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Shrek The Third
Starring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett,
Eric Idle, Justin Timberlake.
Directed by Chris Miller.
Screenplay by Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, Chris Miller, and Aron Warner.
Produced by Aron Warner.
Distributed by DreamWorks Animation.
93 minutes.
I've found the previous Shrek films delightfully entertaining while watching them, only to have their merits fade in hindsight.
Regarding the first one, part of the reason for this reaction came from my general disdain for attack humour - for a film
that was about accepting those who were different and highlighting those differences, it had an unusually mean streak to it.
So why was I laughing at all? Blame it on clever writing - attack humour done well makes for some of the funniest comedy material.
The second outing thankfully shifted away from the meanness, yet retained the sharp comedy writing. But, as the trend
of shedding elements from the first film continues, Shrek the Third is the one to suffer most as the punch has gone out of
the ogre. Now about as irreverent as a trained pup, this flick urgently needs inventiveness from other quarters for support.
Sadly though, in the main, the writing in both the humour and the story are slightly below par this time.
I think it's important to make the distinction that this third film isn't doing much more than fulfilling modest expectations.
It has its funny moments, but the tone is otherwise one of genial charm and amusement. The story is one of a natural development
- Shrek has become heir to the kingdom of Far Far Away, but, finding the duty at odds with his ogre lifestyle, he goes out
to seek a replacement. Meanwhile, he frets over impending fatherhood - but it offers little in the way of surprise. The movie
contains several subplots, each with its own theme to explore, but juggles them lightly without developing any of them beyond
a perfunctory level. In other words, Shrek the Third tackles the presentation of a sequel without much evidence of the enthusiasm
behind the previous two outings. This void can be seen in the nuts-and-bolts elements of the feature, starting with the voice/character
acting. It's hard to imagine animated characters phoning it in, but that's the feeling I got here. As the series progresses,
we get the idea that domesticity and being accustomed to the wackiness of sidekicks like Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) and
Puss In Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas) has worn Shrek down to a harmless variety of grumpy, which can be felt even in
Mike Myers's voice delivery. He takes those sidekicks in tow for his little mini adventure, but for as much as they get to
do on the trip, he might as well have gone himself.
The film does hit a creative low point early when it decides to make fun of American high school, using every obvious
joke (cheerleaders and nerds) that we've seen elsewhere before. Faring better is the drama back at the castle, where Fiona
(voiced by Cameron Diaz) and her princess friends try their best to resist an invasion led by Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert
Everett). There's stronger thematic material here, featuring women who refuse to be passive damsels-in-distress, and an army
of villains who lash out only because they've been misunderstood and have been dealt some bad hands in life (the only exception
being Charming himself, who, for some reason, is just plain irredeemable).
So there are some highlights and some lowlights, and in the end they all even out, but because the first two in the series
were so much more enjoyable, the feeling of being underwhelmed overshadows Shrek the Third. Without a desire to gleefully
offend, and its comedy of expectation reversals now predictable, it carries that safe and settled whiff of trademarked franchise.
There's less to get excited about, and just as little to get worked up over. I do admit being a little miffed that my favourite
character, Puss In Boots, wasn't called on to do very much of anything.
Die Hard 4.0
Cast: Bruce Willis, Timothy Olyphant, Justin Long, Maggie Q, Kevin Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Director: Len Wiseman
Screenplay: Mark Bomback
Cinematography: Simon Duggan
Music: Marco Beltrami
Running Time: 2hrs 10min
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Surprisingly clever, humorous and thrilling, if preposterously excessive, the fourth entry in the popular Die Hard series
isn't as terrible as it might have been. For an hour, it's relatively strong for this kind of feature. Bruce Willis returns
to the role he originated in 1988 in that memorable Los Angeles skyscraper potboiler about a middle-aged, barefooted policeman
using only his mind and his rebelliousness against top criminals in an apparently impossible-to-defeat full-scale attack.
He's back as John McClane, promoted to lieutenant detective, older and being a pest towards his romancing college student
daughter (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
That's one of several overcooked plot points, though in that regard the story has more advantages than disadvantages.
An attack is underway, targeting America's infrastructure by some computer-driven strike called a firesale - because everything
must go - that causes breakdowns, blackouts and bank robberies, basically in that order. As the coordinated campaign begins,
and it's as murky as the other entries' treachery, McClane's on his way to pick up one of a thousand suspected hackers (scruffy
Justin Long), who happens to be designated for imminent extermination by the hit squad - another motley crew - now that he's
past his purpose. Crusty McClane though has other ideas.
Enter the usual parade of characters. A sympathetic cop type (stern Cliff Curtis), a band of rugged villains improbably
led by a sour grapes ex-fed (flat Timothy Olyphant) and bureaucratic twits. Amid the smirks, winks and witty lines, Mr. Willis,
today's closest action hero to John Wayne, trots out another reluctant hero and it actually works. Grabbing the hacker twerp
he heads off to Washington, D.C. following his federal orders. As the USA grinds to a functional halt, McClane recalls the
original's sense of self-reliance. Not depending on the government and its Bush-era, alphabet soup bureaucracies, the frazzled
cop and his young charge pop off fire extinguishers and fire hydrants to finely timed effect.
With good chemistry between Mr. Willis and Long as the hacker, who must face the consequences of his irrational actions,
there are threads about interdependence, in time for America's Independence Day and a hero being an underappreciated man who
acts alone. McClane's daughter convincingly comes into play and it's a potent blend of the series' best elements. Momentum
is derailed when a racial stereotype, the omnipotent Asian automaton, sucks the credibility out of the picture in what feels
like 15 minutes of cartoonish blasts and death blows that don't kill anyone. With unrealistic action, bad acting, fast cutting
close-ups and a monochromatic look, Die Hard 4.0 loses some steam.
The action however, is generally effective. A tunnel scene is thoughtfully conceived and well done, and, despite an utterly
superfluous action bit with a fighter jet that looks like a cheap video game, the movie recovers. By then, the defects are
on display: a lead villain with dual motives and no backbone, new character arcs late in the act and too much going on with
not enough of a wrapup for the whizz kid's coming of age and McClane's daughter coming around. But Long, Winstead, Clark and
Mr. Willis pour themselves into this revival, ultimately making it worth the price of admission.
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