When Shrek married Fiona, the last thing that is on his mind was to rule Far Far Away. When Fiona's Father, King Harold becomes ill, the reluctant Shrek is quickly fitted for the crown. The only way out to is for him to find Fiona's cousin Artie, the next heir in line. Meanwhile, Fiona has a little green surprise on the way. While Shrek is away, Prince Charming returns to the kingdom of Far Far Away to create havoc with his new found army. Even with Donkey and Puss-in-Boots on Fiona's side, it will require a ogre-sized effort for Fiona and her allies to defend Far Far Away, while waiting for Shrek to complete his quest and resume their "Happily Ever After".

Our lovable band of fairy-tale heroes return for the third time to tickle our funny bones in "Shrek 3". When the first "Shrek" movie premiered in 2001, it was a celebrated revenge for the repressed, challenging the notion that fairy-tales are always full of roses and that it always ends in 'happily ever after'. "Shrek" was the rebel in all of us and it threw the much-needed reality slap to a fantasised subject. The idea was tempting, the product was made and ironically, we celebrated it as one of the highest grossing animation film in history.

"Shrek 3" continues from where the last movie left off with Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) bunking in the castle of the kingdom of Far Far Away. Fiona's father, King Harold a.k.a. the Frog King (John Cleese), is about to croak (pun intended) and the next person in line for the throne is Shrek himself. And here lies Shrek's predicament - he would rather return to his beloved swamp than become the next king.

Aesthetically, the movie has invariable improvisations. Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) has been upgraded to sport a sleeker, shinier and fluffier body of fur. Backgrounds look next to real and you would definitely think so when the animated characters are off the scene. Eyebrows are emphasised, global highlighting implemented and all the little details are made to look a little more life-like than "Shrek 2" but however, the polished effects amount to nothing much.

The humour has gone stale, the characters have become boring and the story doesn't wow you anymore. "Shrek 2" was great because of its larger-than-life interpretations and over-dramatised plot lines. The third instalment turns out to be a 'watered-down' copy of the second. There is nothing remarkably new to chew on and if you loved the first two movies, there's a chance you might leave the cinema in distaste after seeing this one. Even Donkey (Eddie Murphy) has lost his charm.

Arthur (Justin Timberlake), Fiona's cousin and the next suitable heir for the throne, seem to be a quick and hasty addition to the character line-up. He is granted very little screen time and is less than memorable compared to the impact Shrek made on the audience. Even if he doesn't show up in the next "Shrek" movie (if there is one), no one would care, really. Everyone is a little tired of Prince Charming's (Rupert Everett) ridiculous 'bad guy'-wannabe sentiments. A highly annoying metrosexual villain is less than pleasing.

Fans of Shrek will still enjoy his return but the movie sadly fails to outdo itself.

We've got a cat in footwear, a dragon-loving donkey, a confectionery that speaks, and after three years, instead of wondering how we fell in love with them, we anticipate how we could fall in love with them again. When you gorge on a movie like "Shrek", you don't really look out for intricate plots with twists and detours, but how the old characters and new ones can once again ignite flames of laughter. This time around, it doesn't fail to do just that as Shrek goes on an adventure to find his replacement, Artie (Justin Timberlake), for kingship when his father-in-law (John Cleese), a bullfrog, finally croaks (literally).

The movie opens with familiar characters like the smart-mouthed Gingerbread Man, and Donkey with his endearingly annoying behaviour, but before it strays too close to the past "Shrek" movies, it quickly moves on to new characters like Artie and a SNAG of a wizard, Merlin (Eric Idle). Additionally, newcomer Justin Timberlake did a good job convincing the audience that Artie's voice does not belong to a successful pop artist but a scared and awkward young boy who has no visible kingly qualities. Eric Idle sprinkled laughter within the audience as he plays the loopy, 'in touch with your inner emotions', Wizard.

In the meantime, while Shrek is away busy avoiding his proposed kingship, Prince Charming is working hard to attain it by persuading fairytale villains to join him in his dream to be king. Hence introducing more humourous characters like Fiona's bimbotic but creative fighting princesses who take on these villains to help protect the kingdom while Shrek is away. From the narcoleptic but useful fighter, Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri), to the sensitive Cyclops (Mark Valley), this film has a new flavour with the lovable familiar ogre stench embedded in it.

Many could argue that this was a cheap shot by DreamWorks to make another Shrek movie to rake in the Benjamins, and that we are fed with recycled characters with their recycled humour, but that's why we fell in love with them in the first place. Generally, the jokes are new but laced with the same style of humour. Nonetheless, these characters have to maintain their sense of humour, and stay true to why they were funny in the first place.

A similar theme that runs through all three films is the 'victory of the underdogs'. Namely, how an Ogre could marry a princess. So, once again, we are inspired by loser Artie's fight for kingship and the possibility that unlikely candidates can experience victory.

Don't expect a dynamic plot that leaves you clueless about the ending. This is a cartoon after all; pure entertainment as opposed to rocket science, making it enjoyable for people of all ages. Therefore, walk into the cinema looking forward to some amazing effects and character animation. However, don't expect to be wowed. Alternatively, but most importantly, you will encounter entertainment in it's most attractive form - comedy.