The Hangover Part III Movie Review

The Hangover Part III. Well, I'm not sure how to really introduce this movie. I guess I'll put my disclaimer here. This film is rated R, and I am in no way endorsing it to those that are under the age of 17. (This is something I have to be responsible about as someone that serves as a youth group leader at our church, and I know there are people under the age of 17 that read this).

This film is the third installment of The Hangover franchise. I can't believe it's been four years since the first one came out. The first one was hilarious and it had a great story. It was a very fun movie. Four guys go to Vegas for a bachelor party and lose the groom and can't remember anything from the night before, and outrageous stuff happens to them. They're trying to solve the mystery of what happened to them and where one of their best friends is. Great premise. Really funny and fun.

Then the second one happened. The second one came out two years ago and was a disappointment to a lot of people. It's really tough to follow-up one of the best comedies in recent memory. I never hated the second one. I just thought it was pretty average. Maybe if the first one had never happened, I would have liked it more. It's not that good though. It's a rehash of everything that happened in the first movie, and in some ways it's funny because of that, but it was nowhere near how good the first movie was. Also, the location of the film, Bangkok, wasn't very interesting and didn't add much to the film. Vegas played a decent role in making the first one what it was.

So here's the third one. I really didn't know what to expect from it. But I was seeing it, no matter what. I had read a lot of reviews with people saying it just isn't funny at all, and it's more of an action thriller. This film is different from the first two and they're never hungover in the film. So it is different. But I still thought this movie was really funny. Not as funny as the first one, but still funny. I really admired the fact that they went in a different direction with this film. Rotten Tomatoes has this film at a 21% from critics. But it also says that 88% of the audience liked it. Sure this film isn't any masterpiece, but it is a good time.

Another thing I enjoyed in this movie were the throwbacks to the first film. Mike Epps returns as "Black Doug", the drug dealer that screwed them over in the first film. The part I probably laughed hardest at was in a flashback to an event that took place in the first movie, that wasn't shown in that film. I don't want to give it away because the element of surprise might be part of what makes it so funny. I won't give away any other throwbacks, but one thing I will say is if you look closely when they're in Vegas, you will see a billboard for the wedding chapel with Eddie on it, the guy who was involved in the first film where Stu got married.

That brings me to another thing that was great about this movie: the return to Las Vegas. Like I said, I think Vegas helped make the first movie what it was. When they started driving in to Vegas again, I almost started getting chills. I was excited. In the first film, they talk about how they want to come back for a weekend. I was hoping that that was what the second film would be, but it wasn't. So I loved the fact that they came back to the place where it all started.

One thing that did bother me about this movie is the fact that it felt like they might have given too much away in the trailers and commercials. Some stuff I expected to happened, or wasn't as surprised when it did. The first film was very surprising. This one had surprises in it, but I think they showed too much in the previews. The previews took stuff that happens later in the movie. I get that they wanted to make it look exciting, but I think there's a better way they could have done this.

So really I don't know if I have a lot to complain about this movie. I think it was a good conclusion to the trilogy. Nothing will top the first film, but this was still an enjoyable film. It definitely makes up for the less-than-thrilling second film. While this film is darker and different, it is also funny and very entertaining. You simply won't get bored by this movie.

The acting's pretty much the same as it's always been. Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms are good and funny. Zach Galifianakis' character Alan is different from what he was in the other movies. I'm not a big Zach G. fan but I do like him in these movies. I won't give too much away. You'll see for yourself. Ken Jeong is in this movie significantly more than he was in the other two. I really like Ken Jeong. Chow's a funny character, and Jeong's so funny on Community. I also enjoy his new beer commercials. I could understand if anyone is annoyed with him in this movie. I wasn't. John Goodman is a good villain in this film too. I was disappointed that Mike Tyson didn't make an appearance in this film, but maybe that was a part of breaking away and doing something different in this movie.

So the plot's entertaining, the acting's the way it's always been, and the setting's great. You will be entertained by this plot. While they aren't hungover, they still have to sort of solve a mystery, which is cool and fun. They say this is the last Hangover film and I believe them. While they could pump out another one to make money, this was a good conclusion. There's a scene after the credits that brings some of the fun from the other two movies, and could raise questions that there is going to be another movie. If there were to be another one, I'd honestly probably see it. It probably wouldn't be very good, but I feel like I'd still be interested and pay to see it. But I think they did a good job of wrapping things up here and I think this were the franchise will end.

Other than that, I don't know exactly what else to say because I don't want to spoil anything for you. What I will say is that I enjoyed this film. It's not the best film I've seen this year, but this was a good, entertaining comedy in the early stages of the summer. I'm really curious to hear what everyone else thought of it. Comment, or let me hear your thoughts on my Facebook fan page or on Twitter @vellvita7. Thanks for reading guys, and hope you are having a great weekend!