A sequel that proved near-deadly for a hit franchise delivered a saving grace

When it comes to the worst examples of a franchise that fundamentally doesn’t understand its own audience, the decision has to be made Consumables 3 A PG-13 movie with a cast of fresh faces consuming a massive amount of screen time definitely needs to be at the forefront when it comes to sheer choices.

The entire selling point of the property was wish-fulfilment for action junkies, delivered in blockbuster-size, with fans flocking to see some of the genre’s biggest legends challenge each other in a series of over-the-top, bullet-riddled set pieces. Weirdly enough, people weren’t too keen on Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell and Victor Ortiz stealing the limelight from the old guard.

It didn’t help as a pristine copy of Consumables 3 also leaked online prior to its release, which helped the film emerge as the highest-grossing and lowest-rated of the trilogy. Next year’s fourth edition will theoretically correct many of these errors, but backers on Reddit managed to find a single ray of light in a misguided and pathetically ill-considered effort that almost killed the entire IP brick.

As flimsy as the CGI is, the climactic action sequence dominates the entire third act of Consumables 3 comes close to correcting the many mistakes made throughout the game, even if the PG-13 setting hampers the action. It’s impossible not to smile, however, as you watch Harrison Ford pilot a helicopter with Arnold Schwarzenegger at his side, mowing down henchmen with malicious abandon, especially when he yells “GET TO THE CHOPPA!” before the team escapes to safety.

On the whole Consumables 3 was a egregious miscalculation, but this grand showdown almost saved it from mediocrity.