Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Remember all the way back in 2009 when The Hangover came out and everyone freaked out about how awesome it was? Those were the good old days, when original comedies could come out and be recognized for their quality. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we don’t still get original movies (remember Bridesmaids?) but it seems like everything is turned into a franchise nowadays, even when it doesn’t need to be. The Hangover Trilogy definitely falls into the “shouldn’t exist” category.
The Hangover: Part III continues where, the horrendous, The Hangover Part II ended. Chow is in jail and everyone goes back to their normal lives. Not to spoil anything (not that you really care), but shenanigans ensue.
It doesn’t say much about this movie when I say that it was better than Part II, but it was leaps and bounds better than that piece of garbage. This movie tried to return to form by hearkening back to the original The Hangover film. They bring back all of the characters that we remember from the first film (like Black Doug, Jade and Sid) but it also added some fun characters (like Marshall and Cassie.) They had a lot of call back jokes, but tried to keep it a little original.
I think that the best thing this movie had going for it was the fact that it tried to distance itself (plot wise) from The Hangover, but also tried to keep itself connected to the film through references. Sadly, some of the callbacks that it used seemed a little forced, and some jokes just didn’t land...but at least they tried to have a little more originality than Part II.
When I was watching this movie, I really wondered if any of these actors actually cared about the film they were making. The more I watched, the more I realized that they really didn’t. It seemed like they all signed on just to make some more money, and didn’t care if they movie was good. They all really phoned in their performances, which is really disappointing because they are all excellent comedic actors. All of the main “Wolf Pack” just didn’t feel right to me. Yes, the characters seemed close to the same...but the actors just didn’t seem to be in it anymore. They weren’t awful, just not the great ensemble that they were in The Hangover.
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This movie seemed to have learned from the mistakes in it’s predecessor, Part II, but didn’t quite redeem itself. It tried to have a more original plot, while still staying connected to the events of The Hangover. It worked, but not nearly on the level that they were going for. If you liked Part II, you will probably like this one, but if you didn’t like it (read: are sane), then you can pass on this one.
Writing: 3.5/10
Directing: 4/10
Acting: 4/10
Pacing: 3.5/10
Rewatchability: 4/10
Score: 3.8/10
