Shrek The Third (Blu-ray/DreamWorks)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B- Film: C
The Shrek film series is one that has
devolved with time. Once upon a time Shrek was a fresh film idea that
succeeded where many others had failed, garnering the ability to balance the
classic fairy tale archetypes with relevant and modern humor. The first film was full of heart and humor
that both children and adults could love; but by the time the third film rolled
down the yellow brick road, something had been lost. No longer was the film a soulful animated
comedy that was targeted at children, while having the makings of something
that anyone could enjoy; instead it was a film that got too big for its own
good.
Shrek the Third is a choppy, clunky film that throws
jokes in the audiences’ face instead of existing as a subtle undertone as they
had in the previous two films. On top
of the formulaic “family friendly” jokes there is an overabundance of
meaningless messages of such things as “be who you are” and “girl power.” Positive messages and solid role models are
always good things to promote in films, but the manner in which Shrek the Third projected those
messages made them seem more like meaningless dribble then anything else. In the end the third film is a weak attempt
to recapture the heart and comedy of the first two films.
The new
fairy tale installment starts with the King of Far, Far Away (John Cleese)
falling ill (i.e.-dying) and in turn leaving Shrek and Fiona to be next in line
to rule the kingdom. Shrek insists that
there is no way an ogre can rule the kingdom and with his final breath the king
informs Shrek that there is only one other person that can take the throne;
Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake).
Donkey, Shrek, and Puss in Boots set out to find the ‘would be’ king,
but just as the ship sets sail Fiona yells from the dock that she is pregnant;
which only sparks nightmarish thoughts in Shrek’s head. When the gang finally meets up with Arthur
‘Artie’ Pendragon at Worcestershire University, he turns out to be a nerdy
loser who is picked on by everyone…even the nerds. Looking at it as his chance to get back on
anyone and everyone who has ever picked on him, Artie is more than thrilled to
get a chance to be King of Far, Far Away…that is until Puss in Boots and Donkey
inform him of the hardships of being royalty, like plague and famine. A scared Artie decides to take matters into
his own hands and crashes the ship set for Far, Far Away into an island, where
the crew inadvertently meets up with Arthur’s old wizard professor, Merlin
(Eric Idle).
Back in
Far, Far Away the now outcast Prince Charming (due to events in Shrek 2) is
planning to take back his “happily ever after.”
In probably one of the funnier parts of the film, Charming (Rupert Everett)
gathers all the villains in Far, Far Away; including Captain Hook, the Headless
Horseman, the Ugly Step Sister, and many more to pillage the kingdom. The film shifts to an action/adventure tale
of friends working together to save each other and defeating evil. There are odd and magical events thrown in
left and right to help the story evolve, but it is the characters working off
each other that are the true essence of the story.
The
technical features of this new Blu-ray release are very similar to those found
on the earlier HD-DVD release. The
picture is presented in a clean, crisp 1080p 1.78 X 1 Widescreen that has
bright colors with solid blacks that extenuate each and every scene. The detail is very nice and is second, as far
as Blu-ray animation features go, only to Disney/Pixar productions. The sound is an English 5.1 Dolby True HD
that is solid and crisp; using the entire soundstage with good precision as it
projects from each speaker.
The
extras include 4 Blu-ray exclusives featuring The Animator’s Corner: Picture in Picture Interactive Storyboards, My Menus: Customizable Character Menus, Shrek’s Trivia Track, and The World of Shrek. Whereas it is nice to have extras, the
Blu-ray exclusive ones are nothing very exciting. The other extras included are all in HD and
feature special tid bits like Learn the
Donkey Dance, Lost Scenes, The Tech of Shrek, Big Green Goofs, Shrek’s
Guide to Parenthood, Merlin’s Magic
Crystal Ball, Artie’s Yearbook,
and a few more hidden features that will keep many fans entertained.
Whereas
this is definitely the worst Shrek
film, it is not a total loss. It is nice
to see the cast back together again and with the plethora of other bad animated
films that hit the big screen today; this reviewer will always take another Shrek feature film…or even a Christmas
Special.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
