Ah, the "Scary Movie" franchise. A strange but fascinating and mildly entertaining relic when viewed in retrospect. Originally the brainchild of the Wayans brothers comedy team, the first entry in the series debuted back in the year 2000, serving as a wild and raunchy parody of the popular horror feature "Scream." In addition, that first "Scary Movie" also set a new standard in parody, peppering in numerous small tributes, gags and nods to other famed contemporary releases of the genre, going for a counter-intuitive aim at quantity of jokes over quality. And while it was a troubled release, it was a huge hit for the studio, and was quickly followed up with a sequel in 2001, this time broadening the scope and taking aim at even more movies and genres. And by then, the formula stuck, with "Scary Movie 2" being arguably the best of the series.
By the time the third movie rolled out in 2003 however, there were some major shake-ups behind the scenes. Most notably being that series creator Keenan Ivory Wayans and his brothers Shawn and Marlon jumped ship after disputes with the studio, leaving the series without its core creative team. With the future of the series uncertain, eventually a major change-up occurred that would breathe new life into the troubled franchise. That being that comedy mastermind David Zucker, the mind behind "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun", was hired to take control and helm the third installment, along with his frequent writing collaborator Pat Proft and newcomer Craig Mazin.
And it was a move that paid-off. While it still falls prey to the same issues of incredibly forced low-brow gags and contrived situational humor that bogged down the first two entries, Zucker's zany mile-a-minute pacing and penchant for nonstop humor make "Scary Movie 3" one of the better films of the series, with a far better hit-to- miss laugh ratio than pretty much every other entry. The film continued the trend of the original and places its focus on a number of films that were released around the same time, with the bulk of the plot lampooing the M. Night Shyamalan hit "Signs" and the deliciously gritty American remake "The Ring."
Series star Anna Faris returns as Cindy, now working as an investigative journalist while raising her troubled nephew Cody. (Drew Mikuska) When a supposedly haunted video-tape hits close to home for Cindy, she is forced on a journey to try and save the day from the malevolent and vengeful spirit responsible for its creation. Along the way, she also finds herself falling for a wannabe rapper (Simon Rex) and contending with evil aliens who threaten the lives of a simple farmer (Charlie Sheen) and his family.
The biggest treat of the film is the wide cast of comedic talents. It's a lot of fun seeing Faris back in the role that arguably made her a star, and she's as charming and likable as ever. We also get Regina Hall back as Brenda from the previous films in a small guest-spot, and its just great to see her interact with Cindy in their scenes together. Charlie Sheen's a blast and a half, and he really goes all-out for the films wonderfully silly comedic tone. He's very charismatic here and definitely reminded me of his role in the similarly structured and paced "Hot Shots!" flicks from back in the day. We even get some surprising and very funny cameos from the likes of comedy legends Leslie Neilson and George Carlin, and both steal the show despite their limited screen time.
Where the film doesn't quite work is the structure. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting an especially compelling script, and it's clear the movie just wants to make the audience laugh. But the movie is pretty shoddily assembled and a lot of the plot-lines and stories seem way too tenuously connected. It just doesn't have that sharp flow that worked so well in the first two entries. I also do think that a few too many jokes feel out of left field and incredibly forced, and the fact that the rating was brought down from a hard-R to a PG-13 did neuter a bit of the comedy. Sure, the anatomical gags and the adult references were starting to feel played out by the end of the second installment... but this movie could have benefited from a few more raunchy jokes and references. It just feels a bit too tame compared to what came before.
On the whole though, the wickedly charming cast and nonstop jokes that director Zucker brings to the table more than make up for these issues. While it's not the best of the series and it's far from being high art, "Scary Movie 3" fundamentally succeeds at what it sets out to do, and it does so with some great gusto. It made me laugh. Quite often in fact. And for that, I give it a pretty good 7 out of 10.
By the time the third movie rolled out in 2003 however, there were some major shake-ups behind the scenes. Most notably being that series creator Keenan Ivory Wayans and his brothers Shawn and Marlon jumped ship after disputes with the studio, leaving the series without its core creative team. With the future of the series uncertain, eventually a major change-up occurred that would breathe new life into the troubled franchise. That being that comedy mastermind David Zucker, the mind behind "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun", was hired to take control and helm the third installment, along with his frequent writing collaborator Pat Proft and newcomer Craig Mazin.
And it was a move that paid-off. While it still falls prey to the same issues of incredibly forced low-brow gags and contrived situational humor that bogged down the first two entries, Zucker's zany mile-a-minute pacing and penchant for nonstop humor make "Scary Movie 3" one of the better films of the series, with a far better hit-to- miss laugh ratio than pretty much every other entry. The film continued the trend of the original and places its focus on a number of films that were released around the same time, with the bulk of the plot lampooing the M. Night Shyamalan hit "Signs" and the deliciously gritty American remake "The Ring."
Series star Anna Faris returns as Cindy, now working as an investigative journalist while raising her troubled nephew Cody. (Drew Mikuska) When a supposedly haunted video-tape hits close to home for Cindy, she is forced on a journey to try and save the day from the malevolent and vengeful spirit responsible for its creation. Along the way, she also finds herself falling for a wannabe rapper (Simon Rex) and contending with evil aliens who threaten the lives of a simple farmer (Charlie Sheen) and his family.
The biggest treat of the film is the wide cast of comedic talents. It's a lot of fun seeing Faris back in the role that arguably made her a star, and she's as charming and likable as ever. We also get Regina Hall back as Brenda from the previous films in a small guest-spot, and its just great to see her interact with Cindy in their scenes together. Charlie Sheen's a blast and a half, and he really goes all-out for the films wonderfully silly comedic tone. He's very charismatic here and definitely reminded me of his role in the similarly structured and paced "Hot Shots!" flicks from back in the day. We even get some surprising and very funny cameos from the likes of comedy legends Leslie Neilson and George Carlin, and both steal the show despite their limited screen time.
Where the film doesn't quite work is the structure. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting an especially compelling script, and it's clear the movie just wants to make the audience laugh. But the movie is pretty shoddily assembled and a lot of the plot-lines and stories seem way too tenuously connected. It just doesn't have that sharp flow that worked so well in the first two entries. I also do think that a few too many jokes feel out of left field and incredibly forced, and the fact that the rating was brought down from a hard-R to a PG-13 did neuter a bit of the comedy. Sure, the anatomical gags and the adult references were starting to feel played out by the end of the second installment... but this movie could have benefited from a few more raunchy jokes and references. It just feels a bit too tame compared to what came before.
On the whole though, the wickedly charming cast and nonstop jokes that director Zucker brings to the table more than make up for these issues. While it's not the best of the series and it's far from being high art, "Scary Movie 3" fundamentally succeeds at what it sets out to do, and it does so with some great gusto. It made me laugh. Quite often in fact. And for that, I give it a pretty good 7 out of 10.