I can still remember the elation I felt leaving the theater after watching the first Shrek movie back in 2001. The screenplay felt fresh, the jokes and gags were hysterical, and the animation was groundbreaking.
The 2004 follow up, Shrek 2, was still pretty good, even though some of the surprise had understandably dissipated by then.
Given the amount of money the first two chapters generated, a Shrek the Third was inevitable, but alas, third time wasn’t the charm.
The movie sees Shrek and his sidekick Donkey going on a quest to find someone who wants to be King, while Fiona stays behind. The adventure feels less enthralling than it used to, probably because we’ve sort of seen it all before, but it’s the characters themselves who feel tired, even though they’re “not real.”
On top of that, the baddie (Prince Charming) feels weak, and the new addition (Merlin) is nothing more than a petulant adolescent.
The animation is still great and overall the movie is certainly watchable, but I’m glad I didn’t waste my money to watch this in a theater.
The fourth, and supposedly final, chapter of the Shrek saga is in theaters now, and the reviews are less than tepid. Looks like the brand gets worse with every outing, so I guess I’ll wait for the DVD again, and watch it with the kids on Family Night.
Grade: 5
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