I think this film was always on a hiding to nothing, as the public were never going to accept a 'Kevin clone', so beloved/associated was Macaulay Culkin with this franchise.

But, having said that, 'Home Alone 3' is great fun, and well deserving of a watch with an open mind.

It's got a great script from John Hughes, that actually ups the ante on the scrapes that Kevin got into, and the slapstick is on a par, if not better than what's gone before.

I enjoyed this film, I hope if you give it a chance you will too.

The third one - and the first one that tries to make sense of things and bring reality back. Like the kid calling the police - I know the most simple solution seem the most difficult to avoid when you try to be as convenient as possible. But even as this tries this out, it has technology to make those calls go nowhere and it still does only use the technology when it wants to.

Crazy to say the least - and the kid as good as the actor himself is, is not as charismatic as Culkin ... and I wasn't the biggest fan of Kevin anyway, but this everyone has to admit or rather see. More advanced traps and failings or whatever you want to call them ... though I reckon the people it hits are the most deserving ones yet. I have not seen part 4 & 5 yet, but do not hold your breath for me to do so soon. This had a very young Black Widow - sorry I mean Scarlett Johannson in it. Watching it, one wishes she would have been the main character instead ... the movie would have been better. No offense to the kid playing the main role instead.

Four high-tech industrial spies are trying to smuggle out a top secret military microchip to North Korea. A mixup at airport security leaves Mrs. Hess with the microchip hidden in a remote control car. After Alex shovels Mrs. Hesses' driveway, she gives him the car as payment. The spies have tracked the chip to Alex's neighborhood, and faces off against Alex who is home sick with the chicken pox.

I like the cat and mouse game, but the premise is way too serious. It's not so kid friendly to start. But this is not a horrible sequel. The fact is the kid isn't Macaulay. And the movie doesn't have as much whimsy as the previous two. The bad guys are real bad guys, not the silly Wet Bandits.

For those of us who want to see Scarlett Johansson, she has a minor role as the sister. It's nothing special to write home about. She does have a few scenes.