Extremely Unfunny

Rating: 3/10 (12 June 2020)

After thoroughly enjoying the first two Shrek movies, I think it's fair to say that I was quite excited for this one. Sadly, Shrek 3 turned out to be a major let down. I think everyone can agree that this movie is the worst in the franchise. Everything good about the first two films and (to some extent) the fourth one is completely lost here.
Lets start with the comedy, which was easily the best part of Shrek 1 and 2. The comedy in those films is more mature than you'd expect and there are a lot of subtle jokes that make a second watch more enjoyable. In this film, most of the comedy consists of loud, obnoxious farts and burps. And I know what you are about to say: It's just a kids movie. But the best part about Shrek 1 and 2 is that they are enjoyed by both adults and kids. I don't see anyone above the age of ten laughing at the comedy in this film.
There's the forced princess subplot as well that's thrown in the story. In this subplot the princesses must learn to escape prison on their own. This leads to a female empowerment message. And while it is well intention ed, it also has nothing to do with anything else in the movie. Female empowerment is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has to fit with the themes of the story. Not to mention, the terrible gags during this scene ruin any investment that I had.
Shrek himself does not have an arc in this movie. He is worried about having kids, but that isn't taken seriously at all and is (like everything else) just a template for some more bad jokes. We're never even given a good reason for Shrek to not want kids. The same can be said for the other characters in this movie. Donkey and Puss have no purpose in the film other provide some more terrible jokes. And if you think that I'm being to hard on this film, bear in mind that all the side characters in the first two movies had a part to play in the plot.
Prince Charming is the least charismatic or threatening villain in the franchise. He wants revenge for what happened in the second movie. The whole time you can tell that the writers were trying to make him more impressive or cool, but he just comes of as a whiny jerk. He even sings at the end of the film, but unlike Fairy Godmother, his voice is truly atrocious.
There's not much else to say really. It's the film equivalent of a fart joke. it's probably best to not acknowledge this film's existence and pretend that Shrek is a trilogy. Maybe I'm expecting to much from a kids movie, but the best kids films or shows are ones that all audiences enjoy. A truly great kids movie should be enjoyed by everyone, no matter what their age is. Sadly, the same cannot be said for this movie.