The third time’s a charm? Eh, not quite…

The fairy tale continues in Shrek the Third as Shrek (Mike Myers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and their gang of sidekicks return to the big screen to parody all things Cinderella-y and Snow White-esque. The film follows Shrek on yet another cross-country quest, this time adding an internal battle to his list of challenges.

Shrek the Third begins abruptly as the two ogre lovebirds are forced to take over ruling the kingdom of Far Far Away while Fiona’s father, King Harold (John Cleese), takes a sick leave. The couple does a horrible job running things, and Shrek looks forward to once again living in a disgusting secluded swamp when the king recovers. But then King Harold suddenly dies – in what may have been the funniest animated death scene I’ve seen – and Shrek is left to rule the land.

Bitter and cynical as always, Shrek immediately decides that he cannot handle the job and sets out to find and convince Fiona’s cousin, Arthur, to take the throne instead. Arthur, unfortunately played by Justin Timberlake, is a small, weak social outcast at Worcestershire High School. He joins Shrek, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) on their trek back to Far Far Away.

That would seem to be enough adventure for a film, but apparently the screenwriters felt that one plotline was insufficient. Just as Shrek sets out on his quest to find Arthur, Fiona tells him that she is pregnant. He then spends the entire film struggling with his fear of becoming a father and his apparent disgust for children. Arthur confides that his father abandoned him, a character development and plotline with which the film never follows through. Meanwhile, Prince Charming decides to unite the villains from every fairy tale you can think of to take over Far Far Away.

In addition to the infinite number of plots, the script is a bit different from what viewers may have come to expect from the Shrek series. Geared more towards children, the film has fewer adult-oriented jokes. Also, the climax of the film features a long speech by Arthur, showcasing Timberlake’s phenomenal acting (sarcasm). The speech resolves the conflicts of the film in a manner reminiscent of Rodney King’s “why can’t we all just get along” and ends the story too much like a kindergarten moral tied up in a pretty box.

But despite the miscasting of Timberlake and the below par writing, Shrek the Third remains an overall very funny movie. Murphy and Banderas continue to thrive in their roles of Donkey and Puss. Sidekicks like Pinocchio (Cody Cameron) and Gingy (Conrad Vernon) steal the show with some hilarious scenes that basically redeem the film. The addition of Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), Snow White (Amy Poehler), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri), and Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph) as Fiona’s sidekicks also provide for clever laugh-out-loud moments.

Still deciding if Shrek the Third is worth the close-to-Northwestern-tuition-price of a Century Theatres ticket? If you’re in want of a lighthearted, easygoing night out, go see it. I guarantee you will laugh. Just don’t think too much about the storyline.