Movie Review
Shrek the Third
Shrek 3 poster
By Lee Tistaert     Published May 18, 2007
US Release: May 18, 2007

Directed by: Raman Hui Chris Miller
Starring: Antonio Banderas , Julie Andrews , John Cleese , Rupert Everett

PG some crude humor, suggestive content and swashbuckling action
Running Time: 93 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $320,706,665
B-
21 of 150
Returns with the same twisted sense of humor from the original. You can tell the grownup boys behind DreamWorks are having a lot of fun with their pot shots.
I was expecting a C/C+ movie out of Shrek the Third. I liked the first Shrek (B), and though part two did make me laugh a little bit upon first viewing, I found it to be pretty lame the second time around, which is why my hopes for this new sequel weren?t high ? especially since ?thirds? are usually weak.

Shrek the Third doesn?t really offer a new plot. Instead, it careens from one joke to the next. Some will take issue to this, but I felt it offered more laughs than most family fare. With their PG rating, the makers push as far as they can. Some parents might complain that certain gags go too far, which is understandable, but I found that to be quite a relief. Shrek faces an extremely tough job of pleasing all demographics; kids, teens, adults, and seniors.

I felt part two was mostly geared towards families, as it left out most of the edge of the first one. It was a bit too cute, whereas the first one was cute but still managed to criticize a lot of pop culture. Shrek the Third returns with the same twisted sense of humor from the original Shrek, and also plays around with epic franchises like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. You can tell that the grownup boys behind DreamWorks are having a lot of fun with their pot shots.

Story wise, Shrek the Third is not very good ? but at the same time, it does make fun of itself. There is one scene in particular in which the material careens towards sappy drama, and the characters even acknowledge it ? as an overly gooey soundtrack piles on the emotional overtone. Touches like this made me appreciate this sequel even more; they?re aware of the clich?s.

Visually, Shrek the Third looks incredible. It stands in stark contrast to Spider-Man 3, which was supposed to deliver eye-popping special effects. And whereas Spider-Man 3 was overly emotional in its story, Shrek 3 has a sense of humor about what it?s doing all the way through. It?s not as original as the first one in its edge towards Hollywood but does enough right to satisfy in that regard. It?s a pretty funny movie, which for a kids? movie is not something people tend to say very often. I tend to think most family fare is too light and safe ? and Shrek the Third proves there is some hope in turning that around.
Lee's Grade: B-
Ranked #21 of 150 between Talk to Me (#20) and Bean 2 (#22) for 2007 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
A0.4%
B30.0%
C61.7%
D8.0%
F0.0%
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'Shrek 3' Articles
  • Craig's review C-
    May 19, 2007    It's a dull and lifeless mess with almost zero entertainment value save for the stop motion animation, which still looks amazing on the big screen. -- Craig Younkin