Brian Cox’s New R-Rated Sequel Movie Continues Disappointing 25-Year Rotten Tomatoes Streak
Brian Cox and Broken Lizard are back for Super Troopers 3, but critics are not amused.
The latest installment in the cult classic comedy franchise sees Jay Chandrasekhar's Ramathorn thrown for a loop as Kevin Heffernan's Farva gears up to marry the former's sister, with the latter's atypical over-the-top energy not only resulting in wedding chaos, but the team also finding themselves investigating a new drug ring. Alongside Broken Lizard and Cox, whose Captain O'Hagan is now retired, the ensemble Super Troopers 3 cast includes the returns of Marisa Coughlan and Lynda Carter, and the additions of Nat Faxon, Chace Crawford and Hannah Simone.
Just in time for the film's August 7 release, reviews have begun rolling out for Super Troopers 3, securing it a debut score on Rotten Tomatoes. With 17 reviews calculated at the time of writing, the threequel holds an underwhelming 35% approval rating on the review aggregate, continuing Broken Lizard's 25-year streak of "Rotten" ratings on the platform.
Though its debut score from critics may not come with much positivity, it's actually not all bad news when it comes to the Super Troopers franchise. The first film, which became one of the biggest cult hits on home video with over $60 million in earnings just from rentals, clocked in just above the new sequel with a 37% approval rating from critics, while its long-gestating first sequel, born from a successful crowdfunding campaign, sits equivalent with the third film at 35%.
Additionally, though on the lower rung of the group's overall output, it's also worth noting that Super Troopers 3's Rotten Tomatoes debut is largely in line with Broken Lizard's overall average, and not even their lowest score. The Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott-led Dukes of Hazzard reboot currently sits as their worst-rated on the review aggregate with only a 14% score, while the majority of their movies tend to come in around the high 30-percentile range, as shown in the chart below:
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Super Troopers (2001) |
37% |
90% |
|
Broken Lizard's Club Dread (2004) |
31% |
44% |
|
The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) |
14% |
46% |
|
Beerfest (2006) |
41% |
75% |
|
The Slammin' Salmon (2009) |
35% |
48% |
|
Super Troopers 2 (2018) |
35% |
64% |
|
Quasi (2023) |
39% |
62% |
|
Super Troopers 3 (2026) |
35% (as of August 6) |
N/A |
ScreenRant's own Brandon Zachary found himself split in his Super Troopers 3 review, awarding it a divided 5/10 score. Though he felt that much of the material wouldn't land for franchise newcomers, Zachary did commend the threequel for having an "emotionally effective bizarreness" in its comedy that plays better than its 2018 predecessor:
For the most part, Super Troopers 3 at least finds some stupid fun in its returning characters. While it won't convert anyone who found the first two movies unfunny, fans of the 2000s raunchy comedy will appreciate the scattershot approach to jokes that lands more than it misses.
Even while critics may not be impressed with the film, the bigger voice to watch going into Super Troopers 3's opening weekend is the audience, who have almost always been far more favorable towards Broken Lizard's movies. Box office projections aren't out yet, and it doesn't seem likely it will overtake Spider-Man: Brand New Day after its record-setting debut, nor The Odyssey as it continues its own record-breaking run. However, if audiences are just as receptive, if not more so, than Super Troopers 2, the threequel could quietly make its way to a new franchise-high.