Shrek the Third
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: May 18, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
17
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
So far in this year's cartoon feature sweepstakes, Shrek the Third rules. Read full review
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
After a buoyantly funny first half-hour, stylish animated comedy takes a breather before ramping it up again for a rambunctious, girrrl-power finale that provides a convenient springboard for further adventures to come. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Shrek the Third seems at once more energetic and more relaxed, less desperate to prove its cleverness and therefore to some extent smarter. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Computer-generated animated movies with wall-to-wall jokes can be excruciating, but these jokes are the funniest money can buy. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The world of the fanciful fable looks particularly vibrant this time with its signature blend of realism and fantasy. It is a pleasure to watch these fairy tale folk be themselves -- yet again. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The journey is not very exciting, but the destinations are inspired. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Mostly connects with a fairly tight story -- even if it feels less like a movie and more like a really good episode of a "Shrek" TV series. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Gets back the mood, the pleasure and even some of the freshness of its first installment. Read full review
70
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Brings back the characters you may have loved, as I did, in the earlier movies: My particular faves are Antonio Banderas' poon-hound Puss-in-Boots. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
I love the princess squad. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Shrek, DreamWorks' big green cash machine, has finally run dry, perhaps not of box office power, but most assuredly of the caustic, fractured fairy tale-isms and the wry, snarky wit that made the first film, and to a lesser degree, the first sequel, so winning. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Four words say all that needs to be said about Shrek the Third: more of the same. Read full review
63
New York PostKyle Smith
The big new addition in Shrek the Third is Justin Timberlake as the high school-age future King Arthur, but if Timberlake contributed a song to the soundtrack it would have to be "WhinyBack." Read full review
63
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
What does set Shrek the Third apart is the quality of its animation, which reaches a level of expressiveness in the faces that would make even Hollywood's heavily Botoxed live-action stars envious. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
It's not all bad. There is a funny early sequence where Prince Charming is being jeered for his lousy cabaret act in a village pub and a hilarious death-lily scene with the bullfrog King Harold (John Cleese) trying to squeak out the name of his heir while snapping up one last fly. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
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. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Much of the bite and a good deal of the wit of the first two films are missing here. The rude send-up of beloved fairy tale conventions remains -- somewhat -- but these playful jabs no longer come as pleasing surprises. You expect them. And you expect better. Read full review
60
The New YorkerDavid Denby
The plot material isn't as strong as in the first two movies--if anything, it feels a bit desperate--but the anti-Disney joke blunderbuss remains in good working order. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
The law of diminishing returns is no more apparent than in the movie world. A sequel, with rare exceptions, is worse than the film it follows, and sequels of sequels fare even worse. Such is the case with Shrek the Third. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
A fairly underwhelming experience for man or child -- not so much bad as just more of the same, with little of the original's novelty or freshness. Read full review
50
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Blinded by avarice and all out of ideas, once again, Hollywood can't tell when enough is way more than enough. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
There's no disguising the fact that Shrek the Third has come down with a bad case of sequelitis. You know the symptoms: Lots of razzle-dazzle to distract from the hole at the center of the story. You know, the place where fresh ideas should be. Read full review
50
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The end result of Shrek the Third is that you laugh a lot and you go home grumpy. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
I doubt even rabid fans of the first two will consider Shrek the Third a worthy addition to the franchise. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Has its moments... But does a kids' movie really need, among other similar touches, a Hooters joke? I, for one, wouldn't want to have to explain it. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
This latest iteration of DreamWorks's money machine has its ups and downs, its longueurs along with its felicities, plus an abiding preoccupation with poop. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The only thing majestic about Shrek the Third is the title. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Reason to make Shrek the Third: Probable earnings of $400 million worldwide. Reasons not to make Shrek the Third: Played-out characters. Bland villain. Novice directors. Slipshod plotting. No compelling story or emotional depth. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The big green babysitter is back, but the charm has evaporated. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The real trouble is that the filmmakers consistently choose gags over character. Read full review
50
Film ThreatMichael Ferraro
Somewhat of an improvement over the last one, though it still never veers off familiar terrain. Essentially, if you've only seen one "Shrek" film, you've seen them all. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Shrek the Third isn't a movie, it's the extension of a brand. Read full review
40
EmpireDan Jolin
Another summer threequel, another case of slipping standards – not so much in the visuals, which remain predictably impressive, but in the all-important gag rate. To waste both Donkey and Puss is a crime… Read full review
38
PremiereEthan Alter
It's just a spectacularly lazy movie that's content to trod the same well-worn ground as its predecessors. Read full review
25
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
Shrek The Third instead goes for less: fewer jokes, less energy, and toned-down characters. Read full review
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