Not so long ago in a land near Far Far Away, there lived a smelly ogre called Shrek. He loved his swamp and his solitude. Then one day the unfortunately named Lord Farquaad decreed that all the fairytale creatures would be banished to his swamp.

Infuriated and more than a little frustrated by his new companiion, a talkative donkey (Eddie Murphy), he goes to set Farquaad straight but ends up on a quest to find him a princess - so he can become a King.

He finds Fiona in a castle surrounded by a boiling lake of lava and guarded by a dragon. So after rescuing her and donkey getting a date with the dragon they come back. Fiona becomes an ogre - her and Shrek get married and they go on honeymoon.

When they return they are summoned to meet her folks (in Shrek 2). When he parents see that she is now an ogre, they arrange to have Shrek killed by a local assassin known as Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). The real villain, though, the fairy Godmother wants her son to be the new king so concocts a plan - and some potions - to split them up.

So we join the Shrek posse in this third installment of the Shrek saga. Fiona (Cameron Diaz)is pregnant and the king (John Cleese) is dying - leaving Shrek (Mike Myers) as the heir to the throne of Far Far Away. Shrek, who doesn't much like the prospect goes in search of the other possible heir - Arthur (Justin Timberlake).

Arthur, the kind of loser that even geeks make fun of, is an unlikely choice for future king but Shrek sees no other choice. So after running aground following a disagreement they run into a wizard called Merlin (Eric Idle) who zaps them back to the castle.

Unfortunately, in their absence, Prince Charming has taken control of Far Far Away aided by those villains who want the Happily Ever Afters they've been denied up until now.

Although this movie is good fun and well worth a watch, I couldn't help thinking that it paled in comparison to the first and second instalments. If this was a stand alone film I'd sing it's praises because it was good - but not Shrek good.

Unlike the earlier movies this one wasn't so quick-fire and neither was it packed full of one-liners and background gags that made my sides split. Don't get me wrong, there were moments that made me chuckle, but it wasn't up to the usual Shrek standard.

Compared to it's predecessors and films like Flushed Away this film was a disappointment, but taken alone it was a good fun film. One for the kids.

see also:
Arthur Christmas, Up, Flushed Away, Cloudy with a chance of meatballs

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photo © Dreamworks Animation.