Movie
Review | Scary Movie 3
Reviewed by: Brian
Orndorf
After discovering crop circles pointing towards a massive alien
invasion, farmer Tom Logan (Charlie Sheen) must defend humanity from
the approaching invaders, enlisting his wannabe rap star brother
George (Simon Rex) for help. On the other side of town, newscaster
Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris, “Lost In Translation”) is struggling
to find the source of a strange videotape that kills those who view it
within 7 days, trying to save her friend Brenda (Regina Hall) and her
nephew from certain doom. With the help of the president (Leslie
Nielsen), hip-hop stars (including Redman, Macy Gray, and Master P),
and an “Oracle” named Shaniqua (Queen Latifah), the group prepares
for battle as the aliens touch down, and strange little girls start
coming out of television sets.
For the new “Scary Movie 3,” the principals both in front of
and behind the camera have changed radically. Long gone are the Wayans
Brothers who, after the surprise 2000 smash “Scary Movie,’ and
their quickie 2001 sequel “Scary Movie 2,” have been asked to step
aside to make room for some veterans in the parody genre: director
David Zucker and co-writer Pat Proft (survivors of the “Airplane!”
and “Naked Gun” franchises). The changes to the “Movie” series
are evident right away; watering down “Movie 3” to attract a PG-13
rating, and leaving out all of the pot and sex material that the
Wayans loved dearly. What Zucker is more interested in is physical
humor, staging more pratfalls than one movie should contain. But he
also manages to keep the energy up and the parodies a little more
succinct, unlike Team Wayans, who preferred a scattershot approach to
their jokes. There are plenty of similarities to the material captured
by the Wayans clan and Zucker, but I err on the side of the
“Airplane!” filmmaker, as his “Scary Movie” moves quickly and
doesn’t get bogged down by parodies that have little meaning or
comedic value (watch “Scary Movie 2” for that).
The two biggest targets this time around are “Signs” and “The
Ring,” which provide the film’s deepest laugh with an inventive
spoof of the creepy videotape footage that is the cause of so much
harm. “Signs” gets a workout with crop circle jokes, and a
none-too-subtle jab at the invading aliens very first appearance on
national television. “8 Mile,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” and,
“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (wow, that’s fast) also get the
once over from Zucker and the gang. There’s even a bizarre running
gag about “Pootie Tang” thrown in for good measure. “Movie 3”
has a ton of laughs, which one should expect from this style of
disposable comedy. But every 20 minutes or so, Zucker amps up the
slapstick a little too much, resulting in headaches where belly laughs
could‘ve easily been harvested. Zucker also had a tendency to mimic
the Wayans’ desire for potty gags at every corner, which can get
very tedious.
Also be aware that many of the gags found in the “Scary Movie
3” marketing materials are not in the finished picture. The film
runs a scant, but tight, 75 minutes, yet you can feel the absence of a
really great “Matrix” joke, and maybe one too many “8 Mile”
ones.
With the departure of actors Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Zucker has
filled the gaps with a cast of seamless pros of the genre including
Charlie Sheen, George Carlin, and Leslie Nielsen. But this series
really belongs to actresses Anna Faris and Regina Hall. The two
veterans of the “Scary Movie” franchise return to show everybody
how it’s done. Unfortunately, Hall is written out of the movie a
little too soon, but Faris picks up the slack and turns in another
reliable sillyhearted turn as Cindy Campbell.
It’s funny how this series has changed since the first
installment. What was once a “Scream” parody has become a
free-for-all-on-whatever-popular-movies-are-being-made fiesta.
“Scary Movie 3” has all the weight of marshmallow fluff, but it
does offer laughs and a crackling pace; the Wayans Brothers couldn’t
always lay claim to that.
Grade: 7/10
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