Unnecessary, Shrek the Third exists on links to its masterful predecessor and cannot break new ground

Rating: 3/10 (22 November 2015)

Shrek the Third is a bland, uninspired and unnecessary sequel to two masterpieces of animated storytelling. When the King of Far Far Away dies, Shrek and Fiona are set to inherit the Kingdom, but Shrek doesn't want to be King so they must set out to find the new heir, Arthur.
While Shrek and his loyal sidekicks seek out Arthur, Fiona is dealing with the idea of motherhood. This is pretty much all Fiona does for the entire movie - the other fairy tale princesses rock up (including Amy Poehler is Snow White in a wasted role) before promptly being taken captive by Prince Charming. The secondary antagonist of the second film, Charming is a bit flat in the villain department because he's already run his course. Shrek the Third feels more like a third act to Shrek 2, with nothing particularly groundbreaking in its own right. There's a couple of Arthurian legend references, but they lack the fun and role reversal that made the first two Shreks so funny. Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots both get left on the sidelines as the film packs with too many unnecessary characters, not least of which is Arthur himself. Justin Timberlake's breathy Mark Wahlberg impression is grating on the ears, and the fact that he doesn't have any scenes with Fiona (Timberlake's real life ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz) means we can't even laugh at it.
The writing takes a huge hit in Shrek the Third. The first two films are incredibly witty with jokes that are subtle enough for adults to love but kids to innocently miss. A typical insult in this film is "the only thing you're going to be king of is king of stupid!"
Yeah.
During the film's climax, Donkey, Puss and Fiona lead forces to save a captured Shrek on stage before everyone. The fact that Fiona rocks up just as Donkey and Puss do pretty much renders her entire plot pointless, as their escape has ultimately no impact on the story. The battle itself has none of the emotional stakes of Shrek 2, but rehashes the same antagonist and the same setting with many of the same heroes. However, unlike the satisfying conclusion of last time, this battle is saved by Artie who delivers a sappy and cliché "Lets All Love One Another" speech which has all the villains throw down their weapons.
Then in the most excruciating moment possible, Charming stabs Shrek - only to miss and go under his arm. Then Dragon knocks Rapunzel's tower on him, presumably killing him instantly.
That's messed up.
Shrek the Third was wholly unnecessary. Its too tied to the second Shrek (the kingdom of Far Far Away and Charming's claim to its throne). Surprisingly I almost preferred the ending from Shrek 2 regarding Charming, where the Ugly Stepsister snaps him up for a dance. I can see the logic for bringing him back to resolve in another sequel, but the result is a film that has no ground to break on its own. Its a breezy 93 minutes, which contributes to its "blink and you'll miss it" vibe, because outside two flimsy stories no one has anything to do here.