Raghava Lawrence can be considered as one of the pioneers of Tamil Horror comedy films. His Muni-2: Kanchana had set the benchmark for many horror comedy films that followed, like Darling, Aranmanai, Dhillukku Dhuddu and so on. But, how long can we watch a film that is set on the same tropes as Kanchana? It was a blockbuster back in 2015, but how is it now, after 4 years?

Kanchana 3 does start on an energetic note, with everything happening at a brisk pace. Raghava Lawrence sets up a showdown with Kabir Singh Duhan within the first 15 minutes of the film. There is slight humour sprinkled by Soori, that partially works.

Kanchana 3 has a lot of scenes to remind you of what Raghava Lawrence did in the earlier films, but somehow the characters of the film seem to have selective amnesia when it comes to remembering the horror scenes. A terrific Kovai Sarala remembers that Raghava Lawrence climbs onto her hips whenever he is scared but doesn't recollect that there were ghosts in the previous films too. Kovai Sarala, Sriman, and Devadarshini who are regulars in Kanchana Franchise have delivered what is expected out of them and won't disappoint the Kanchana fans with their humorous scenes. While logical loopholes can be ignored in a commercial entertainer, it is quite difficult to pack your brains in a box.

The first half is better engaging due to the template of comedy and horror being in sync with each other and a thrilling interval block, but from then on, the graph goes down exponentially, and even the commercial elements start lacking the punch required. Raghava Lawrence's dance steps are out of the world, but the songs don't quite fit the genre. There is a mildly rousing stunt sequence before the climax where our hero is fighting against 100 people, but all of a sudden, the film goes into fast-forward mode and all the hundred people fall. This is supposed to be the set-up for the climax fight, but when the setup is hurried, there isn't any pay-off.

The film has 3 heroines in the form of Oviya, Vedhika and Nikki Tamboli, when only one could have done the job. All three have been objectified, and have no other role than seducing Raghava in turns. Either Raghava jumps on to their hips or they jump on to Raghava's hips, which is what they do in the entire film. Delhi Ganesh showcases his acting prowess wherever possible. However, he seems to be wasted in a role that does not have much depth.

Raghava (who is also the writer and director) has tried to infuse some humour in the portions consisting of the family members, that only becomes repetitive and force-fitted after a point. The emotional connection between them is also lacking, due to which we cannot empathize with whatever is happening. The only way we see the family bonding is when someone sees the ghost in the house, and screams at the top of their voice and the whole family rushes down to ask what happened. And this screaming takes places almost every day and night.

The horror portions are filled with jump scares and loud screams. If you are someone who wants to feel your heart coming out of your mouth, it does the job. But even for the faint-hearted, who close their eyes when the ghost comes on-screen, the scenes still leave you startled. This is because of the sound effects used.

Another letdown with Kanchana 3 is the predictability. It has the usually isolated bungalow, that has a ghost. The ghost narrates it's a flashback to the members of the house so that they sympathise with him, and grant permission to enter the protagonist's body and exact revenge for the misery it underwent. In short Kanchana 3 becomes a victim of the stereotypes created by the earlier horror-comedy films, but the fans of the franchise might not complain much. Critics might not appreciate it, but moments in the first half will make the general audience and horror fans not complaint about Kanchana-3.