But how hard could it be to defeat the preening prince and his army of fairy tale villains? Just appeal to their better natures. When Shrek returns, Far Far Away will not be the kingdom he left. Bitter Prince Charming (Rupert Evert), tired of being a dinner theater has-been, has seized control, imprisoning Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and a few others. Meanwhile, back in Far Far Away, a coup has taken place. When they track him down, in a high school, what they discover isn't promising. Shrek, Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and Puss 'n Boots (Antonio Banderas) go on a trek to find him. This frightens the big guy, so he goes looking for a suitable replacement, and the only candidate is a guy named Arthur (Justin Timberlake). On his way out the door, he names Shrek (Mike Myers) as his heir. King Harold (John Cleese), the majestic frog ruler of Far Far Away, is dying. It's a mass-marketed product, plain and simple, where product tie-ins fatten an already gorged pot. ($436 million domestically, to be exact.) There's no creative reason for this movie to have been greenlighted. Shrek the Third is a classic example of a movie that exists because its predecessor made a lot of money. Kids will still love the big green ogre and his wisecracking donkey, but adults may find that the formula is wearing thin. By installment #3, it has become a little tiresome. It worked beautifully in Shrek and was still appealing in Shrek 2. The recipe hasn't changed: take a few appealing characters, surround them with slightly off-kilter versions of our favorite fairy tale personalities in a land far, far away, mix in some pop songs and hip cultural references, and keep the tone generally light. The problem is, what seems fresh and pleasing the first time through starts to feel a little stale by the time we've gone through it three times (not counting video games and an amusement park ride). Four words say all that needs to be said about Shrek the Third: more of the same.
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