Critic's Grade: C-

David Zucker has come on board the third "Scary Movie," with hopes of bringing it a new critical success and re-establish a positive fan base. But, if the insidiously crude and often offbeat "Scary Movie" franchise's first two films weren't enough to drive you mad, the third installment may be enough to do just that.

The only cast member from the previous two installments who makes a return to this sequel (I can't imagine why) is Anna Faris, who redeems her role as the former accident prone Cindy Crawford. Cindy is now a news reporter for a local TV news station, who has set her sight on a new story. Apparently, a strange video tape has been found, and, according to urban legends, it will kill the viewers within ten days prior to its viewing. Meanwhile, former priest Tom (Charlie Sheen) wakes up one morning to find out that his daughter, Sue (Jianna Ballard) has found a mysterious crop circle in his back yard that reads "Attack Here." Aided by bumbling state trooper Champlin (Camryn Manheim), Tom becomes the focus of a Washington investigation, with the offbeat President Harris (Leslie Neilson) in charge. Back to Cindy's story, Cindy manages to view the tape, and she winds up seeking help from wannabe-rapper Mahalik's (Anthony Anderson) aunt ShaNeaqua, who is also a mysterious woman named the Oracle (Queen Latifah). The Oracle is also associated with the wack job philosophe Orpheus (Eddie Griffin), who gives her advice about the tape and an imposing alien invasion. Eventually, these two stories come together, but not before the audience is either in a hysterical riot or bored to death.

Truly, David Zucker is one of the best spoof directors of all time. His many films include "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun," which can actually be considered two of the best spoofs of all time as well. Charlie Sheen's arrival on set is worth seeing this movie, as his lines are the only good ones in the movie. It has been years since he was in a major motion picture, and his small screen success on "Spin City" and "Two and a Half Men" attribute to his comic genius. However, the addition of Anthony Anderson and Eddie Griffin could have been done without, as their character serve no purpose in this movie. Not to mention that they both aren't funny, as they make fun of two seemingly good films ("8 Mile" and "The Matrix). Leslie Neilson adds some comic relief, but his performance probably could have been avoided too. However, George Carlin's role as the Archetect is brilliant. He is a hilarious person and a genius at comedy, so his pop up role made the movie worthwhile. If anything strikes me as the best moment in the movie, that was it.

As you should be aware of, "Scary Movie" tries to parody several big name horror movies. "Scary Movie 3," however, tries to do something else. It not only parodies horror films, but it makes fun of some of last year's more delighting thrillers and science fiction pieces, such as "Signs" and "The Ring." As mentioned above, "The Matrix" spoofs are at the most ridiculous, but the George Carlin moment is pricless. The movie also makes fun of the American reality craze, offering a cameo to Simon Cowell. President Harris and the entire Presidential staff are also just parodies of NBC's "The West Wing," which is a show that deserves a good laugh at.

But, what didn't work in this movie? Overkill. The movie shreds jokes on Michael Jackson, "The Matrix" and the series itself. Sure, its nice that it can laugh at itself while doing something completely new, but it gets so old, you may want to start bashing your brains out on the armrest (hey, I paid $9.00 for my seats, I'm not leaving). You can compare this movie's jokes to those of the "Austin Powers" series, but what happens in that franchise is laughable only because it works. A spy spoof is funny when given the proper cast and material. This movie fails to hit hard on either of them. But, a plus side is that the movie lasts only 85 minutes, which is pretty much five minutes too long. Another thing that doesn't work is the obviously restricted crude humor. The movie is set at a PG-13 rating, which means that the crudeness and most laughable moments in the film are going to be at a level of "The Naked Gun," not "Scary Movie 1 & 2." Of course, that can also be considered a good thing, as both movies tend to overkill the humor and jokes in them as well.

"Scary Movie 3" is better than some of the movies that you can see right now, but it isn't a movie I'd see again. Thirteen year olds will laugh at it, and most adults will laugh as well. But, if you thought the first two movies were terrible, such as I did, well, you'll think the same about "Scary Movie 3." Of course, some moments are worth your time, but they are easily bogged down. It's like they say: you can't teach a bad film good tricks.

My Score: 4 (out of 10)

All Reviews by Jordan Boyd
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