HOME |
DINING |
MOVIES |
LIVE SHOWS |
ARTS |
UPCOMING EVENTS
ARCHIVES |
ABOUT |
ADVERTISE |
CONTACT |
DISTRIBUTION
entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
Main
|
Seen, Heard, Noted & Quoted
>>
|
|
|
by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
C Rated PG 93 min.
This year seems to be the year of the “threequel.” Third installments of Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Oceans Eleven and The Bourne Identity are making their way to the theaters this summer. Heading the charge was Spider-Man 3, which broke box office records with a stunning opening weekend of $382 million worldwide despite mixed reviews from critics. Shrek the Third now makes its way to theaters hoping to snatch the top spot from Spidey. I don’t know if the ogre will be able to catch the web-slinger, but I can predict that critics will be just as divided.
Picking up where we left off, Shrek (Mike Meyers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are still hanging out in Far, Far Away, hoping to escape back to the confines of their swamp as soon as possible. When Fiona’s father the King (still voiced by John Cleese and still a frog) croaks, both literally and figuratively, Shrek and his bride find their plans for a hasty retreat dashed. Because there is apparently no matriarchy in Far, Far Away, Shrek is next in line to take the throne, an idea that makes the ogre queasy. In order to save himself from the horrors of civilized society Shrek goes on a journey to collect Arthur (Justin Timberlake), Fiona’s distant cousin and the next in line to take over as king. Shrek and his traveling companions Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) soon find that convincing Artie to step up and rule may be harder than they thought.
Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) still has his knickers in a twist over not getting his happily ever after, so he enlists the help of the storybook villains to steal it. While Shrek is away, Charming and his band of baddies trash Far, Far Away and take over the castle, locking up Fiona and her BFFs Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), Snow White (Amy Poehler) and Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri), who cook up a plan to end the coup d’etat.
Born from the 1993 children’s book “Shrek!” by William Steig, this popular film series has become a cash cow for DreamWorks, with the first two movies raking in $1.4 billion at the box office. Despite how Shrek the Third performs, and experts across the board are predicting it will do quite well, fourth and fifth installments are already scheduled for release in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
I have to admit I loved the first two films, so I was really excited to see number three. Unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my sky high expectations. Shrek the Third is easily the weakest of the franchise, with far less laughs and a story that seems to be confused about who its target audience is. If you happened to see the train wreck that was Happily N’ever After, you’ve already seen the most interesting storyline in Shrek the Third. The uprising of the villains is nearly identical and not given nearly enough attention. The concept is a good one, but it seems no one can do it justice. At the screening I attended children in the audience got restless after about 30 minutes. The comedy just didn’t seem to hold their attention much at all. With the exception of a few fart and puke jokes, a lot of the humor was aimed toward adults and was more talky. Unlike its predecessors, however, really good laughs in Shrek the Third are few and far between. I think I laughed maybe half a dozen times during the entire thing. My daughter laughed a bit more than I did, probably because she finds flatulence hilarious and hasn’t seen the trailers as many times as I have, which is sadly where all the funny parts are showcased.
There is some good news for Shrek fans. The baby ogres and “dronkeys” (dragon/donkeys) are insanely cute and will surely have kids begging for plush versions as soon as they exit the theater (a mothers dream!). Another plus is that the good laughs, as few as they are, are really good. There’s a dream sequence toward the beginning of the film that will have most of the audience rolling in the aisles.
Like Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third fails to deliver in many areas. Some people may be able to give it a pass for what it’s lacking in exchange for an hour and a half of these beloved characters. I can’t.
|
|
EU Critic’s Choice Awards
