finding love in a princess, which was a much better subversion of the traditional conception of standard fairy tales.
This one was meh, and the fourth one was bleh.
Quick note. This website doesn't allow brackets? Oh well...