Harry Gregson-Williams returns for a third installment of "Shrek," which is a franchise that might have dealt one too many movies to filmgoers.  The music from the previous two installments was both enchanting and humorous, and when coupled with top song hits of the day, each film offered an entertaining musical package for listeners.  As with the previous two entries, there is both a song album and score release for "Shrek the Third", the latter of which was released in June, 2007. 

 

In what seems to have been brought along with experience, the score material for the third installment seems to be more complete than the previous two albums.  The first two often had disjointed transitions and abrupt stops as the music darted between the quick pacing of the animated material on the screen and the intermittent song entries.  This album seems to offer more of a fluid score delivery, making for cohesion that aids the listening experience immensely.  Of course, this is all open to interpretation, but its my opinion that "Shrek the Third" is more complete than the previous albums.

 

As a whole, Gregson-Williams strays away from overusing the main 'Shrek' theme that both he and John Powell created in the first movie.  As a result, the music is as fresh sounding as it can be, even though this franchise seems to be getting a bit stale in my eyes.  There remains a definite fairy tale quality that resonates with the score and that always helps.  Also present are a few musical surprises, such as the "Princess Resistance," offering a rather hip action beat that makes for a lot of fun to listen to.  Music like this also adds another touch of color to the characters, even for a CGI based film. The 'King Arthur' track also produces an interesting highlight, offering a full statement of a theme that is more warm than it is regal, which is very pleasing to listen to.

 

All in all, "Shrek the Third" is an entertaining score.  It brings your Harry Gregson-Williams on top of his game, even though he must be feeling an interest in moving on from this series (just a hunch).  That said, at no time does it feels like he mailed it in and the music benefits from it.  The comedic tones are veiled in imagination, blending warm elements into a score of enjoyment that helps this trilogy conclude with success. I would venture to write that you should only avoid this release if the material from the first two score albums have left you satisfied and that you have grown weary of the franchise itself.  If you can seperate score from the film franchise on some level, you'll be enjoying yet another respectable effort from one of the composing world's brightest talents.