Buy it... if you preferred the wildly fragmented, parody-driven personality of the first Shrek score.

Avoid it... if you instead preferred the consistency of development in Harry Gregson-Williams' solo work for Shrek 2.

Gregson-Williams

Shrek the Third: (Harry Gregson-Williams) With over half a billion in worldwide earnings, Shrek 2 confirmed the appeal of the original Dreamworks smash hit, and rumors point to a fourth Shrek film and even, remarkably, a musical version on stage. Unfortunately for the franchise, Shrek the Third was met with considerably less critical praise than the previous installments, with most comments about the film revolving around its lack of fresh ideas. But that didn't stop the film from grossing $300 million in its first 6 weeks of release, so perhaps we should expect a few more adventures on screen (and stage) for everyone's favorite ogre. That ogre is presented with more weighty life decisions in Shrek the Third, as he attempts to determine whether or not to become the king of Far, Far Away. The same groups of primary characters (and their voices) from the previous installments are joined by two Monty Python veterans and the usual variety of famous animated characters from Disney concepts. Also returning is composer Harry Gregson-Williams, who took over the music writing duties for the franchise after collaborating with John Powell for the original Shrek. His score for the sequel is widely considered an improvement over the first score, with the fragmented nature of the first effort condensed into a sequel that was quite lovely at times. The consistency of the music for films like the Shrek ones is often the primary concern, for with stories that jump so wildly from scene to scene, rarely do the scores have an opportunity to develop beyond their necessary roles as slapstick accompaniment. Gregson-Williams managed to accomplish a fine balance between comedy and awe in Shrek 2, retaining the themes of the franchise and inserting half a dozen more highly organized motifs. By comparison, Shrek the Third seems less developed, with few satisfyingly large-scale references to previous themes and even fewer new ideas that receive due treatment. Because the film features lengthier sequences of conversation between Shrek and Fiona, the score mirrors that reflective tone. With less action and more parodies, Shrek the Third plays like yesterday's hot item.

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In his favor, Gregson-Williams does incorporate his previous themes into Shrek the Third, but those ideas, along with new ones for this installment, seem rushed and underdeveloped (with exception, perhaps, to the music for the Frog King). Don't expect lengthy thematic statements in this score, and those that you do receive are often obscured by their own parody rhythms and instrumentation. Whereas Shrek 2 was a consistent stand-alone listening experience, Shrek the Third is more difficult to enjoy because of its wilder moments and lack of sustained action or drama cues. The first minute of "The Royal Treatment" takes one such familiar theme and alters it to faux classical mode with one of the score's more intriguing moments, both in its pretentious recorder-like opening and its later, full-blown ensemble rendition. In "Fatherly Dreams," Shreks visions of the future offer hints of the adventure theme in an attractive parody rhythm before going bizarre (and unlistenable) in the synthetic realm. Perhaps no cue is better suited to represent the changing personalities of Shrek the Third than this one. Later in the score, several other singular moments provide random laughs. A honky tonk-style piano for "The Hook Attack" leads to a faux barroom brawl sequence with a momentous orchestral crescendo at the end. For "Merlin," Gregson-Williams starts off with a distracting theremine effect that carries through much of the cue. As the film returns to the concept of the ninja princess for its Disney heroines, Gregson-Williams gives them thirty seconds of hip rock rhythms, complete with dated synth orchestra hits. His "King Arthur" cue strays closer to Hans Zimmer's sound for the character than Jerry Goldsmith's, featuring some of the score's more cohesive choral moments. In this, as well as "Fatherly Dreams" and "(Almost) Alone at Last," Gregson-Williams reprises the bold adventure theme most widely associated with the dragon, and this theme continues to be distractingly similar to Trevor Rabin's Deep Blue Sea title theme (especially in its execution in the final cue). Other passing references to fragments of fairy tale themes seem abundant in Shrek the Third, further hammering a wedge into its split personality. It has its moments, but it's definitely a step back from Shrek 2. ***

Bias Check:

For Harry Gregson-Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.09 (in 22 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.24 (in 42,165 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.