Shrek the Third opens back in the kingdom of Far Far Away. The frog King is sadly just about to croak (sorry) and, on his deathbed he names Shrek as his heir. However, just before he dies, he mentions that there is one other legitimate heir, Arthur. Shrek, desperate not to be burdened with responsibility, resolves to fetch him and sets out for Worcestershire High. Rather inconveniently, he finds out as just he’s leaving that he’s going to be a father. And, if that weren’t bad enough, when he finally finds Arthur he isn’t exactly king material. Meanwhile, Prince Charming has assembled an army of fairytale villains to help him seize control of Far Far Away and write his own happily ever after and with Shrek away there doesn’t seem to be anyone who can stop him…The problem with this latest instalment of the series is that it feels mechanical and there’s little to endear it to the audience. The first Shrek was a pleasant surprise, a well written side-swipe at the fairytale universe so long dominated by Disney. The second was, like the first, superbly scripted but with a huge budget behind it to enable almost every voice to be a big celebrity cameo. But, silly as it may sound, it also had emotional depth, Shrek deciding whether he could grow up and make sacrifices for his wife. In Shrek the Third this is absent and, though the polish remains, the heart of the film isn’t really there. Celebrity cameos have been ramped up with Arthur being voiced by Justin Timberlake but this simply adds to the vapidity. Also, in contrast to the warm fuzziness of the first two films, there are moments in Shrek the Third that are a little spine-hilling. Shrek’s anxiety-filled baby dream is quite disconcerting and the moment where Snow White uses her woodland creatures to attack a couple of guards is, quite frankly, terrifying.This isn’t to say that there aren’t some cracking moments. The frog chorus of Live and Let Die stands out as does the clever use of Shakespearean English as a kind of teen slang. And naturally Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas are on form as the sidekicks. But these far spread moments and the still-excellent soundtrack can’t conceal what is essentially just a token effort to complete the trilogy and provide more of a license to print money.

Written by Tom King

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