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Fair to say that no one goes to a Scary Movie flick for the plot, as it is just an excuse to string along a series of gags aimed at spoofing whatever the current hot Hollywood blockbuster. As Zucker says, it is a movie all about "seeing the scenes you want to see, and seeing the people you want to see" doing silly things. In other words, big stars parodying big movies, usually in as dumb a fashion as possible. As such it is hit or miss - for every gut-buster we get a couple of lame gags that fall flat. But Scary Movie 3 hits far more than it misses, and I would even go as far as to say it is the funniest parody flick since, well, Airplane! and the Naked Gun films.

While initially a take-off of The Ring, Signs and The Sixth Sense, the three highest-grossing scary movies of the past decade or so (and all rated PG-13), Scary Movie 3 also takes aim at such disparate cinematic targets as Eminem, tabloid TV, 50's sci-fi serials and that Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore weepie, Ghost. No, it is not deep, but smart enough to zero on specific targets, not just dumb jokes for the sake of dumb jokes (although there are plenty of those). While I could have done without the extended 8 Mile sequence, the rest of this stuff is pretty darn amusing.

But as many zingers the script by Craig Mazin and Pat Proft may be, it would not have worked without a great cast, and the Scary Movie 3 ensemble is more than game to keep up. Ana Faris, on her third go- round, is a rather underrated comic actress, with great timing, big wide eyes, and an infectious laugh. Even Charlie Sheen and Simon Rex - two actors I can't say I have ever warmed to - deliver far more laughs than expected. And there are plenty of celebrity cameos to take up the slack - Pamela Anderson, Jenny McCarthy, Denise Richards, Camryn Manheim, Eddie Griffin, Leslie Nielsen and Queen Latifah. Zucker keeps them all on track while still allowing them room to improvise and give their own little spin on a line. Scary Movie 3 is hardly classic comedy, but it is a great deal of fun and a lot more charming than the first two.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, Scary Movie 3 looks great. I was continually impressed with not only how close to the real thing the film's numerous parodies were, but also how nicely lit and composed Scary Movie 3 is on its own. Colors are rich and bold, with clean reproduction and accurate fleshtones. Blacks are rock solid and contrast very good, although occasionally some shots look a bit overpumped. But otherwise detail is excellent, with a very eye-popping three-dimensional image. Unfortunately, there is some edge enhancement throughout, which lends the transfer a slightly digital appearance. But no matter, Scary Movie 3 looks very good.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, this is a nice comedy soundtrack. Frequency response is excellent, with the ridiculous dialogue always coming through loud and clear. The horror movie-esque score is very lively and nicely spread out across the entire soundstage, with surround use active. There are some noticeable discrete effects, with sharp pans from front to back. It is not incredibly aggressive like an action movie, but for a parody like this, more than enough.

Also included is a French Dolby 5.1 dub, English and Spanish subtitles and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Like the first two Scary Movie flicks on DVD, part tres gets another nice lineup of goofy extras.

First up is the screen-specific audio commentary with Zucker, producer Robert K. Weiss and screenwriters Craig Mazin and Pat Proft. It is exactly what you would expect - lots of yucks, silliness and self-effacing sarcasm. Movies like this aren't so much written as improvised (not to discredit anyone's talented contributions), so the majority of this track discusses what stayed and what went, the actors' input and how, when all else fails and you are stuck for what to do next, through in a joke about bodily functions. Just make sure there aren't too many, or you won't get the PG-13...

More making-of stuff includes the 23-minute The Making of Scary Movie and 5-minute The Making of Scary Movie 3...For Real featurettes. I was surprised by both - while all of the material comes from EPK interviews and the like, it is almost all on- set footage and for that reason excels. This is just really fun to watch, especially "...For Real," which is really a take-off on making-of featurettes, which everyone going over the top on the grand importance of the Scary Movie movies. Smart and witty, these are both worth watching.

Next up are nine deleted scenes with optional commentary, plus an alternate ending. I actually laughed at all of these scenes, which is a rarity. None demand to be put back in the film, but they are funny enough to make this a must-watch for fans of the film. And the alternate ending is quite substantial, throwing in a big plot twist that I'm surprised the cut out. All of the scenes are presented in non-anamorphic widescreen and look good but not nearly as sharp as the main feature.

Rounding it out is another quickie 4-minute featurette, Hulk vs. Aliens: Behind the Scenes of the Alternate Ending. The aliens in the film are as low-tech as it gets, but that is why they are so amusing. I suppose this featurette is hardly essential, but kinda fun. Last but not least is a pretty silly 4-minute Outtakes and Bloopers reel, which is sorta cute but not as hysterical as you would think. The movie is better.

Alas, the film's notable theatrical teaser and trailer are, for some baffling reason, not included.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

There are no PC enhanced extras on the disc.

Parting Thoughts