Shrek the Third

Director: Chris Miller and Raman Hui

Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas

With Fiona’s parents finally giving Shrek and Fiona their blessing, you would have thought that now things would be going well for the ogre couple. Yet soon it becomes clear that Shrek’s next adventure is just around the corner. Fiona’s dad (the frog king, Harold) is dying, and, as Fiona’s husband, Shrek is the next in line for the throne. Shrek is keen to avoid the fate of being the next king of Far, Far Away, and so goes in search of the only other living heir, Fiona’s cousin Artie (played by no other than Justin Timberlake!) Meanwhile, Prince Charming keeps himself busy by rounding up all the fairy-tale world’s bad guys in order to make an attack on Far, Far Away. On top of all this turmoil, Fiona tells Shrek that she may be pregnant…baby ogre madness ensues.

Shrek 3 introduces several new characters who inject fresh life into the franchise. These include Fiona’s fellow princesses who resemble a Charlie’s Angel’s style kick-ass girl gang. Of course, Donkey and Shrek’s children are the cute icing on the cake, and allow for jokes more relevant to the older audience as the two dads show they aren’t keen to take on new parental responsibilities. Artie also proves to be an entertaining character, and the setting of a high school allows the writers to explore some classic teenage stereotypes.

The old favourites also don’t let the side down, with Donkey and Puss swapping bodies due to the eccentric antics of newcomer Merlin. Puss’s attempt to do his legendary ‘sad eyes’ routine whilst in Donkey’s body is definitely a scene worth watching. John Cleese proves his status as a celebrated comedy actor, with King Harold’s death scene and funeral going down in history as probably the funniest of their kind. Shrek’s nightmares about becoming a dad are also not to be missed.

Visually, Shrek 3 is stunning and it is clear how much animation technology has evolved since the release of the original. It is also nice to see that the writers are still catering for the older and younger audiences, with a mix of silly humour and innuendos. Shrek 3 goes recommended to fans of the originals and anyone in search of a well-animated and light-hearted comedy.

Julia Huntenburg