As good as it gets, for the third in a series.

Rating: 7/10 (20 May 2007)

There is good things and bad things about this movie, but I'd say that to its credit the main problem with it was unavoidable---it's the third in a series, and the main idea has been used twice already, is familiar to everyone, and the freshness of it is gone. For some franchises, the pain starts already in the second (Men in Black comes to mind, or Analyze That), when really nothing is added to an original (and initially surprising) premise, and it is merely milked for what it's worth, with usually sad results.
I don't think that was the case with Shrek 2, and neither is it with The Third---the writers still find enough interesting and original ideas to weave into the story, they use the old characters to good effect and add interesting new characters to provide some novelty. The dialog is up to the (high) standards of its two predecessors, and the animation is stunning.
All in all, even though it won't set new standards for animated features like the original Shrek might have, Shrek the Third is an entertaining movie that delivers what it promises---a good time with the titular hero and his friends (and family), nothing more, but also nothing less.