If you’re expecting a fresh story and new jokes with a familiar cast, you may want to rethink “Super Troopers 3.” The franchise has a core fanbase that will surely show up to support it, hoping this film lives up to the laughs of the original—or even the second, if you were a fan of that one. However, this third installment lacks the very elements that made the first movie unforgettable.
Where are the pranks? Where are the unsuspecting motorists just trying to make it home for dinner before getting bombarded with crazy antics?
It’s disappointing that this trademark element is almost nonexistent. Instead of leaning into what we all came to see, the story focuses on the gang getting older and sabotaging the unlikely wedding of Farva and Trooper Thorny’s sister. When it comes to immature, raunchy humor, I was hoping that even 25 years later, they wouldn’t have changed a bit.
Sure, some fan service was bound to be present—the “meows,” pissing off the captain, and Rookie (who isn’t even a rookie anymore) still barely getting any respect—but I expected to see some fresh material. What kind of tomfoolery would they cook up this time? Unfortunately, that was lackluster as well. The setup was mostly there, but the punchlines fell flat. Granted, it’s a slapstick comedy, so not everything was bad; there are jokes sprinkled throughout that got a chuckle out of me—just nothing that had me uncontrollably cracking up.
The Crew Don’t Feel Like Cops this Time
It’s as if someone threw darts at a wall and every hit was a word: Farva, wedding, drugs. “Hmm, how can we pull all these things together and make a motion picture?” The truth is, you don’t. The new drug ring case the crew is supposed to be solving takes a complete backseat to the holy union and their efforts to stop it. The story strays so far that you almost forget they’re cops—sure, childish cops with whacky lives outside of work, but still cops.
The suspected criminals feel more like glorified cameos—just a lazy reminder of their existence. Other than a bit of teasing, they lack a strong, threatening, or even funny presence. Almost every scene with them could have been cut, and you wouldn’t miss a thing. Without real antagonists for the crew to confront—or at least harass—the jokes get old fast and often turn boring.
An Unfulfilling Sequel
There is one new addition to the force, but he’s exactly who you think he is; he doesn’t add much and fills a very forgettable role. The only real dynamic shift is the traditional family angle, but throwing parents, rehearsal dinners, and bachelor parties into the mix leads to entirely predictable situations we’ve seen play out a million times in other comedies—just with cruder responses. Again, this did nothing for me.
If there’s anything positive to take away from this, it’s that the cast is all back and still shares that same chemistry—endless insults followed by some dare that ends in injury or shame. Even Ursula Hansen is back as the Spurbury Police Chief, standing as the only person representing the department that played such a crucial role in the beginning of the franchise. Still, it’s not something I’m in a rush to see again, nor am I stoked to talk about it with friends who grew up loving these characters. It’s all just subpar knee-slappers, and what little excitement I had for the return of this series was left completely unfulfilled.
