Third time: not so charming

Opening with a sweeping, tracking shot of a knight riding through a lush, green forest with calming music in the background, "Shrek the Third" enters fairy tale land peacefully. Seconds later, however, the shot reveals that this quintessentially wholesome scene takes place at a crappy dinner theater. It's this zing that reminds us that this is a "Shrek" movie, not a conventional fairy tale. \nLike "Spider-man 3," "Shrek" has a little too much going on, and it strains to organize all its plot points cohesively. When the king of Far Far Away dies, he appoints Shrek (Mike Myers) to take over. Having no interest in being king, Shrek sets out with Donkey and Puss in Boots to find the only other heir to the throne, Fiona's teenage cousin Artie (Justin Timberlake.) While Shrek is away, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) plots to regain power by becoming allies with several familiar fairy tale villains, and Fiona and her princess friends (Cinderella, Snow White, etc.) must try to fight him off until Shrek gets back. Such a complicated story line prevents the film from reaching its comedic potential. It starts and ends with very funny scenes (The ending also revolves around musical theater. Who knows? Maybe the upcoming Broadway "Shrek" musical might be pretty good), but much of the rest is just filler.\nAfter he hears Fiona is pregnant, Shrek spends much of the film worrying about becoming a father. The ogre baby scenes, as well as those featuring the weird dragon/donkey babies, are the film's highlights, but unfortunately they only appear as scattered dream sequences until the end. It would have been more fun to watch Shrek as a dad, rather than watching him fret about it. Stick around for the end credits − that's where the ogre babies shine. \nThe film is also guilty of recycling old jokes from the previous two films, but with amiable supporting characters like Pinocchio, the three little pigs and the Gingerbread man, this vice is easily forgiven. While I hate to put all the emphasis on voicework for a film that is so technically exceptional and wonderfully animated, the A-list cast all fit their roles perfectly, especially as new additions Merlin (Eric Idle) and Snow White (Amy Poehler).