Shrek the 3rd

I watched Shrek the 3rd last night with a friend and her children and I was struck by the ambiguity of its overall message. On first glance, it's got a feminist message - namely that Princess Fiona and her friends can rescue themselves from the clutches of Prince Charming...who needs a man (or an ogre for that matter)? The scenes where Fiona and her mother and the various princesses made their way out of the castle overcoming many obstacles should not be discounted - the "girl power" theme was strong and believable. Unfortunately, the filmmakers chose to muddy the waters by having Shrek be the ultimate hero in the end - I guess people are expecting that when they pay for a movie called "Shrek the 3rd." I just wonder if the girl power message was completely negated by having Fiona and her friends fail to save the day in the end - needing Shrek to do it for them. Worse yet, does it send a message that girl power can only get you so far - ultimately a man is going to be needed to solve any MAJOR problem? While I applaud the filmmakers' efforts to celebrate the strength of women I was disturbed by their overall lack of commitment to the message.