IMDb rating: 6.1

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 42 percent

Directed by: Chris Molenaar

Voice cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Justin Timberlake, Rupert Everett

Duration of the film: 1 hour 33 minutes

Short content: King Harold (Cleese) names Shrek (Myers) and Fiona (Diaz) as his heirs. But our favorite ogre is not up to the responsibilities that come with ruling a kingdom. Meanwhile, as Harold lies dying, he talks about another heir, a nephew named Arthur Pendragon (Timberlake). So Shrek and Fiona come up with a plan to make him king, but the kingdom is threatened by Prince Charming (Everett) who wants to avenge his mother’s death.

Why you should watch it again: Despite being the worst-reviewed film in the franchise, this third installment in the main series Shrek series is still pretty good. The biggest problem here is that it can’t justify its existence. Here, even more than the fourth film, it feels like a franchise that has had its day. Still, it’s pretty entertaining because the script has plenty of jokes and the voice acting is excellent as always, especially by Murphy.

IMDb rating: 6.3

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 57 percent

Directed by: Mike Mitchell

Voice cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Walt Dohrn, Julie Andrews, John Cleese

Duration of the film: 1 hour 33 minutes

Short content: Shrek (Myers) longs for the days when he was unpopular and could live all alone in his swamp home. At his children’s first birthday party, he can’t handle the chaos and attacks Fiona (Diaz). He meets a creature named Rumpelstiltskin (Dohrn) who immediately accepts his plight and offers him a deal: Shrek can be a lonely ogre for another day, but there’s fine print in the deal that he didn’t read. Shrek finds himself in an alternate reality where neither Donkey (Murphy) nor Fiona know him. What’s worse? Fiona is still captive and Rumpelstiltskin is the king of Far Far Away. Shrek has one day to undo the damage or he’ll fade from existence.

Why you should watch it again: A solid fourquel where we’re just glad to see these characters again. It has an engaging story set in a parallel universe and a really slimy villain in Rumpelstiltskin.

Read more: Best Parallel Universe Movies Ever Made

IMDb rating: 6.8

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 86 percent

Directed by: Chris Molenaar

Voice cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris

Duration of the film: 1 hour 30 minutes

Short content: This is the origin story of the feline outlaw character first seen in the second Shrek film. On the run from the law, Puss (Banderas) sets out to clear his name and restore his honor. He discovers that magic beans lead to a treasure trove of giant golden eggs guarded by Giant Terror, a giant goose. But the beans are in the possession of two outlaws named Jack (Thornton) and Jill (Sedaris). To stop them, Puss must team up with his childhood friend Humpty Dumpty (Galifianakis) and a cat burglar (and also a cat), Kitty Softpaws (Hayek).

Why you should watch it again: I hate the idea of ​​prequels in general (although The first omen earlier this year was great) and the origin stories of the individual characters, but this character (and the world around him) is irresistible. It helps that Puss is voiced with a velvety quality by Banderas, who brings a charm and charisma to the character.

IMDb rating: 7.3

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89 percent

Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon

Voice cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Jennifer Saunders, Rupert Everett

Duration of the film: 1 hour 33 minutes

Short content: In this sequel to the original film, Shrek (Myers) and Fiona (Diaz) meet the parents of the latter from Far Far Away, King Harold (Cleese) and Queen Lillian (Andrews). The king is stunned to discover that Shrek is indeed an ogre. Meanwhile, it turns out that Fiona had a Fairy Godmother (Saunders) as a child, and she wanted the princess to marry her son, Prince Charming (Everett). She still wants Fiona to end up with her son. To achieve this goal, she devises a plan to separate Shrek and Fiona by manipulating them into thinking that the other does not love them.

Why you should watch it again: Besides being Puss in Boots’ debut, this film is a hilarious and fun family film. It also expands this rather crazy yet beautifully detailed world considerably.

IMDb rating: 7.8

Rotten tomatoes: 95 percent

Directed by: Joel Crawford, Januel Markt

Voice cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén, Florence Pugh, Olivia Colman, Ray Winstone, Wagner Moura, Samson Kayo

Duration of the film: 1 hour 42 minutes

Short content: Our favorite hero, Puss (Banderas), returns in this sequel. Cats are said to have nine lives, and it turns out Puss only has one. So the next time he dies, he’ll die for good. He teams up with his old flame Kitty Softpaw (Hayek) to find the possibly mythical Wishing Star and get his life back. Their paths cross with Goldilocks (Pugh), a young woman and her crime family consisting of three bears, Mama Bear (Colman), Papa Bear (Winston) and Baby Bear (Kayo). Along the way, Puss is confronted with his own mortality, dangers and even comes face to face with literal Death himself.

Why you should watch it again: The last wish is not only a great animated film, but also one of the best sequels of all time. It truly outperforms its own original film in almost every way. The animation is stunning, the voice cast is full of household names, and the story is fun, engaging, and has just enough depth to not bore you or assault you with unnecessary complexity.

IMDb rating: 7.9

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 88 percent

Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson

Voice cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Cody

Duration of the film: 1 hour 30 minutes

Short content: A lonely ogre named Shrek (Myers) lives in his swampy abode and loves it there. One day, he wakes up to find his home has been taken over by banished fairy tale characters like Pinocchio (Cameron). It turns out they’ve been driven out of more civilized spaces by Lord Farquaad (Lithgow). Angrily, Shrek and a traveling donkey named, well, Donkey (Murphy) confront Farquaad, who offers to bring them back, but only if Shrek does something for him. Shrek must rescue a certain Princess Fiona (Diaz) from the highest tower of a castle guarded by a huge dragon, because Farquaad wants to marry her to become king. Shrek agrees, and he and Donkey set out on this mission.

Why you should watch it again: Indeed, the first Shrek movie is still the best in the franchise. Still the gold standard. Rewatching it reminds you why we fell in love with these characters in the first place, and the scene where Shrek rejects Fiona’s storybook and starts playing “All Star” by Smash Mouth remains an absolute classic. Yes, the animation feels dated now, but that’s more of a nitpick than a real criticism.