Shrek the Third (Widescreen) (2007)

Entertainment Weekly
"[E]xecuted with efficiency and a few new supporting-character flourishes....SHREK THE THIRD sticks to the swamp it knows best..." -- Grade: B- 05/25/2007 p.61-62

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "From a visual standpoint, this is the most accomplished SHREK to date....The score is pretty ace too..." 07/01/2007 p.46

Sight and Sound
"[With] gorgeously rendered digital animation....The film is studded with impressive set pieces....There is clearly great fun being had by the animators and voice artists..." 07/01/2007 p.70

USA Today
3 stars out of 4 -- "[P]acked with good jokes and redeeming revelry..." 11/16/2007 p.9E

DVD Talk 8 of 10
"Third" shows a maturity this series has never investigated before and I fear some might see it as fatigue. Directors Chris Miller and Raman Hui have elected to try for a story-based tone for the second sequel and the change is interesting to say the least. The "Shrek" adventures will never be defined by their dramatic immediacy but "Third' gets close to a consistent tone and more tempered bits of comedy...Also showing marked improvement is the animation, which has taken on a new reality through tech upgrades. "Third" doesn't mess with the visual blueprint, but advances the character expressions and movement. The best example is Shrek himself, who looks at times to be a photo-real creature. This is still a cartoon, but it's inching closer to a CG polish that's baffling to process...Now free of the burden of having to be the hippest ogre in the swamp, this franchise has finally found some footing to manufacture something beyond a cruel lump of groans. - Brian Orndorf
 
ReelViews 7 of 10
Four words say all that needs to be said about Shrek the Third: more of the same. 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). 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. It worked beautifully in Shrek and was still appealing in Shrek 2. By installment #3, it has become a little tiresome...Shrek the Third follows the formula well enough that it will become a must-see for anyone whose age has not yet ascended into double-digit territory. What's disappointing about this movie is that it offers so little to older viewers. One thing that was true of the previous Shreks was that they worked so well on different levels that viewers of all ages could enjoy them. Parents could appreciate the films while acting as chaperones for their offspring. Single adults could go without feeling embarrassed. Unfortunately, Shrek the Third seems like so many other, generic animated movies. Take away the Shrek moniker and you're left with a slickly made version of Happily N'Ever After. - James Berardinelli
 
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
"Shrek the Third" is a damped-down return to the Kingdom of Far Far Away, lacking the comic energy of the first brilliant film and not measuring up to the second...The movie is as visually enchanting as the first two in the series, and the big green ogre (voice of Mike Myers) is as gentle and lovable, but the movie settles for action that it trusts is funny, instead of aiming for comedy itself. Another peculiarity is that the plot will probably not be engaging for younger audience members, who understand dragons but don't care that uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Shrek spends too much time in lachrymose conversation with his bride Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) and pondering the challenge of fatherhood, and not enough time being an ogre...Back again this time are the two supporting stars from the earlier films, Donkey (voice of Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (voice of Antonio Banderas). But they're reduced to being friends and traveling partners and are never really foregrounded...The movie's always a pleasure to watch for its skilled animation. But it lacks truly interesting challenges. It makes the mistake of thinking slapstick action is funny for its own sake, a mistake made by a lot of Saturday-morning TV cartoons. True, characters zooming and bouncing around are easy to write because no creative invention is required to set them in motion. But so what? - Roger Ebert