Gabriel Niko and Saige: The Road Trip (2017 film)

Warning: this is not a real movie.Gabriel Niko and Saige: The Road Trip is an American adventure comedy family film and the third instalment in the Gabriel Niko and Saige franchise. The film is produced by DreamWorks Pictures and distributed by Gabriel Combs Movies. It stars Niko Lovett, Gabriel Combs, Saige Lovett, Kadence Lovett, Adam Sandler, Marti McNally, Jeremy DeLovett, and Sarah Lovett.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 11, 2017. It was a box office success, grossing $900 million against a $300 million budget, and received positive reviews for its plot, casting, performances, humor, and emotional weight, while some criticized the perceived lack of originality. A sequel is scheduled to be released on November 20, 2020.

Plot
3 Years After the events of the previous film, Niko, Gabe, Saige, and Kadence continue to be friends and a team after defeating Orphan and Bonecrusher. The siblings throw another party due to discovering that they’re going on a road trip (hence the title) after overhearing the news from their parents, although it was intended to be a surprise.

Niko, Gabe, Saige, and Kadence immediately start packing and accidentally fall asleep with their bags on their heads. They wake up the next day believing that their troubles have ended and go to the car for the trip. Their Parents stay home due to work issues and the siblings go with their Grandma Marti to go on an adventure to Silver Dollar City, the World’s most famous theme park (until Disney World).

During their Trip, Bonecrusher (who survived the events of the first film) discovers the Siblings and begins his plot for revenge. He discovers that they’re going to Silver Dollar City and plots to kill them during one of their rides.

The Siblings arrive at Silver Dollar City and are eager to get on the rides. Gabe discovers Bonecrusher, but nobody believes him and they go to the Carousel. After they get off the Carousel, they prepare to go on another ride as Bonecrusher gets a disguise to lure the kids into a broken down ride called “Phantom Caves”.

The Kids go in as they discover Bonecrusher to be chasing them and trying to push them down a waterfall, which is revealed to be a part of the ride. The Siblings escape and go to Fireman’s Landing, the new part of Silver Dollar City, to hide from Bonecrusher, who escapes the ride and chases after them.

The Kids find themselves in a Ballpit with Nerf Guns and shoot their way to get Bonecrusher away from them. The group reforms and runs out of the place before Bonecrusher can notice. They discover a tall ride and the siblings convince Gabe to get over his fear of heights just until Bonecrusher leaves. The plan backfires and they lose him in a chase across the park.

They go to the Barnyard Swing and swing very high, which leads Bonecrusher to notice the kids. Niko urges the ride to stop, but it goes faster. Gabe unbuckles himself and Niko and the two hold onto the ride until it reaches the ground, where they get off the ride.

The siblings go to Lost River of the Ozarks to hide out, but he is right behind them on the ride. He falls off, but the ride gets bumpy and he swims very quickly after them, gaining on them. He gets out of the water to attack them at the end of the ride. They escape again and go back to Fireman’s Landing.

They go back to the Ballpit and discover Bonecrusher coming after them at the place. They hide out in the back, but he catches them again. Kadence, who wasn’t captured, fires plastic balls at Bonecrusher and the siblings knock him into the water, where he escapes and is arrested for trying to start Child Abuse.

The siblings return to Grandma Marti and they go out to eat one last time before they return home. The siblings discover that their troubles will never be over, but they will always be ready as a team. They return home and celebrate their victory.

Cast

 * Niko Lovett as Niko, a young boy who loves to watch Karate movies and knows Karate.
 * Gabriel Combs as Gabe, a tween who is Niko’s older brother and has many fears.
 * Saige Lovett as Saige, Niko’s sister who loves snacks and makeup tutorials.
 * Kadence Lovett as Kadence, Niko’s younger sister who loves to watch videos.
 * Adam Sandler as Bonecrusher, an old enemy who plots to kill the siblings in an act of revenge.
 * Marti McNally as Grandma Marti, Niko’s grandmother who loves to go places with the siblings.
 * Jeremy DeLovett as Jeremy, Niko’s father who plays video games and works at a restaurant.
 * Sarah Lovett as Sarah, Niko’s mother who watches makeup tutorials and works at a hospital.

Production
Announcement

After the success of the second film, director Stiller began writing a script for a third film, with this plot being “different from the previous films”. The title was revealed shortly after.

Casting

Niko Lovett, Gabriel Combs, Saige Lovett, Kadence Lovett, Jeremy DeLovett, and Sarah Lovett (of course) reprised their roles for the film (along with Sandler), but they were joined by Marti McNally for the film.

Filming

Filming took place between August 2016 and January 2016, in Branson, Missouri, and Joplin, Missouri.

Reception
The film received positive reviews for its plot, casting, humor, performances, and emotional weight, but was criticized for a perceived “lack of originality”. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an 85% score, based on 991 reviews, with an average score of 7.24/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, “A fun third installment to a fun-filled franchise, Gabriel Niko and Saige’s third film succeeds in many ways, although the villain could be more original.” On IMDb, the film received an average score of 7.5/10.

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on August 11, 2017. It was also released digitally on October 27, 2017, and on Blu-Ray and DVD on November 14, 2017.

Sequel
A sequel, titled Gabriel Niko and Saige: The Last Chapter, is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on November 20, 2020.