The summer of sequels, which kicked off with the staggering box-office opening of “Spider-Man 3,” continues this week with “Shrek the Third.” Don’t worry, “Pirates of the Caribbean 3” is coming next week.
“Shrek the Third” extends the smash franchise about the big green ogre, which began with the Oscar-winning 2002 original and topped itself with the 2004 sequel. This new one gets off to a great start – I thought the first half was as funny as anything in the previous movies – but limps toward the finish line.
You will recall that Shrek, the smelly, ear-waxy ogre voiced by a Scottish-inflected Mike Myers, has happily married the similarly homely Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and been acclaimed, reluctantly, as the next king of Far Far Away.
The plot of “Shrek the Third” has the green guy setting off in search of another heir to the crown, Arthur (Justin Timberlake). Needless to say, constant companions Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) tag along.
Bad things happen during Shrek’s absence, as the spurned Prince Charming (Rupert Everett, giving the funniest vocal performance) returns to Far Far Away and wreaks havoc.
Frankly, the returning characters have grown a little stale, and there isn’t much to do for Shrek and Fiona. The best stuff involves new wrinkles, such as Merlin the Magician (Monty Python’s Eric Idle in good form), whose wobbly powers result in a personality mix-up between two major characters.
I also liked Fiona’s new posse of fair maidens, including Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph), Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), and Snow White (Amy Poehler). They flip the usual damsel-in-distress thing on its head, much in the spirit of the “Shrek” series. I must say the sight and sound of Snow White warbling sweetly and then bursting out into Led Zeppelin’s ominous “Immigrant Song” is one of the kookier things I’ve seen lately.
I’ve never liked the “Shrek” movies’ reliance of baby-boomer music cues, and I’m still puzzling over the way Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” pops up in this one. As usual, the anachronistic gags abound, especially when Shrek visits a medieval high school that resembles a suburban mall.
The computer animation is technically amazing; it’s just the concept that’s gotten tired. If you liked the previous “Shrek” films, this one will be an amiable re-visit to home turf; if, like me, you never quite got the appeal of the in-jokey franchise, this one won’t change your mind.
“Shrek the Third”
Slowing: Another sequel in the blockbuster animated series, this time with the green ogre (Mike Myers) journeying away from Far Far Away. The usual gang is back, although they’ve gotten just a bit tired, and the movie starts well but limps toward the finish line.
Rated: PG rating is for subject matter
Opening tonight: Alderwood Mall, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Maysville, Mountlake, Meridian, Oak Tree, Woodinville, Cascade Mall
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