Shrek the Third

Everyone's back for "Shrek the Third" as the gang tries to recreate the magic of the previous two films. While there's really nothing glowingly wrong with this third installment, there's also nothing exceptional. Worse, there is only a sliver of the comedy that we have become accustomed to from our favorite ogre.

Shrek (Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) have returned to Far, Far Away to help the ailing Frog King run his kingdom. While on his death bed, the king tells Shrek that he is next in line for the throne. Longing for his home back in the swamp and not wanting anything to do with such a position, Shrek pleads with the King to name another heir. Low and behold there is one, and it's up to Shrek to bring the young man (Justin Timberlake) back to the castle.

This setup doesn't take long, and very quickly Shrek, along with Donkey and Puss in Boots (the scene-stealing Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas), are off to find the boy. As the boat is leaving the dock, Princess Fiona tells her husband that she is pregnant. Now, just as Shrek was trying to rid himself of a job title he doesn't believe he can handle, he has to deal with the fact that he's going to be a father.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, while Fiona is hosting a baby shower attended by Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, Prince Charming continues to struggle with losing his chance at power (see "Shrek 2"). He manages to gather all the villains in the kingdom together to attack Far Far Away and make him king. This lasts until Shrek and company return to set things straight.

I really believe the downfall of this "Shrek" is that the moral of the story becomes apparent early on, and we are repeatedly beaten over the head with it throughout the film. "Don't let others tell you what you can and can't do. Don't let their name-calling bring you down. It's up to you to shape who you are." We are told this when it's proposed that Shrek becomes king, when Shrek learns he's going to be a father, and when the soon-to-be king leaves his prep high school. It's almost incessant.

Again, there are some laugh out loud moments, but not nearly as many as in the previous stories. In the end, it was a nice, safe, just okay movie. Honestly, with all the other movies coming out this summer, I'd wait for this one to come out on DVD. "Shrek the Third" is only a third of its previous two movies. I give it a B-.

"Shrek the Third" is rated PG with a running time of 93 minutes.