The hard "R" rating isn't the only thing missing from this latest installment in the Scary Movie franchise. The Wayans Brothers are also absent. Filling in is parody expert David Zucker (Airplane). Right out of the gate, I found it curiously odd that Zucker was taking on a sequel to a film that was inspired by a genre that he helped create. At the same time, I was hopeful that the movie would deliver the laughs, as Zucker has provided much uproarious hilarity through the years with movies like The Naked Gun and Top Secret. Sadly, Scary Movie 3 misfires more than it hits.

Like it's predecessors, this sequel is a mixed bag of visual gags and goofy jokes inspired by other movies. Scary Movie 3's biggest influences are The Ring and Signs, and the gags surrounding those pictures become increasingly tiresome. Thankfully, the movie isn't a total waste for some of the silly shtick does work.

Anna Faris returns as Cindy Campbell. Now a full fledged news anchor woman, Campbell reports on a story involving crop circles and the single father (Charlie Sheen) who discovers them. Sheen (who appeared in the Hot Shots movies) plays the role straight, letting the craziness around him ensue. Faris has proven to have a wonderfully light touch with comedy (see her recent turn in Lost in Translation), but here, she isn't given anything to do. Her comedic gifts were put to better use in the first two movies. Seasoned pro Leslie Nielsen also shows up presumably in an effort to punch-up the humor, but save for a couple of bright moments, he's all but wasted.

For whatever reason, Scary Movie 3 just doesn't have that go for broke attitude of early Zucker movies. Sure, it pokes fun at other movies, but many of the gags made me roll my eyes back rather than laugh. And to my surprise, there were stretches of this picture that were downright dull. Airplane and Top Secret shoveled the jokes fast and furious. If a moment didn't work, you were pretty confident that something would make you laugh in the next few seconds or so. In Scary Movie 3, it almost felt as if the film makers were running out of movies to goof on. How could that be? Even Scary Movie 2 poked fun at a wider range of films. And while this installment is trying to appeal to a broader audience (hence the PG-13 rating), that doesn't keep Zucker from presenting an off-color joke or two (watch for an all too obvious stab at Catholic priests). For me, the movie's funniest moment features Zucker veteran Leslie Nielsen uttering one of his great "Airplane" lines.

Dimension Films obviously brought Zucker in to deliver a Scary Movie picture that would appeal to a bigger audience and hopefully, revitalize the franchise. Sadly, all this movie did was make me yearn for the grand parodies of Zucker's past. The first two Scary Movie pictures were hardly perfect, but I laughed aloud several times during both of them. I could count the number of times I laughed during Scary Movie 3 on one hand.

I missed David Zucker's last movie, the universally panned "My Boss's Daughter". I think that picture played in theaters for around two days. I can only hope that Zucker will get back on track. I have all the hope in the world that this funny director will make me laugh again.