All is not well in Far Far Away, Shrek's father-in-law croaks, leaving him the heir to the kingdom, but it's not a job the ogre wants. So he, Puss in Boots and Donkey set out to find Fiona's cousin Artie, who's next in line to the throne. But the young prince is reluctant. Prince Charming on the other hand would be only too happy to take the reins and he means to with the help of his newly recruited army of fairytale villains. While Shrek's away it's up to Fiona and the other fairytale princesses to protect Far Far Away from Charming and his forces. Can the ogres get the happy ending they deserve this time round?

It's such a shame that the film isn't as good as it looks. Perhaps it's because directors Chris Miller and Raman Hui have so little experience behind the camera. They have no idea how to tie together the three plot strands of the movie, making it feel episodic. They consistently fumble any comic aspect; there are about six decent jokes in the entire movie, most of which you'll have seen in the trailer and all of which are perplexingly cobbled together in one short montage. The co-directors have a tendency to go for the most obvious gags which they then pre-empt and drag out far beyond their natural end. There aren't enough throw-away sight gags and much of the slapstick feels forced. There aren't even the film references we've come to expect from the franchise. There's one nod to "The Six Million Dollar Man" as the Gingerbread Man's life flashes before his eyes and a background "42nd Street" pastiche, but they're about the limit. The film just doesn't have the verve of the original - there are no stand-out scenes like the escape from the dragon's castle. The frustrating thing is that there are hints of how good the movie could be, like Fiona and the other princesses escaping from a dungeon to take on Prince Charming and his henchmen. But these moments are few and far between. The co-directors seem too engrossed in the minutiae of animation (hardly surprising considering they were both formerly animators) to concentrate on actually telling a story. This makes for a visually arresting but rather dull ninety-two minutes.

The dialogue throughout is turgid and free of spontaneity and laughs. The closest we get to verbal dexterity is when Shrek tries to be "down with the kids". Whereas the original movie made much of its "be yourself" message, this one seems determined to tell kids to refuse you responsibilities and palm them off on others as Shrek does with ruling Far Far Away. But to avoid such criticisms, they throw in a clumsy monologue about the importance of being yourself in the closing minutes, though it feels completely insincere.

As the sequels increase in number, so the quality of the soundtracks diminishes. There are no feel-good hits in the vein of Smashmouth's "All Star" or "I'm a Believer" from the first film. There isn't even the energy of "Holding Out for a Hero" from "Shrek 2". Instead we get unmemorable tracks from Eels, a misplaced frog chorus of "Live and Let Die" for a funeral and Snow Patrol's "Set Fire to the Third Bar". Where are the toe-tapping tunes? The sing-along songs? Where's the joy? Score composer Harry Gregson-Williams now feels like he's plagiarising himself, resurrecting the love theme from the original film on multiple occasions. His orchestral arrangements generally fit the mood of any given scene, using soft flutes for Shrek's domestic bliss, pushy horns for Prince Charming, brooding strings for his dastardly plans and full-blown action themes when the princesses take on him and his henchmen. The best bits are the cheesy musical numbers for Charming's play, as they suggest the composer has a sense of humour. But although, or perhaps because the music fits the individual scenes, the score feels uneven.