KYLE M. JOHNSON
PRIDE STAFF WRITER

Christmas comes early this year with “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.” The result is a fun Christmas film that also acts as a loyal sequel to its film series.

This time around, stoner buddies Harold and Kumar (John Cho and Kal Penn, respectively) are back several years after the incidents from the previous films “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” and “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.” They each live their separate lives, Harold a successful married man and Kumar still the same old Kumar, but depressed over his recent break-up. A mysterious present arrives for Harold at Kumar’s apartment which reunites the old friends for a Christmas Eve of outrageous events.

This entry in the “Harold & Kumar” series surpasses the second film in entertainment value and humor and comes close to the original. With an abundance of the series’ conventional racial stereotyping, drug use and absurd plot development, the film remains consistent to its predecessors.

Some of the humor is very tongue-in-cheek, as Harold is referred to as Sulu (Cho’s character in the most recent “Star Trek” film) and Kumar is told from a friend that if anyone asks, he works at the White House (which Penn did in between the second and third films of the series).

Neil Patrick Harris’s return to the series is something to be enjoyed with his real-life partner David Burtka as a married straight father who is paid to act as Harris’s lover in order to widen Harris’s appeal. Burtka’s cameo, which is even shorter than Harris’s, is one of the funniest parts.

The 3D presentation of the film may be a more rewarding experience for viewers with the technology manipulated and played up for humorous effect. Also, several references to 3D technology play their part in execution, as well.

If you enjoyed the first two “Harold & Kumar” films, you’re sure to like this one. If zany, over-the-top, offensive comedies aren’t your preference, you might want to pass.

Photo courtesy of Allied Media