By Direct-to-video sequels aren’t usually of the highest quality, probably due to the rarity for such sequels to even retain the actors that made the original popular. Typically, you’ll want to take DTV sequels with a grain of salt with lowered expectations. When you check your preconceptions at the door, you’d be surprised how entertaining such “cash cows†can be.
Open Season 3, the threequel to 2006’s Open Season, was just released this week. While it doesn’t retain the two stars that made the original such a hot property (Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher), this threequel proves to be a mildly entertaining movie when you’re looking for a simple, laid-back night on the couch.
Direct-to-video sequels aren’t usually of the highest quality, probably due to the rarity for such sequels to even retain the actors that made the original popular. Typically, you’ll want to take DTV sequels with a grain of salt with lowered expectations. When you check your preconceptions at the door, you’d be surprised how entertaining such “cash cows” can be.
Open Season 3, the threequel to 2006’s Open Season, was just released this week. While it doesn’t retain the two stars that made the original such a hot property (Martin Lawrence and Ashton Kutcher), this threequel proves to be a mildly entertaining movie when you’re looking for a simple, laid-back night on the couch.{{page_break}}
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Open Season 3, at its base, explores the concept of brotherly friendship. Or, more accurately, “bros before hoes.” Following the events of Open Season 2, Elliot (Joel McHale) is now married and has his own family, leaving his best friend, Boog (Mike Epps) hanging with the cancelled plans of a guys’ trip. Feeling forlorn, Boog decides to embark on the adventure himself. After getting chocolate wasted with his teddy bear, Dinkelman, and a rabbit, Boog discovers a poster advertisement for a traveling Russian circles. Noticing that grizzly bears are the main feature and feeling disconnected from a family setting, he rushes out to join them. However, a nearly-identical bear, Doug (Matthew J. Munn), tricks him into switching places with him under the guise that he’ll return after experiencing the free life of the forest. The Parent Trap-like scenario, however, doesn’t work out well for either bear, as the circus is set to return to the Motherland. Pressed with a time limit, it’s up to the rest of the woodland gang to rescue Boog, but will he be willing to leave his newfound love interest, Ursa (Gina Torres)?
While the plot isn’t anything new, I’m amused by the fact that Open Season 3 covers the inevitable loneliness that occurs when the best friend is replaced by the spouse. It’s something that, unfortunately, has already begun to creep into my life. I might just be easily amused by CGI anthromorphic animals living like humans with their people emotions and chocolate cravings, but the simply-put plot works for Open Season 3. It’s no Toy Story 3, but I doubt Sony Pictures Animation was aiming for that kind of level.
However, one of the primary problems I have with the movie, as I do with most other works that follow the same story, is how friends can’t differentiate between two barely-similar characters are replaced. I don’t intend on going on a large tangent about this topic, but I just don’t understand how the forest animals would easily confuse Doug with their best friend. It takes more than a smearing of “mud” and a shoddy explanation of a higher-pitched voice to trick your purported friends. Is it generalization? Species profiling? Whatever it is, I don’t like it.
Following on the same note, I hate it when DTV sequels lose their star actors. I understand that contracts can’t be made for high-profile actors for a large majority of DTV sequels, especially when they’re just meant to cash in on the popularity of the franchise, but believe me, Mike Epps is definitely not a replacement for Martin Lawrence, and the same goes for Joel McHale and Ashton Kutcher. Granted, the actors left in the shadows of their predecessors make an attempt to sound like them, but it’s not the same. Of course, since Open Season 3 is intended for families and small children, I’m sure they won’t notice the difference.
However, like I said, if you check your preconceptions prior to watching Open Season 3, you're bound to find a few funny scenes. For example, there's a scene where Boog and his teddy bear get a caffeine high in a gas station convenience store that just made me laugh every time I watched it. Also, they have a game called "Rabbit Fights" where they just throw rabbits at each other. Who does that?!
5.10 – Bad. (5s are movies that either failed at reaching the goals it set out to do, or didn’t set out to do anything special and still had many flaws. Some will enjoy 5s, but unless you’re a fan of this genre, you shouldn’t see it, and might not even want to rent it.)
If you remember that Open Season 3 is targeted for an audience that probably doesn't affect you, you'll have fun with it. Granted, there are a plethora of CGI films that are more appealing and entertaining, but if you've grown temporarily exhausted with DreamWorks and Pixar movies, give Open Season 3 a chance. Seriously, they throw rabbits at each other.