Far too often, 3D films aren\u2019t shot or rendered natively in 3D but are merely 2D movies converted into 3D during post-production. Though there are some exceptions, since these films weren\u2019t shot with 3D in mind, this process mainly adds depth to the visuals and little else. But director Todd Strauss-Schulson and the screenwriting team of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (who also wrote the two previous series installments) have fun with 3D\u2019s possibilities and make the 3D movie they \u2014 and other skeptics of the technology \u2014 have long wanted to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the time Harold\u2019s assistant Bobby Lee (Kenneth Park) unveils the big-screen TV with \u201c3D technology that makes Avatar<\/em> look Avatar<\/em>-ded\u201d \u2014 his words, not mine \u2014 that\u2019s meant to impress Harold\u2019s father-in-law, Mr. Perez (a perfectly cast Danny Trejo), after which he gives two exaggerated thumbs-up directly at the viewer, the filmmakers have already nicely established 3D\u2019s cheeky potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Setting that tone is Harold\u2019s semi-estranged best friend Kumar (Kal Penn) blowing a marijuana smoke ring at viewers that, through some form or sorcery, transforms into a holly wreath. It\u2019s the ideal introduction to the film\u2019s stoner Christmas vibe as well as the copious amount of objects destined to comically fly towards us viewers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While such \u201cduck, you sucker!!!\u201d shenanigans are perhaps expected in any respectable 3D film that acknowledges the fun of temporary peril from items being hurled at the screen (and, if the execution is skilled, that item then magically passing into the goddamn theater<\/em>), A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas <\/em>builds on that concept and features multiple instances of this barrier between movie and audience treated as a tangible thing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of eggs lobbed by Wall Street protestors flying at Bobby and merely zipping out of frame, one splatters against the screen. And later on during a chase sequence \u2014 if a minivan in pursuit of a Jeep Wagoneer can be called that \u2014 numerous traffic cones are launched at the screen, one of which shatters the glass which, seconds later, is thankfully good as new. These gags may be quick, but they add a layer of humor that\u2019s absent in the large majority of franchise films, 3D included.<\/p>\n\n\n The problem is that, unless you have a 3D TV, functional 3D glasses, and a 3D Blu-ray, these carefully crafted visuals play out somewhat muted. (Hence the \u201c3D\u201d part being dropped from its title on streaming platforms, though the colorful title card with the smoke-ring-turned-wreath keeps it intact.) But they\u2019re so well thought out and intentionally filmed that the objects hurtling at the screen nevertheless achieve the bulk of their intended effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, even without the extra coat of fun that the 3D delivers, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas <\/em>works exceedingly well as a holiday comedy. It features plentiful silly uses of classic Christmas music, perhaps none better than Bing Crosby\u2019s rendition of \u201cWhite Christmas,\u201d cued to a slow-mo shootout sequence, during which a bag of cocaine takes a bullet and covers the room in an impromptu snowstorm. (Maybe Irving Berlin was writing about blow all along.) And the old-school, Radio City Music Hall-style holiday extravaganza starring our heroes\u2019 old friend Neil Patrick Harris in full song-and-dance mode is so entertaining that it\u2019s achieved \u201cpull it up on YouTube\u201d status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n References to films of Christmas past further round out the movie\u2019s appeal. After unwittingly drinking LSD-spiked eggnog, Harold, Kumar, and their surroundings suddenly turn into claymation \u2014 a clever homage to Rankin\/Bass holiday specials like Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town<\/em>, albeit with a giant stop-motion penis that somehow doesn\u2019t crack the screen. Speaking of cocks, one of our protagonists eventually finds himself stuck in a hysterical homage to the frozen pole scene from A Christmas Story<\/em>, whose seemingly disposable reference early on would make Anton Chekhov proud. And if NPH\u2019s account of dying, going to heaven, and getting cockblocked by Jesus himself (Jake Johnson) doesn\u2019t qualify as a Christmas tale, what does?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering all the dick jokes, it\u2019s understandable that the Harold and Kumar <\/em>series isn\u2019t exactly known for its human drama. And yet, this third film intelligently depicts relatable holiday pressures, namely the desire to please one\u2019s in-laws and others who take Christmas perhaps more seriously than is healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, jokes remain at the forefront, and in this wild and witty environment, even a cameo by a weed-loving Santa Claus (Richard Riehle) \u2014 complete with reindeer and sleigh \u2014 fits right in, just as A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas <\/em>fits into any open-minded moviegoers\u2019 holiday viewing plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” is streaming (not in 3D) on Paramount+<\/a> and is available for digital rental and purchase<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/harold-kumar2-1024x681.jpg\")
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