"What's your favorite scary movie?" whispered a faceless killer in the opening line Wes Craven's original Scream. And now, fifteen years later, it may not be the opening line anymore, but it's still that same, jarring punch of a phone conversation opener. Scream 4 shows a return to what the original was: a great, fun, and self-aware parody of the horror genre. Maybe this is for the better, maybe this is for the worse, but in the bloodiest and most meta installment yet, Craven moves the story along faster with even less horror and more comedy. Most of what the movie shows the audience is things they have seen already in the other three Screams, but it's so damn fun to watch it all unfold all over again.
Scream 4 is a similar plot to the first few. A killer strikes and people die. If you want a few more details, you can keep reading: Ghostface strikes again in Woodsboro. It's not just any coincidence that Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back in town promoting her new autobiography of her struggles in the past fifteen years. And as the teenage bodies continue to drop, it becomes increasingly more apparent that Sidney is next. Courtney Cox and David Arquette are brought back for their original roles. The new cast members include Emma Roberts, Hayden Patteniere, Adam Brody, and Rory Culkin.
Scream 4 offers a fair amount of suspense. There are some legitimately disquieting sequences, however most are marred by blasts of annoying albeit funny comedy. The kills are notably more violent--guts and blood are everywhere by the time the kills are done--but it's not necessarily to the film's advantage. Still, as sadistic as it may be to say this, the murder sequences are planned nicely and are definitely entertaining to watch.
Comedy is used in Scream 4 more nicely than it is in all three installments. It may be used too often because it ends up replacing most of the horror, however it is certainly funny. The opening sequence is no longer scary or creepy, rather it is one convoluted joke involving three simultaneous movies. And it's all in good taste, but true fans of horror may not be happy with this one.
The cast and their characters are a major improvement over Scream 3. Hayden Patteniere is wonderful as the sarcastic Kirby, a closeted horror film geek who poses as the hot popular girl. Thankfully, Neve Campbell is featured less in this one because, as her career has progressed, she has just done more of her "pouty-face" expression for her role as Sidney. David Arquette is still insanely annoying as Dewey, but Courtney Cox is always a treat as Gale. The new cast members are satisfactory enough.
Despite a surprising ending, Scream 4 is more of the delicious same material as the first one. Scream 4 was not a needed installment. In fact, the Scream series did not need to be rebooted. But, and there's a big "but," Scream 4 is very entertaining. Scream 5 may be overkill (oh, don't you just love puns?), but for now, Scream 4 is a fun watch. See it in theaters with a large group of friends and enjoy.
Scream 4 is a similar plot to the first few. A killer strikes and people die. If you want a few more details, you can keep reading: Ghostface strikes again in Woodsboro. It's not just any coincidence that Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is back in town promoting her new autobiography of her struggles in the past fifteen years. And as the teenage bodies continue to drop, it becomes increasingly more apparent that Sidney is next. Courtney Cox and David Arquette are brought back for their original roles. The new cast members include Emma Roberts, Hayden Patteniere, Adam Brody, and Rory Culkin.
Scream 4 offers a fair amount of suspense. There are some legitimately disquieting sequences, however most are marred by blasts of annoying albeit funny comedy. The kills are notably more violent--guts and blood are everywhere by the time the kills are done--but it's not necessarily to the film's advantage. Still, as sadistic as it may be to say this, the murder sequences are planned nicely and are definitely entertaining to watch.
Comedy is used in Scream 4 more nicely than it is in all three installments. It may be used too often because it ends up replacing most of the horror, however it is certainly funny. The opening sequence is no longer scary or creepy, rather it is one convoluted joke involving three simultaneous movies. And it's all in good taste, but true fans of horror may not be happy with this one.
The cast and their characters are a major improvement over Scream 3. Hayden Patteniere is wonderful as the sarcastic Kirby, a closeted horror film geek who poses as the hot popular girl. Thankfully, Neve Campbell is featured less in this one because, as her career has progressed, she has just done more of her "pouty-face" expression for her role as Sidney. David Arquette is still insanely annoying as Dewey, but Courtney Cox is always a treat as Gale. The new cast members are satisfactory enough.
Despite a surprising ending, Scream 4 is more of the delicious same material as the first one. Scream 4 was not a needed installment. In fact, the Scream series did not need to be rebooted. But, and there's a big "but," Scream 4 is very entertaining. Scream 5 may be overkill (oh, don't you just love puns?), but for now, Scream 4 is a fun watch. See it in theaters with a large group of friends and enjoy.