Shrek The Third offers some interesting crossroads for our favorite green ogre (Michael Myers). With Fiona’s (Cameron Diaz) frog father on his deathbed, Shrek has had to serve as king of Far Far Away in the interim. And uneasy lies the crown.
We have some knee-slapping good times watching Shrek do his level-best to be the king to the people, but even an ogre with a good heart just isn’t cut out to be the king. He messes up nearly everything he dies, and he stinks at being the king. Shrek is the first to admit this.
Thankfully, Eddie Murphy is back as Donkey, and Antonio Banderas returns as Puss In Boots. The movie just wouldn’t have been the same without them. Their constant bickering and commentary helped move that plot and the characters along quickly. Plus they've got some of the funniest lines in the movie.
Prince Charming returns as the villain in this one. The opener showing him working dinner theater in a low level pub is just hilarious. The effort so fits the character, and so does all the grief he takes at the hands of the audience. Of course, he’s trying to exorcize his demons by starring in a play where he triumphs over Shrek, which is what he thinks he should have done in the first place.
Then, and I’m going to use a line here that was painfully obvious in the movie that was never used, Fiona’s father croaks (he’s a frog, remember?). But before he does, actually after several false alarms, he tells Shrek that there is one other heir to the kingdom of Far Far Away: a young boy named Arthur.
Shrek resolves to go find Arthur and crown the boy king. All Shrek wants to do, all Shrek ever wants to do, is get back to his beloved swamp and get on with sharing his life with Fiona. But when he boards the ship to begin his voyage, Fiona tells him she is pregnant. It’s all too much for Shrek. The nightmare he has about having ogre children is absolutely side-splitting. Not only that, but the movie double dips on the whole nightmare premise, and caught me flat-footed on one of the quick twists.
In the meantime, back in the heart of villainy, Prince Charming retreats to a pub where all the evil characters in the fairy tales hang out and begrudge their existence. The scene where Charming rallies the troops really works. I was ready to vote for him myself.
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Article comments
1 - Erin
Just wondering when Shrek the 3rd will be avaliable on dvd.. I loved all the movies so far and cannot wiat to see this one.. Thanks so much in advance