Shrek The Third

The third installment of Dreamworks' Shrek series sees the beloved ogre faced with a crisis of conscience and identity. When the amphibian King Harold falls ill, he names Shrek as his successor. However, already very much missing the stench of his beloved swamp, Shrek vows to bring back the rightful blood heir to Far Far Away and escape the fate himself. With the help of his always-trusty sidekicks, Donkey and Puss, Shrek sets sail to find Artie, the teenage soon-to-be king voiced by none other than Justin Timberlake. Shrek and Artie are reluctant to trust each other at first, but soon discover that in order to reconcile their differences, they must come to terms with their own insecurities. Shrek the Third will make you laugh out loud; the animation quality has yet to be surpassed by anything penguin and, excusing the whiny Timberlake, the character voices by Mike Meyers et al are wonderful. But unfortunately the storyline is as obvious and weak as Pinocchio's ability to bluff. It misses the mark and winds up feeling more like an episode of Shrek, the cartoon series, rather than offering the timeless magic contained in the other two feature films. A fun but forgettable beast. [Megan Garriock]