‘Super Troopers 3’ Review: A Cult Comedy Franchise Seeks No Converts in Instantly Forgettable Third Go-Round
Variety film critic Guy Lodge has given a lukewarm review of "Super Troopers 3," the latest instalment from comedy troupe Broken Lizard, arguing that the film lacks a compelling reason to exist. Unlike 2018's crowdfunded "Super Troopers 2," which benefited from 17 years of built-up nostalgia after the 2001 original, this Disney-backed sequel arrives just eight years later with a more routine "franchise maintenance" feel, and even devoted fans of the cult series may find themselves shrugging.
The review notes that the film sticks closely to the established formula: scattershot, deliberately lowbrow jokes, cheap production values, and reliance on the cast's chemistry to carry the material. The story returns to the fictional Vermont town of Spurbury, where former captain O'Hagen (Brian Cox) has nominally retired in favour of Nat Faxon's Markowski, while the ageing troopers—joined by new recruit Coy (Andrew Dismukes)—continue their juvenile antics, complicated by Farva's (Kevin Heffernan) engagement to colleague Thorny's sister, Sarita (Hannah Simone).
- Variety reviews "Super Troopers 3" and finds it largely forgettable.
- Disney-backed sequel lacks the nostalgia factor that boosted 2018's "Super Troopers 2."
- Broken Lizard's core cast and Vermont setting return with familiar, scattershot humour.
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Federal customs officers on the Vermont-Canada border. That's the setup behind Broken Lizard's "Super Troopers" comedy franchise, which began with a low-budget 2001 cult favourite and returned in 2018 with a fan-funded sequel. The five-man comedy troupe writes, directs and stars in the films themselves, mixing deadpan absurdity with juvenile humour built around a fictional police unit in the town of Spurbury.
The franchise has always relied heavily on nostalgia and audience goodwill rather than mainstream box office success, with long gaps between instalments giving fans time to build anticipation. "Super Troopers 3" breaks that pattern, arriving just eight years after the last film and backed by Disney rather than crowdfunding, marking a shift from grassroots passion project to more conventional studio sequel.
The series matters to a dedicated subculture of comedy fans who have kept it alive through word of mouth and repeat viewings over more than two decades, even though it has never been a major mainstream franchise. Critical reception has always been secondary to fan loyalty, which is why reviews of new instalments tend to focus on whether the film honours or coasts on that longstanding relationship with its audience.