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Super Troopers 3: Stuck in the Unfunny Middle
Super Troopers 3: The Movie That Felt Like a Wellness Check
What Is "Super Troopers" Anyway?
Imagine a group of friends who love pulling pranks on people. Now imagine they’re highway patrol officers in Vermont. That’s "Super Troopers"!
The Original Movie (2001)
- Made by a comedy group called Broken Lizard
- Five friends: Jay, Kevin, Steve, Paul, and Erik
- Low budget, but really funny
- Like "slobs vs. snobs" but with cops and actual good jokes
The Timeline: 25 Years of Troopers
| Year | Movie | What Happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Super Troopers | The first one — fresh, funny, surprising |
| 2018 | Super Troopers 2 | 17 years later! Opening scene was amazing, rest was… meh |
| 2026 | Super Troopers 3 | 25 years after the first! Just… shows up |
Think of it like this: You have a funny uncle who told great jokes at Thanksgiving 25 years ago. He comes back every few years. You’re not sure why he’s here — you just want to make sure he’s okay.
The Plot: Stop That Wedding!
The Main Story
- Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar) is the unofficial leader
- His sister Sarita (Hannah Simone) falls for Farva (Kevin Heffernan)
- Farva is… the worst person alive (in the movie!)
- They date TWO MONTHS and decide to get married
- Thorny tries everything to stop it
Important Point: In comedies, people always try to stop weddings. But usually there’s a good reason. Here? It’s just "Farva is annoying."
The One Actually Funny Scene
- Farva is allergic to shellfish
- He eats a WHOLE LOBSTER anyway
- Hands out EpiPens to his friends: "Jab me when I die!"
- He fights them off like the Hulk while having an allergic reaction
- But… Thorny had nothing to do with it! It’s just "Farva being Farva"
The "Cop Stuff" That Goes Nowhere
The Mystery They’re Solving
- Maple syrup trucks getting vandalized (very Vermont!)
- A new drug called "Canadian Crystal"
- They solve it mostly by accident
- The big finale? Not very big.
Everyone Else’s Random Subplots
- One trooper broke up with his girlfriend because… she wanted to buy a house? (The horror!)
- Another wants to jump a police car over a broken bridge to prove he’s young
- A Canadian electric car becomes the most interesting character
- Captain O’Hagan (Brian Cox) is retired and just… hangs around the station
Sad Reality Check: Brian Cox is an amazing actor (he was in Succession!). Watching him putter around a fake police station is like seeing your cool grandpa stuck in a boring waiting room.
The Big Problem: They Never Grow Up
The Comparison Nobody Asked For (But Got Anyway)
The reviewer compares them to:
- Rocky Balboa (gets older, changes, has real struggles)
- Antoine Doinel from The 400 Blows (grows up across multiple films)
The Difference: Those characters evolve. The Super Troopers? Stuck in 2001 forever.
Why It Worked Before vs. Now
| Then (2001) | Now (2026) |
|---|---|
| Immature cops vs. snooty jerks | Immature cops vs…. a wedding? |
| "Taking down snobs" = noble | Stopping a wedding = 90s straight-to-TV sequel energy |
| Fresh and new | "Revenge of the Nerds IV" vibes |
The Verdict: Just Watch the First Two
Bottom Line:
- First movie: Still funny
- Second movie: Good opening, skip the rest
- Third movie: A wellness check with weaker jokes
The Reviewer’s Final Thought: "If the Super Troopers really want to stay in touch, in another ten years they can write us a postcard. A brief one."
Summary
- Super Troopers 3 arrives 25 years after the original
- Feels unnecessary — like checking in on old friends who haven’t changed
- Plot: Thorny tries to stop his sister from marrying the terrible Farva
- One memorable scene (lobster allergy), but it doesn’t serve the story
- Side plots go nowhere; even the "cop mystery" solves itself
- Characters refuse to grow up — and it’s no longer charming
- Recommendation: Rewatch the first movie instead
FAQ
1. Do I need to see the first two movies to understand this one?
Not really. The plot is simple: "Guy tries to stop wedding." But you’ll enjoy the references more if you know the characters.
2. Is Farva actually a bad person or just a comedic character?
Comedic character! He’s supposed to be outrageously awful. That’s the joke. But after 25 years, the joke feels old.
3. Why does the reviewer mention "Revenge of the Nerds IV" and "Smokey and the Bandit" sequels?
Those were low-budget, straight-to-TV sequels from the 90s that nobody asked for. The reviewer is saying Super Troopers 3 feels like those — lazy, unnecessary follow-ups.
4. Is Brian Cox really in this?
Yes! He plays Captain O’Hagan. He’s a very famous, award-winning actor (Logan Roy in Succession). The reviewer thinks he’s "grossly overqualified" — meaning he’s too good for this material.
5. Will there be a Super Troopers 4?
The reviewer jokes: "In another ten years they can write us a postcard." So probably not — or at least, nobody’s asking for it!
