Arts and Culture

Throwback Thursday: Ranking the Shrek movies

Let's start this off by saying -- I'm only reviewing the first three movies in this franchise. Anyone who may be familiar with the universe that the original "Shrek" created in 2001 knows there's multiple others that include spin offs. I'm sticking with the first three because after that it went off the rails (the spin off featuring Puss in Boots is excluded from my judgment).

With that out of the way, let's actually get to more important matters. I know about a year or so ago I reviewed Dreamworks "Shrek" on its own. One evening I stumbled across "Shrek 2" and decided to watch it for the first time in a year or two. It reminded me how much I thoroughly enjoy this wacky world and its characters.

Personally, I only kept up with the franchise until its third movie. I only ever saw snippets of the fourth and I didn't find it enjoyable at all. Maybe it was the fact I was older when I saw it (doubtful) but it wasn't quite the same. So to save space in this column, and my sanity, we're just ranking the first three movies: "Shrek," "Shrek 2" and "Shrek the Third." Each movie features the franchise's main characters Shrek (Mike Myers), a cranky ogre who dislikes people (relatable sometimes); Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), a princess that has a unique "curse"; and Donkey (Eddie Murphy), an animal who was given the gift of speech.

They're joined by a cast of other fairy tale characters throughout the franchise including Prince Charming, Fairy Godmother, Pinochio, the Gingerbread Man, Puss in Boots and many more.

Now that I've gotten that back story out of the way, let's get into the ranking!

SHREK 2

Coming out of the gate at number one is "Shrek 2." It's not often I'd choose a sequel in the number one spot but this one deserved it. "Shrek 2" was released in 2004 and takes place following Shrek and Fiona's wedding and honeymoon. Before long, Fiona's parents -- the king and queen of Far Far Away -- are inviting the pair to come visit them. Shrek, who knows how cruel humans can be, is a little wary but goes along anyway. His wariness is understood when they arrive and the king and queen were expecting their beautiful, human daughter and her husband, Prince Charming. From there we watch Shrek struggle to be comfortable in a kingdom that scorns him, all while his father-in-law is facing the fallback of a deal with the Fairy Godmother gone awry. The biggest reason this movie is at number one? The music! The Fairy Godmother -- Jennifer Saunders -- delivers an absolutely epic rendition of "I Need A Hero" near the end of the movie that's iconic in its own way. Pairing that with a fun storyline and great message -- that you don't need to change yourself to be with the ones you love -- makes it a pretty solid film. It really felt like the perfect end to the franchise in my opinion.

SHREK

Coming in at number two is the film that started it all -- "Shrek." Released in 2001, this movie introduces our main character Shrek, an ogre who dislikes people and how they constantly attempt to run him out of his precious swamp. Soon enough his quiet life of solitude is interrupted when Lord Farquad from a neighboring kingdom starts shipping fairytale creatures from his lands and to Shrek's swamp. Farquad makes a deal with Shrek that if he rescues his soon-to-be bride Princess Fiona from a dangerous tower, he'd remove the creatures from his swamp. Reluctantly Shrek does so, with Donkey tagging along. After Fiona's rescue we learn there's more to her than just a pretty face, including a special curse. "Shrek" is a fun story with a deeper meaning that's perfect for a children's movie. You've got silly little moments like the "Do you know the muffin man?" scene between the Gingerbread Man and Farquad (I can recite it word for word if you ask me that specific question). But it also showcases the doubt and uncertainty someone can have when they don't fit in, particularly in Shrek and Fiona's case. I only rank this below "Shrek 2" because of the Fairy Godmother's absolutely amazing song by the way. Remove that and they'd be fighting for first place.

SHREK THE THIRD

Coming in at number three is... well the third installment "Shrek the Third." I've only ever watched this movie once, maybe twice, and it didn't really stick with me. This movie follows Shrek and Fiona as they deal with the aftermath of losing Fiona's father in "Shrek 2." The duo is expected to take up the mantle and rule Far Far Away, even though Shrek just wants to go back to his swamp (truly all he's ever wanted). In an effort to do so, he tracks down Fiona's cousin Arthur "Artie" Pendragon (Justin Timberlake), to take on the task. That proves to be difficult, after Artie learns the duties and responsibilities he wants nothing more than to stay at school and avoid it all (relatable). Overall I didn't find this movie quite as fun as the first two, which is no surprise. Franchises like this one, that weren't really meant to have sequels, can sometimes struggle so I expected it.

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Laura Jameson is Managing Editor of

The Express.