Movie Reviews

In an effort to post the reviews in a more timely manner, I've created a simple blog of just my movie reviews. Let's hope I can keep current. Make sure to check Robin's World (thebigfatcat.com) for the complete list.

Friday, July 5, 2013

June Movie #2: The Hangover III

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifanakis, Ken Jeong, Justin Bartha, John Goodman
Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Directed By: Todd Phillips 

The Hangover III is not like the previous two installments. The Wolf Pack's memory of the previous night's shenanigans is not impaired. But like the first two installments, poor Doug (played by Bartha) does not have much screen time. This movie begins with the death of Alan (played by Galifanakis)'s father (played by Jeffrey Tambor). The Pack later finds out that Alan is not dealing well with the death of his father and has gone off his meds. The Pack teams up to take Alan to a rehab center. Road trip! On their way, they run into gangster Marshall (played by Goodman) who kidnaps Doug as a way of encouraging the Pack to help find the man Marshall's really after - Leslie Chow (played by Jeong). It seems Chow stole from Marshall and has recently escaped from prison. Alan is friends with Chow, a fact that Marshall is exploiting in order to get back the gold that was stolen from him. 

First, let me interject - poor Doug. 

My initial assessment of this movie - A lot of dead animals. I wasn't a fan of the number or how they died. Dead animals ain't funny.  

For the most part, I liked the plot of this movie. I truly liked how they diverted from the first two movies' paths. I found that originality (for at least this franchise) to be refreshing. The new plot was very well done. It had a lot of action. A lot of suspense. A lot of subterfuge. It was funny. It was intriguing. Most of the truly funny moments were shown in the previews. There were still some surprises and some good lines. I did laugh many times. Not as much as the first one but I suppose that's to be expected with sequels.

Although I'm sure many people won't appreciate the final scene, I for one, did. I had heard repeatedly that this installment was the final. And yet the ending certainly leaves it open for another. Or perhaps it was paying homage to the original. The ending was great. I'll just say that. 

I think if you look at this movie as a separate movie (not as a sequel), you may like it for itself. It has a slightly different vibe. It's still a little zany. It's still funny (just not super funny). And it had heart. I liked it. I didn't love it but it was decent. I appreciated the effort. It was a nice diversion. I just wish there weren't as many dead animals. 




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