Daniel Meek

Shrek 1 is an inventive and fun concept that’s handled incredibly well thanks to clever dialogue and a focused narrative. It somehow combines Smash Mouth and fart jokes into a package that’s much smarter than it needs to be. Every joke lands with a punch, Lord Farquaad is the best villain in the series by far and the ending has a strong, important message about physical beauty. The sequel to the movie that started it all is regarded by most as the best in the franchise, but I can’t find myself agreeing with that. “Shrek 2” has a lot of things going for it but the movie is lacking the simple elegance and charm of the first. While the original movie was very focused, building toward a singular message and climax, “Shrek 2” is a lot more meandering, with pointless scenes and characters sprinkled throughout. I believe Shrek 1 is so good, it leaves you sad when it’s ogre. As a movie judged on its own merits, “Shrek the Third” is boring and trite. As a follow-up to “Shrek 2,” this movie is a sad joke. It’s visually bland, and the plot is so uninteresting that I barely remember it after seeing the film three times. Prince Charming is a poor villain with nonsensical motivations, and none of the other characters can keep the movie afloat. Even when the movie tries something different, it usually ends up disgusting rather than entertaining. Call me old-fashioned, but Shrek in high heels and horrifying dream sequences of ogre babies pouring into every orifice of Shrek’s house are not fun for my eyeballs.