Verdict: After the critical mauling of part 2 it was a given that this one would have to change up the format to have any chance at success. The most major flaw here though is that the weight of the film is placed upon the shoulders of Alan and Mr. Chow. Whilst Zachary Gafilianakis embraces the socially inept Alan with gusto, getting one of the biggest laughs of the film in a scene alongside Melissa McCarthy, his character is a bit of a one trick pony. Mr. Chow was hilarious in small doses in the first two films but grows tiresome through the duration of this film's never ending cat and mouse chase. This may be because Todd Phillips seems to have not been able to decide whether or not the audience is supposed to love or hate him.
By beginning with a funeral, this film is taken off into a much darker direction. This revenge fuelled action has meant that laughs have been very badly sidelined. Whilst there are some great comedy set pieces (especially during the Wolfpack's return to Las Vegas) it can be argued that it has kind of been mis-sold in the promotions and that the essence of the original has been lost. Despite the fact that there were some decent action sequences to entertain you when there's a lack of comedy, it started to get repetitious and dragged on a little bit - if it was even just 10 minutes shorter that may have helped.
Throughout this film Bradley Cooper looks a bit like he really doesn't want to be there. Whether it's because his career has taken of to the extent that he doesn't really need this franchise anymore or that his character seems to have been more sidelined in this one, he looks bored throughout which tells you all you need to know about this film - especially when the best moment comes right at the very end during the credits.
This is clearly the most notable example of franchise fatigue of late. However it does have to be commended for being more experimental than part 2, even if it is significantly more devoid of laughs.
3/5
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