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 SHREK
THE THIRD
by Jane Louise Boursaw
MPAA Rating: PG for
some crude humor, suggestive content, and swashbuckling action.
Suggested Ages: 6+
Released in Theaters: May 18, 2007
Reel Rating: 3 out of 4 Reels
Should you take the
kids? Yes! This is a fun movie with great animation and plenty of
laughs. As with the first two movies, though, it's rife with body-humor (you
know the kind I mean) and a few innuendoes, which makes it best for kids 6
and older. For more info, see "Bringing the Kids" below.
THE STORY:
The Big Green Guy is back, and all his pals are with him. You might recall
that at the end of "Shrek 2," King Harold (voiced by John Cleese) had turned
into a frog. Now he's fallen ill, and his daughter, Princess Fiona (Cameron
Diaz), and her hubby, Shrek (Mike Myers) are next in line to rule as the
King and Queen of Far, Far Away.
But that's the last thing
Shrek had in mind when he married Fiona. He'd be happy to hang out in his
beloved swamp for the rest of his life; unfortunately, that's not an option
unless he can find a suitable replacement to be King. The most promising
candidate? Fiona's cousin Artie (Justin Timberlake), an underachieving
medieval high school slacker.
With cohorts Donkey (Eddie
Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), Shrek sets out to find the
rebellious teen. But things get complicated when the jilted Prince Charming
(Rupert Everett) previously thrown out of the kingdom returns to seek
revenge. He aims to get that throne for himself, and he's got help from a
group of fairy-tale baddies, including the villainous Captain Hook (Ian
McShane).
With Shrek gone, it's up to
Fiona to defend the kingdom, but not to worry. As Aretha Franklin once sang,
"sisters are doin' it for themselves," and Fiona assembles a band of girls
to help her: Snow White (Amy Poehler), Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph), Sleeping
Beauty (Cheri Oteri), and Cinderella (Amy Sedaris).
"Shrek the Third" features
plenty of great new voices, including British comedian Eric Idle as Merlin
(reuniting him with his "Monty Python" co-star John Cleese), John Krasinski
(Lancelot), Larry King (Doris), and Regis Philbin (Mabel). Many favorites
are back, as well, including Queen Lillian (Julia Andrews), Pinocchio (Cody
Cameron), and The Three Little Pigs (also Cody Cameron).
This is a fun movie with
super CG animation and plenty of laughs. And
are there some little Shreks on
the way? See the movie and find out!
 BRINGING
THE KIDS:
PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5):
With more of the same crude humor and innuendoes featured in the first two
movies, best to hold off on this until the kids get a little older. Better
girl-power DVDs for preschoolers include "Dora the Explorer," ""Mulan," and
"Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper" (sure, she wants to marry the
prince, but not until she's back from her world tour).
GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6
- 10): Grade-schoolers will love seeing the funny characters again.
Unfortunately, they'll also love all the bodily-function humor (belching,
farting, butt-scratching, etc.). There are a few suggestive scenes involving
cross-dressing (sort of), provocative behavior, and off-screen sex (ok, we
KNOW Shrek and Fiona are married, but do we have to see them in bed
together?). For this reason, I think it's best suited for kids 6 and older.
TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+):
How cool to see five strong women defending the castle, rather than
relying on some knight in shining armor to rescue them. This movie
reinforces the fact that Girls Rock! (But we all knew that, didn't we?)
SCORE: 3 out of 4 Reels.
JANE'S REEL RATING
SYSTEM:
One Reel Pathetic. Even
the Force can't save it.
Two Reels Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.
Read my other reviews
HERE.
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