Quartile rating: 4/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, Beethoven's 3rd scores 4/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Below Average), weakest on Novelty (Well Below Average).
Everyone's favorite St. Bernard returns in this family film about man's best friend. Richard Newton, his wife Beth and kids Brennan and Sara shove off in their camper for a road trip. Along the way, they gain a new passenger: slobbery Beethoven. The Newtons plan to return Beethoven to his owner -- but not before he turns hero when a pair of thieves enter the picture.
Beethoven's 3rd is a direct-to-video sequel that recycles the same family-road-trip-with-lovable-dog formula with minimal originality. The plot is thoroughly formulaic—bumbling thieves, a slobbery dog saving the day—lifted almost wholesale from the earlier entries and countless similar family films. Acting is serviceable but unremarkable with a largely new cast replacing the originals. Cinematography is flat and TV-movie in quality. Novelty scores a 1 as it is a textbook derivative sequel offering nothing distinctive in conception, voice, or execution. The ending resolves predictably with Beethoven playing hero, meeting audience expectations but surprising no one.