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Shrek the Third film review. Overall Shrek the Third is a disappointment. Shrek is a franchise run tragically into the ground with obvious jokes and no real heart.
Shrek is the computer animated franchise that helped launch and support Dreamworks Animation Studio SKG. The Shrek films have allowed Dreamworks to pump out various CGI films that somehow cannot quite live up to either Shrek or come close to the brilliance of Pixar. Therefore, when times are tough, it's best to return to what is tried and true. Enter Shrek the Third. From the start, is is sadly clear that this once great franchise is running out of steam. Mostly running on emptyNot all is lost for Shrek the Third. It just starts on such a strange note. Now, if you haven't seen the film, be aware that this review will spoil it for you. Shrek the Third begins with Prince Charming reduced to dinner theater and vowing vengeance upon Shrek and Fiona. Prince Charming's desire for vengeance is what links Shrek 2 with Shrek the Third. A very disturbing choice made by the creators of Shrek the Third was to kill off King Harold (ably voiced by John Cleese) in a macabre scene of the character repeatedly appearing to die. The main plotline that arises from King Harold's death is that Shrek must find Fiona's cousin, Arthur to rule Far Far Away. Yes, that right, Arthur. Arthur is the rightful heir not of Briton, but of Far Far Away. Yes, Shrek the Third realizes early on that it has no more fairy tales to draw on so it must seek out other myths. Making the heir Arthur is just one of many obvious cop outs the film makes over the course of its runtime. Arthur is a high school student who resides at a private school where the girls say, “eweth”. Laughing yet? Another downside is Justin Timberlake’s voice work as Arthur. He is very hard to listen to and makes getting through the film a bit difficult. Shrek's saving graceThe redeeming qualities of the film revolved around the mass improvements made to the rendering and animation technology Dreamworks employed for this go around. Textures are more believable, lip synching is more believable, and in general the movements of the characters are more believable. Dreamworks still has a long way to go in order to match Pixar in the technology department. Shrek the Third is a good step forward for Dreamworks though and their next film, Kung Fu Panda, seems even closer to technical mastery. As far as storytelling goes, Pixar just cannot be matched. Still not enough for ShrekShrek the Third suffers from obvious jokes, like Shrek trying to speak in “teenager” to Arthur (whom he called Artie), and reminding the viewer that babies poop. There are amusing portions, such as Eric Idle’s Merlin being a psychotic ex magic teacher. A life flashback of the Gingerbread Man is also very amusing. These parts come few and far between. Shrek the Third doesn’t do too much to change the formula set by the first two Shrek films. Only minor, safe changes are made. Shrek is afraid of being a father, Arthur is afraid of being king. The viewer gets it, the film hits you over the head with so much it is tiring. Shrek the Third is worth a look if you liked the first two films but don’t hold your expectations high. Hopefully the planned sequels can reinvigorate the characters. Shrek is still far more amusing than Dreamworks' other efforts but is in need of a huge shot in the arm.
The copyright of the article Shrek the Third review in Animated Films is owned by Brian Nathanson. Permission to republish Shrek the Third review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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