Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Great trilogies come in threes–at least according to Scary Movie 3. In this installment in the Scary Movie franchise Cindy (Anna Faris) is back, and this time the threat she faces is on a global scale, and she must team up with President Harris (Leslie Neilsen) in order to stop this threat. She, along with the president, will investigate a number of seemingly random crop circles that are popping up and a videotape that kills you seven days after watching. Together they can save the day.

In all honesty, while the first two films in the Scary Movie franchise are entertaining, their source material, while popular, leaves a bit to be desired. Scary Movie 3 combines parodies of unlikely films in Signs, 8 Mile, and The Ring–and this combination makes for some wonderful entertainment. Sure, the comedy is still absurd and the acting is intentionally subpar, but everything marries together beautifully to create the best film of the franchise so far.

What makes this film different, and better, than its predecessors is the change in the cast. While Faris still plays a pivotal role in Scary Movie 3, additions to the cast such as Charlie Sheen (Tom), Simon Rex (George), Anthony Anderson (Mahalik), and Kevin Hart (CJ) are welcome and bring something new and invigorating to the series. These new actors and characters are able to develop comedy better than the characters in the previous films and bring to life the ridiculous scenarios that the series of writers have developed. The same absurd and slapstick comedy exist throughout Scary Movie 3, but it’s made bigger and better than before. Viewers are exposed to something far more entertaining than they had seen in the past–and these aforementioned actors are able to convey these methods of humor better than ever.

The third installment of a franchise typically tends to fall off and fail to entertain–but Scary Movie 3 seems to allow the franchise to turn a corner and head for better days. Regardless of what occurs in the following sequels, this film finds its way in the world of cinema and manages to entertain on levels that the franchise was previously unable to.

As Scary Movie 3 plays out viewers are pulled back into this world of ridiculousness, and the story present in this film is better than its predecessors. The jokes are raunchy and hilarious, the story is entertaining, and the new characters present throughout Scary Movie 3 help make this series not only bigger than before, but more importantly funnier than before. There’s no promise that the fourth and fifth installments of this franchise will live up to their potential, but Scary Movie 3 takes the series in a new and invigorating direction–rejuvenating the franchise and having viewers believe that there was still life left in the parody series.

Directed by David Zucker.

Written by Craig Mazin & Pat Proft.

Starring Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen, Regina Hall, Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Marny Eng, Simon Rex, Jianna Ballard, Jeremy Piven, Timothy Stack, Drew Mikuska, Darrell Hammond, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Hart, etc.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10