About every other summer, we, the movie-going public, hear how it is going to be “the Summer of Sequels” and how the box-office is going to be dominated by these sequels.

But consider the track record of sequels over the past 30 years or so:

The Godfather II becomes the only sequel nominated for a Best Picture Oscar — a record that stands until Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King.  The Godfather and The Godfather II are still the only movie/sequel pairing to each win the Best Picture Oscar.

The Empire Strikes Back is widely regarded as the strongest of the original three episodes of the Star Wars saga.

To balance the scale, I only need one example:  The Police Academy Series.

That all being said, we now enter into the realm of Mike Myers and his sequels….

I found myself at the Winter Park Village 20 (I know — it’s a Regal, but I was not close to an AMC).  I chose to wait an extra 30 minutes so as to not be rushed getting into the theater and missing the previews.  It was a good choice because I was able to get a pretty decent seat.  Now going to the movies solo can be fun and annoying.  People assume that those watching solo have an obligation to move seats to accommodate  families who come into the theater 1 minute before showtime.  Today, I was not in the mood to give up a seat that I chose to wait for.  I got some mean looks but I shrugged them off.  I wish I could say I remembered the trailers, but nothing really stood out.

The general feeling I came away from Shrek with was one of “they phoned it in” and one of “Mike Myers just Austin Powersed another franchise.”  The only person who didn’t seem bored with their voice work was Justin Timberlake; everyone else seemed to be counting money instead.  I just see this movie as a case of Mike Meyers not knowing when to say “The End.”  It happened with Austin Powers — first two were decent enough, but did we really need Goldmember?  The same is true here — what fairy tale really needed the Shrek twist put on it?  If one is going to tackle the parodying of Arthur, then commit to it.  What we end up getting is a lame reason to send Shrek and crew on a mission where we never really feel they are in danger.

Will kids like it? Yes, and that is why it will do well at the box-office.  Adults will find it somewhat tedious.

My advice: wait for it to hit the cheap theaters or DVD — save the theater event cash for a different show…