Remember when it was funny?

Rating: 3/10 (9 December 2007)

I enjoyed Shrek and Shrek 2 for a simple reason: they made me laugh. I hated Shrek the Third (from now on S3) for an even simpler reason: I sat through it bored and stony-faced. I think I giggled three times during the whole movie, all in the first ten minutes.
The series is now as trite as the tales it's supposed to be spoofing. It's basically a Disney movie - modern Disney, not classic one, which was great - only with the obligatory fart jokes (something which, contrary to what Hollywood believes, has never been funny) and a handful of pop references tossed in. The biggest offender is Artie (King Arthur of the myth), a corny "troubled youngster who finds a father figure and accepts his responsibilities"; it's about as funny as it sounds.
Series veterans Myers (Shrek), Murphy (Donkey) and Banderas (Puss in Boots) sound tired and collect their paychecks.
There is a lot of slapstick and little parody; S3 follows the school of thought that if things happen fast, even without actual jokes, the result will be amusing. Sorry, folks, it doesn't work that way; humor benefits from speed, but requires intelligence as well.
An interesting rule about movies in general and comedies in particular: if they have more than two-three people listed under "writing credits", it's usually a bad sign - the cinematic equivalent of being on a cruise ship where crew members start gathering on deck, whispering at each other and pointing at lifeboats. According to IMDb, S3 had THIRTEEN writers.
3/10