Shrek the Third (score)

Summarize Fact Check

Clark Douglas of Movie Music UK wrote "Maybe it's the fresh warmth of the writing, maybe it's the significantly better recording, or maybe it's just my wonderful giving spirit… but "Shrek the Third" certainly sounds a lot better than I expected it to, and gives me a much-needed dose of encouragement in terms of the capabilities of Harry Gregson-Williams. A rather pleasant surprise, and at forty minutes, just the right length, too. It's the best Gregson-Williams score in at least a couple years, and is recommended."^[2] Critic based at AllMusic wrote "As on his earlier SHREK scores, Gregson-Williams playfully mixes Renaissance Fair-like tracks with more dynamic string pieces (see "Charmed & Dangerous"), effectively heightening both the comedy and the drama of the fairytale adventure".^[3]

Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks wrote "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."^[4] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "This is the kind of score which - despite having nothing inherently wrong with it, and indeed quite a lot right with it - just doesn't quite gel together.  It's still entertaining, and has several fine moments, but is a step back from the second entry in the series, and frankly there have been so many scores just like this in recent years it's hard to care all that much any more."^[5] Ellis J. Wells of Iowa State Daily called it to be a "let down".^[6] A. O. Scott of The New York Times felt the score was not "memorable" unlike the predecessors.^[7]

Critic based at Scorenotes.com said "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 feel 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 [...] If you can separate 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."^[8] Kaya Savas of MovieWeb wrote "There were too many songs and not enough score. Harry Gregson-Williams has been part of this franchise since the beginning and he returned to score the third one despite Andrew Adamson leaving. It feels like that they drown out his score completely with all the songs. Granted you don't go see a movie like this for the score, but I think the score played a big part in the first two and I hardly recall noticing most of it this time around."^[9]

Credits adapted from liner notes:^[10]