How many movies really, truly deserve a sequel? We live in a time where money is the only driving force for a sequel, while story takes a back seat. There was no reason to continue the Fantastic 4 franchise, but because the first made a lot of money, we're getting another one this summer. Yet on very rare occasions a film actually creatively demands a sequel. One such film was the original Shrek, a film that showed us a world so eclectic that it felt like we only scratched the possibility of what could be done. Shrek 2 delivered in many ways, ways I think we take for granted. How inspired was it to make Prince Charming the villain in this bizarro fairy tale, for example? While the abundance of pop culture references make it feel dated after only three years, it was a largely worth while sequel. But did it demand another sequel?
No.
Watching Shrek the Third, a number of things become clear, not the least of which is the fact that Shrek as a character has become the least interesting in his own franchise. Where we felt invested in his grumpy quest to save Fiona in the first film, here we have nothing to route for; he's a shadow of his former self. When Shrek is told he must either find Fiona's cousin Artie or inherit the throne from her dying father, it comes more out of a need for a plot than from him as a character. When Shrek learns he's going to be a father, he never gets a real chance to come to terms with it. He's reluctant about it, he has a nightmare about it, and then that's it until the end, when he is suddenly fine with it for no reason. Whereas the first film used the plot as a way to examine Shrek, here it uses Shrek to move along the plot.
And what a dull plot it is. While Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots are off finding Artie (a woefully miscast Justin Timberlake, who seems to be a genuinely strong actor in other roles), Prince Charming rallies the Fairy Tale Villains and takes over Far Far Away. In many ways it is a repeat of the basic structure of the last film, complete with a raid on the castle by our heroes in the final minutes. Yet it all feels so much smaller and less significant. Indeed, the Shrek series has gone from refreshing to being as predictable and cliched as the fairy tales it once tried to parody.
The laughs are also almost nonexistent. The most consistent laughs come from Merlin (brilliant casting in picking another Python alum, Eric Idle), who is depicted as a loony hermit. But Merlin is only a very small part of the film. The best gag, though, is once again given to the Gingerbread Man, who sees his life flash before his eyes. That single scene had me laughing uncontrollably and made this film almost redeemable. Almost.
Sadly, the Shrek series went one film too far. Had they been smart they would have ended with two, and then branched off with other tales set in this world. I know a Puss in Boots movie is coming, and that has some potential, as Antonio Banderas seems to be the only returning cast member that is actually giving it his all. But I can't imagine anyone wanting to see more of Shrek as a character, especially considering what the final scene would imply for a fourth film's direction.
No.
Watching Shrek the Third, a number of things become clear, not the least of which is the fact that Shrek as a character has become the least interesting in his own franchise. Where we felt invested in his grumpy quest to save Fiona in the first film, here we have nothing to route for; he's a shadow of his former self. When Shrek is told he must either find Fiona's cousin Artie or inherit the throne from her dying father, it comes more out of a need for a plot than from him as a character. When Shrek learns he's going to be a father, he never gets a real chance to come to terms with it. He's reluctant about it, he has a nightmare about it, and then that's it until the end, when he is suddenly fine with it for no reason. Whereas the first film used the plot as a way to examine Shrek, here it uses Shrek to move along the plot.
And what a dull plot it is. While Shrek, Donkey, and Puss in Boots are off finding Artie (a woefully miscast Justin Timberlake, who seems to be a genuinely strong actor in other roles), Prince Charming rallies the Fairy Tale Villains and takes over Far Far Away. In many ways it is a repeat of the basic structure of the last film, complete with a raid on the castle by our heroes in the final minutes. Yet it all feels so much smaller and less significant. Indeed, the Shrek series has gone from refreshing to being as predictable and cliched as the fairy tales it once tried to parody.
The laughs are also almost nonexistent. The most consistent laughs come from Merlin (brilliant casting in picking another Python alum, Eric Idle), who is depicted as a loony hermit. But Merlin is only a very small part of the film. The best gag, though, is once again given to the Gingerbread Man, who sees his life flash before his eyes. That single scene had me laughing uncontrollably and made this film almost redeemable. Almost.
Sadly, the Shrek series went one film too far. Had they been smart they would have ended with two, and then branched off with other tales set in this world. I know a Puss in Boots movie is coming, and that has some potential, as Antonio Banderas seems to be the only returning cast member that is actually giving it his all. But I can't imagine anyone wanting to see more of Shrek as a character, especially considering what the final scene would imply for a fourth film's direction.
