Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (PG, 2002)

In this third installment of the series, Wayne Szalinski's (Rick Moranis) marriage is on shaky ground again. His wife needs a vacation, and is about to head off with her sister-in-law when a rogue shrinking ray in the attic reduces them and their husbands to the size of fingernails. The four teeny adults embark on a quest through the house to alert their children to what has happened. The kids think they've been left alone for the weekend and throw a party. In the pandemonium that ensues, Wayne and his brother go for a wild bubble ride that ends in a bowl of onion dip while their wives befriend a kitchen spider. Eventually the stereo is rewired to broadcast a cry for help.

This continuation of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids will appeal mostly to a young audience. It's solid entertainment for school kids with plenty of fun and good values. Sophisticated special effects, a clean, inoffensive script, and well-paced action make the third Honey a charm.

This movie offers pre-teens a titillating premise: How do you spend the weekend when your parents disappear? If you're a girl, invite some friends over, turn on the bubble machine, and play Truth or Dare. If you're a boy, read Sports Illustrated and make a chili-spewing volcano. The bonus here is seeing the carnage unfold from the shrunken parents' peculiar vantage points. They're tiny, they're in danger of being eaten, but they have their fun, too. There are good, easily digestible lessons here: help each other; don't let bullies take advantage of you; and appreciate your parents, even if they're smaller than you are -- much smaller. Hugs at the end and restored family harmony can apparently only be wrought by a gizmo that shrinks things.

Studio: Buena Vista
Director: Dean Cundey
Cast: Mila Kunis, Rick Moranis, Stuart Pankin
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 75 minutes
Theatrical release: October 8, 2002
DVD release: October 8, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: mild language