U, 92 mins

ALL HAIL THE angriest rebel since James Dean. All right, he’s green, pot-bellied, and has the social graces of a slug. But in terms of attitude? Peerless.

Shrek, the loveable ogre, blunders through the best bedtime stories as if they were scripted by the Inland Revenue. He hates his role in fiction, which is a large part of why we love him. What has Hollywood ever done for ogres? Shrek never had a magic bean in his pocket; and his talking Donkey (Eddie Murphy) is as topical as Punch. They are have-beens and professional grumps. Shrek is the Richard Wilson of Grimm myths; a Scottish oaf more sinned against than sinning, and a plump target for pitchforks and prejudice ever since someone muttered the words “once upon a time”.

He is also the most endearing romantic in the short history of pixellated films, and his marriage to Cameron Diaz’s Princess Fiona was the barmy triumph of the first film. The prickly challenge of Shrek 2 is to prove that this love match was not a fluke or an empty union of beauty and beast. The giddy joy of the sequel is that these astonishing digital dolls have lost none of their ability to surprise and delight.

BACKGROUND

• Shrek the Third

• Shrek the Third

• Game Review - Shrek The Third

• Shrek turns to shrink

• How an ogre became a cash cow . . . and a turkey

BACKGROUND

• Shrek 2

• Shrek Review: they've created a monster

Antonio Banderas – he’s a cool cat

These days he may be best known as a CGI moggy in Shrek movies, but Antonio Banderas still does a passable global sex god

Multimedia

• Pictures: Shrek The Third premier

Related Internet Links

• 2007 London Film Festival coverage

• Times Online Film Trailers

Shrek’s challenge is to meet the parents, a quest few husbands undertake lightly, and Mike Myers as the wobbly voice of the ogre is spookily nervy. The King and Queen of Far Far Away (aka Princess Fiona’s parents) want to celebrate their daughter’s wedding with a nuptial ball.

“Trust me, it’s a bad idea,” moans Shrek as a host of fairytale bums scuttle back into his shack: notably the Three “Village People” Pigs, the Blind Mice, the cross-dressing Big Bad Wolf and the squeaky Gingerbread Man. But Diaz’s Princess wants to do things by the book, which, of course, is where it went wrong in the first film.

The result is a fabulous clash between swamp life and privilege. Far Far Away is the Beverly Hills of fairytale kingdoms: stretch coaches, themed medieval shopping malls, and glittering palaces where bored stars like Cinderella hang out. Worse, Mr and Mrs Shrek are greeted by Fiona’s crusty parents (John Cleese and Julie Andrews) with horror. And it is mutual. The King hires Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to murder Shrek, and Prince Charming (wonderfully voiced by Rupert Everett) is given free rein to hot-wire his way into Fiona’s heart, and ultimately the throne. Chief mischief-maker is the Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), a social climber with a tin heart, large bosoms, and an endless capacity for disco and malice.

The fiendish twists are wrapped in a parody of cynical city life. The spoofs are sublime. Shrek’s anguish at the humiliating obstacles he must negotiate is a liberating joy. The fun is almost indecent. The last reel is a breathtaking orgy of film homage and fable. My enthusiasm started shrinking under the glare of the wholesome point: that Shrek and Fiona have to fight for the freedom to be ugly. That, of course, is true love in La La Land. But when the tempo is dictated by the need for “grown up” gags, it loses valuable childish magic.

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