Scream 4





Grade: B+

Scream 4 gets off to an interesting start, because it has an incredibly fun opening scene that also hurts the first half hour of the film. It spends so much time making fun of itself, of the self-referential horror boom, that when "the shit goes down," as they say, there's not as much tension as you'd hope for. It all feels as silly as a Stab sequel.

And then you realize that it's far and away the most violent Scream film. Once it settles down, things become quite good. The new kids are all fun (save maybe Trevor, who only exists so he can be a Billy Loomis clone; there isn't a scene in the film where he's not playing it uber-suspicious), and the returnees are game, even if Dewey and Gale don't really get to do very much.

The final twenty minutes are my favorite in the franchise, for a couple of reasons. One, it plays fair with the audience. This is much more like the original Scream; it's clear the killer (or killers) was decided upon before filming, so the film plays fair. It's not a Scream 2/Scream 3 scenario, where they literally could've ripped the mask off anybody. Secondly, the actual motive(s) involved are funny and disturbing all at once; a total deconstruction of the world we live in today.

I need another viewing, but I walked out very, very happy. (Though I missed Red Right Hand and the traditional Scream credits. Oh well.)

I liked it better the second time.

I am SO EXCITED to see this tomorrow night.

I know who the killer is that was spoiled on another site.. If I blurted it out, would I be Banned???

Yes.

You'd be banned if you spoiled it just to be a twit, yes.

SPOILERS ARE ALLOWED IN THIS SECTION.

As we are so often told.

Sure they are. As long as there's a point to them -- review, discussion, etc. I said he'd be banned if he was a twit, i.e.'the killer is so and so, haha I ruined it!'

Like, I was hyped for this, but also praying that they didn't fuck it up. And they sure didn't. It's just as funny and clever as the original, and so fun.

OMG IT WAS PERFECT. I'm still reeling. Epic, hilarious, scary. So worth the wait

So I'm just gonna say it now. 'Cause I've been wanting to for weeks.

"You forgot the number one rule of remakes. Don't fuck with the original."

First off, I was not disappointed--so that's good. It was different than I was expecting, but I've avoided all trailers/ads/everything to go in fresh and it sure worked! I thought I was in for another Scream movie but this one had much, much more humor while at the same time being the most brutal one yet.

I agree with pretty much everything you said, Dark Shape, while also adding that the whole thing felt oddly small to me. The sets, the locations, everything felt so...scaled down. I'll pay more attention on viewing #2 tomorrow, but it was negative for me. There seemed to be no open spaces. It was also definitely far faster than all the other Screams. I missed the slowness of the others, but that was kind of a big point they were making--commentary on the way the world is now--so I don't really count it as a fault of the movie (just personal preference).

That first post-opening murder, with Ghostface coming out the friend's closet, was harsh. The murder itself and then the Sidney V Ghostface match-up. Ghostface in general felt quicker to the point when it came to the murders, while trying to be as severe as possible in the time allowed.

Neve Campbell was a wonderful grounding presence for the whole thing as an older, wiser, more experienced Sid truly interested in helping others. Gale was fun, though I miss the uber-bitch Gale of the first two Screams a bit Dewey had the least to do, I thought. He kind of just had "the Sheriff" role in things, but I suppose that's a little fitting in that Dewey aspired to that.

And now I am done completely over-thinking things for now, except to say that Sid's final line to the killer was awesome (and my very full theater loved it as well--they really seemed to enjoy the whole thing, with applause at the start and end).

Oh--and the Principal Himbry statue was amusing, hehe.

"Now shut the fuck up and watch the movie"

By the way, your lemon squares taste like ass.

So freaking good.

I loved it.

Ahhhhh

Watched it tonight with a back to back of 3 followed by 4, with two friends who never saw 3. Almost a completely different experience. Both are completely referential, but where as 3 went for the wide scale big budget hollywood side, we saw the grittier, cheapo horror side in scream 4. It was really funny, some brutal parts, I dug everything about it, including the killers, but in the end I feel like it is instantly forgettable, which I'm sad to say. Its still most likely the best horror film in a few years I've seen but where as 1 and 2 really scared me as a kid, 4 I found myself laughing much more (But intentionally mind you) In that case its a very fun film to watch. I think that might be the only flaw, the film is almost 2 hours long and it seems almost super tight of death scene after another, with no slowing.

With the early box office results I'm not too surprised, Horror audiences have moved passed the scream franchise, but for those that haven't its a welcome return to sharp writing, better than average characters (The veterans were really underused and the new ones mostly seemed like clones)

I'm giving it a A- right now, which would be a step above the 3rd. It's like I've always said, I'll take a scream film which doesn't hit all the right marks over most horror films today.

Scream 4 is a curious film. First and foremost, it is clear it's not a half-hearted attempt. Each of the series' principals--director Wes Craven; screenwriter Kevin Williamson; stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette--has returned, and there are moments of genuine intelligence and suspense throughout. It's clear it was made with a degree of concern for the franchise's reputation and its diehard fans. Yet the film doesn't feel 100 percent complete, nor is it a rousing success.

The plot begins with heroine Sidney Prescott (Campbell) returning to her once-again-sleepy hometown of Woodsboro. It is years after the string of murders she survived in the first film, murders the current teenagers of Woodsboro regard with a perverse nostalgia. Those teens include Sidney's cousin, Jill Roberts (Emma Roberts), and her friends and classmates (played by, among others, Hayden Panettierre and Rory Culkin). As for good old Dewey (Arquette), he has become the town's sheriff. His marriage to ambitious-reporter-turned-struggling-fiction-writer Gale Weathers (Cox) has turned icy, and he flirts with an adoring deputy (Marley Shelton). As if on cue, Sidney's homecoming coincides with the beginning of a new murderous rampage by Ghostface, the identity assumed yet again by an unknown culprit (or culprits).

This film has a strange relationship with the returning trio of Campbell, Cox, and Arquette. It's respectful of their presence, but doesn't use them in many interesting ways. Sidney in particular is fumbled. Neve Campbell is a gifted actress (remember she appeared in Robert Altman's penultimate feature, The Company, in the years between Screams 3 and 4), and this is her signature role. But she seems downright sleepy throughout. Moments of badass Sidney empowerment are few and far between. Ambivalent melancholy is her average speed here. The result? Sidney Prescott becomes a supporting character in her own story. Cox, on the other hand, is almost too aggressive a trouper. Devouring scenery, clearly desperate to be praised in reviews for a certain the-bitch-is-back gusto, she operates on a different wavelength than the rest of the cast, and it becomes rather exhausting.

The fresh faces are more appealing. Emma Roberts is simply terrific, meeting her role's various demands with impressive energy and style. The niece of Julia Roberts seems destined to be a significant star in her own right. She is the heart of this film. Also highly impressive is Alison Brie, who steals her every scene as the bitchy publicist promoting Sidney's memoir. The only new cast members who fall flat are Anthony Anderson and Adam Brody as a pair of bumbling cops. Their material is lame, and their presence is distracting.

Behind the camera, Wes Craven proves he can still deftly build suspense, though he does miss a few grand opportunities. For example, one character, a super-nerd, goes everywhere with a camera attached to his head, more or less webcasting his life. One would assume this type of random, unnatural character quirk is only present to result in a clever, first-person P.O.V. chase sequence. Alas, it never does. In fact, Craven forgoes chase sequences almost entirely, favoring instead short scenes where Ghostface appears, slashes, and flees very quickly. A few of these are effective--his sudden appearance jarring, the gore cringe-inducing--but the film does hunger for at least one iconic, well-staged extended chase, and Craven never bothers to muster one.

Kevin Williamson's script (though I've read other, uncredited scribes were also involved) is overflowing with the self-referential humor expected in a Scream sequel. In fact, he almost seems to favor the see-how-clever-I-am comedy to the old-fashioned, blood-drenched scares this time around. The nesting doll-style opening sequences are incredibly inspired and put a huge smile on my face, though, later in the film, there are a few too many references to how "meta" everything is. Williamson's central idea is ingenious and troubling at the same time: Scream 4 functions as a comment on Hollywood's current remake culture. The film, which repeats several sequences found in the 1996 original, almost says, "We know, you recognize this scene, and it's not quite as scary or hilarious as it was the first time 'round the bend. But, see, it's not supposed to be! The remake is almost never as good!" Clever, perhaps, but also deflating.

Will this film satisfy nostalgic Scream fans? Yes, chances are it will. It's peppered with small sentimental references--watch for a statue of a familiar supporting character from a previous film--and, in its presentation and aesthetics, simply feels very '90s (cell phones and Saw references almost register as anachronisms). It's not an electrifying cinematic experience in its own right, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if Scream 5 never materialized. This is a pleasant, acceptable footnote to the mighty franchise, not its new dawn.

B-

I had a lot of fun with this film. It's leagues ahead of the third movie and on par with Scream 2 for me. As directed by Wes Craven and featuring a welcome return from Kevin Williamson, Scream 4 is slick and funny. It is not scary in the slightest (although I feel like the only sequence in all four movies I would call "scary" is the infamous opening scene in Scream 1), perhaps because the filmmakers choose to dispose of the (many, many, many, many, many) victims in this one in a "wham bam" fashion rather than through drawn out chase sequences. And this is certainly a gruesome movie, featuring significantly more gore than the past film. I would've perhaps liked one or two of those extended chase scenes, but it's not a huge complaint. The opening and ending are both fantastic, begging for audience participation in both. The "meta" element is perhaps a bit overused but it makes complete sense for Craven and Williamson to include it in light of our Rebecca Black generation. Seeing Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette back is quietly familiar; all of them slip back into their old characters immediately, and at this point, interest in their survival is perhaps the greatest of all the movies since we've been following these characters so long. A lot of the new actors stand out: Emma Roberts demonstrates some pretty nice acting chops, Hayden Panettiere is warm and appealing (she reminded me of Tatum in the first film), Alison Brie is a scream (haha get it) as a bitchy publicist, and Marley Shelton's hilariously off-kilter deputy provides much entertainment. It looks like there probably won't be any more after this given the box office returns (and this really deserves more than it's getting), but I was quite pleased with this. Not a classic like the first one, but certainly a good time that should satisfy fans of the series. B+

Also, my audience went nuts when:

LOVED it. Can't believe I didn't even fathom once during the movie that the killer was who they were. Like everyone's said, the movie's enormously fun and it flies by despite the two-hour length.

A-

A hydrogen bomb of horrible. Makes the already sufficiently wretched Scream 3 look like...well, something good. It was all so perfunctory and dull. I was getting really mad sitting there.

How does something this amateurish even get released? I really wonder. Usually you get a bare minimum of craft in these kinds of things. Not so in Scream 4.

I went into this convinced I knew who the killer(s) would be, but throughout I constantly second guessed myself. The reveal was a surprise, but it had crossed my mind. Still, loved everything after we find out. What wicked fun.

As a huge fan of the series I had been skeptical about a "SCREAM 4," but this really turned out about as good as it could have. It's the second best sequel after the second, though it has the best killer reveal since the original. A great opening and finale really elevates this one. A reviewer described this as being like a welcome visit from an old friend, and I couldn't agree more. It was great catching up with the characters and fun returning to the town it all started. Most of the new characters were nothing too special aside from Hayden Panettiere's Kirby, whom I adored. Of the new cast Panettiere and Emma Roberts were easily the best.

While I'd love another someday, if this ends up being the last at least the series went out on a high. "SCREAM 4" is a fun and clever blast, and proves that you can indeed go home again.

8/10 (A-)

That's exactly how it was in my theater. LOVED it.

I'm so glad this is at least its own movie and wasn't just a set-up for a new trilogy like I was expecting. While I'd love for more Scream movies this at least has a beginning, middle, and end and can stand on its own even if they aren't to make another.

Considering the plot, I'd argue this film proves you can't go home again.