I remember when Scream first appeared on our screens, reinvigorating the franchise by pointing out its flaws and then still sticking to them and heightening the realism. A brilliantly self aware film that added an element of whodunnit to the horror, and still turned out to be infinitely more witty and intelligent than its immediate contempory - most noticeably I Know What You Did Last Summer. Two sequels followed with slightly less impact from both, but both were still better than most other horror films of the time.
And now, eleven years after the third film, Scre4m makes its way to our screeens, reuiniting Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette as Ghostface starts killing yet again. Given that six people have already worn the Scream mask, its not too surprising to discover that two more are added to that list in this film, though who those two are is quite surprising. Not as surprising, however, as how good this film actually is. Yes, after a decade break, the series feels reinvigorated and Scre4m is easily better than its two immediate predecessors - though I'm not sure its as good as the original, but then, as Neve Campbell says in the film "You don't fuck with the original."
Sidney returns to Woodsboro after a decade, having written a book that, in many ways, combats the novels that Gale Weathers has been writing based on the experiences they have encountered. However, it takes a very short time before two girls are killed by a new Ghostface killer and the killings begin again, following the rules of the "reboot".
The film is touted by the characters as a "reboot", requiring a new set of rules, but every other horror film comes under a blistering attack - mostly in the pretitle sequence (an extremely clever sequence which sees the cameo of Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell) - including the original Scream films. The most obscure reference is to Amityville: It's About Time when a character derides "Stab 5" for including time travel. Sidney Prescott herself is referred to as the angel of death - all those around her die - and one character suggests that she should have been in the Final Destination series.
But there are a new generation of kids to be slaughtered, this time headed by the beautiful Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere (with a weird haircut) and Marielle Jaffe, ably assisted by Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen as the school's cinema geeks. To be frank, as comfotable as Arquette, Campbell and Cox are in their roles, it is Emma Roberts who steals the film, lined up as Cambpell's replacement (she plays Sidney's cousin), Roberts is both soft and personal as well as tough when the time requires it.
It's actually nice to see a film which isn't as over the top gory as other horror films (though there are still some cringe inducing sequences - particularly Emma Roberts beating at the end and one death is very gory all the same), and the old school feel of Scre4m is a little like welcoming home an old friend. Meanwhile the self awareness of the film is bizarrely "meta", even down to the relationship between Dewey and Gale which reflects the real life actors so much you almost think that the Arquette's split is a publicity stunt to promote the movie.
But that's not to say the film doesn't have its faults. In truth the motivations of the killers is a little trite, and if you've seen All The Boys Love Mandy Lane then it's not too hard to work out what is going to happen at the climax. Equally, whereas in the past it wasn't too difficult to see how the killers were Ghostface, in this case the killers are phsyically so different to Ghostface it requires quite a leap of faith to accept that it is them behind the mask.
All in all, however, this is a tour de force for director Wes Craven and writers Kevin Williamson and Ehren Krueger, and a welcome return to the Scream series. Not sure how it will set up for a new trilogy, but I have faith in Craven. Let's see what he can do next.
And now, eleven years after the third film, Scre4m makes its way to our screeens, reuiniting Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette as Ghostface starts killing yet again. Given that six people have already worn the Scream mask, its not too surprising to discover that two more are added to that list in this film, though who those two are is quite surprising. Not as surprising, however, as how good this film actually is. Yes, after a decade break, the series feels reinvigorated and Scre4m is easily better than its two immediate predecessors - though I'm not sure its as good as the original, but then, as Neve Campbell says in the film "You don't fuck with the original."
Sidney returns to Woodsboro after a decade, having written a book that, in many ways, combats the novels that Gale Weathers has been writing based on the experiences they have encountered. However, it takes a very short time before two girls are killed by a new Ghostface killer and the killings begin again, following the rules of the "reboot".
The film is touted by the characters as a "reboot", requiring a new set of rules, but every other horror film comes under a blistering attack - mostly in the pretitle sequence (an extremely clever sequence which sees the cameo of Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell) - including the original Scream films. The most obscure reference is to Amityville: It's About Time when a character derides "Stab 5" for including time travel. Sidney Prescott herself is referred to as the angel of death - all those around her die - and one character suggests that she should have been in the Final Destination series.
But there are a new generation of kids to be slaughtered, this time headed by the beautiful Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere (with a weird haircut) and Marielle Jaffe, ably assisted by Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen as the school's cinema geeks. To be frank, as comfotable as Arquette, Campbell and Cox are in their roles, it is Emma Roberts who steals the film, lined up as Cambpell's replacement (she plays Sidney's cousin), Roberts is both soft and personal as well as tough when the time requires it.
It's actually nice to see a film which isn't as over the top gory as other horror films (though there are still some cringe inducing sequences - particularly Emma Roberts beating at the end and one death is very gory all the same), and the old school feel of Scre4m is a little like welcoming home an old friend. Meanwhile the self awareness of the film is bizarrely "meta", even down to the relationship between Dewey and Gale which reflects the real life actors so much you almost think that the Arquette's split is a publicity stunt to promote the movie.
But that's not to say the film doesn't have its faults. In truth the motivations of the killers is a little trite, and if you've seen All The Boys Love Mandy Lane then it's not too hard to work out what is going to happen at the climax. Equally, whereas in the past it wasn't too difficult to see how the killers were Ghostface, in this case the killers are phsyically so different to Ghostface it requires quite a leap of faith to accept that it is them behind the mask.
All in all, however, this is a tour de force for director Wes Craven and writers Kevin Williamson and Ehren Krueger, and a welcome return to the Scream series. Not sure how it will set up for a new trilogy, but I have faith in Craven. Let's see what he can do next.
No comments:
Post a Comment