Scream 4
Thank you Wes Craven for bringing
back the franchise I have loved since the beginning. Not only did you return to the franchise that had been
missed for 11 years, but you brought it back in a way that unites fans of the
original films with the new, young fans who were not old enough to enjoy the
original trilogy. Without a doubt,
Scream 4 holds up very well against
the rest.
The film definitely has it’s flaws but they are few are far between. A couple of the flaws I cannot mention without revealing important spoilers. One blemish I am able to point out is the location. The location of the film is beautiful. Filmed in Michigan it looks just like any small town in America. However, while Scream 4 is supposed to take place in fictional Woodsboro, California, the same location as the 1996 original, it looks nothing like what it should. The original Scream’s Woodsboro was filmed in Northern California. This time around, Michigan just couldn’t do justice for the original and it just didn’t look the same. That bothered me because the first Scream had such a unique look while also looking like the epitome of small-town America; not an easy task.
The other flaw was that there were too many jokes and one liners. The Scream franchise is known for poking fun at its genre but Scream 4 over did it by just a tad. At it’s core, it is about main focus should be about scaring the audience, not trying to make it laugh all the time. Conversely, and to its credit, the jokes were funny as hell. I attended the midnight screening of the film and every intentional joke had the audience rolling on the floor. There just shouldn’t have been as many jokes. In a way I feel bad for Scream 4 because every time the audience recognized one of the franchise’s many staples, such as a phone ringing, the audience would laugh. The laughter can be clearly attributed to the fact that the audience loved seeing the stuff they had missed for 11 years, not because they though it was stupid.
Another minor flaw is the way the writer, Kevin Williamson (Who also wrote the first three films) tries way to hard to connect with today’s youth. The original trilogy took advantage of the up and coming craze of cell phones so what does he do here? He replaces a number of scenes where a phone would normally be used, with text messages and Twitter and Facebook updates. The problem with this is that the Scream franchise was built on the idea that, with a cell phone, the killer can be anywhere, not just calling from a landline. He can be in your house! Seeing a text message which reads, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” is just nowhere near as affective as hearing the killer’s voice on the other end of the phone.
The soundtrack is also a bit overbearing but not so much that it completely ruins the mood. Marco Beltrami was the genius composer of the first three films but this one just doesn’t have the same feel at the first three.
There is a plethora of positive moments in Scream 4, far too many to count. The good far outweighs the bad and that is why I will give this film a great rating. Scream 4 would have been nothing without the original trio of characters. Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and the franchise’s fearless heroine, Neve Campbell have all returned. Scream 4 has Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott returning to her hometown of Woodsboro on the last leg of her book tour (A book written about her experiences surviving the events of the first three films). Of course, with her return brings Ghostface popping up to murder a new batch of unsuspecting teens, including Sidney’s cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts) and her friends.
At the risk of sounding overly morbid, I must say that the deaths in Scream 4 are fantastic. One of the deaths in particular is even more brutal than Drew Barrymore’s now infamous demise in the opening scene of Scream (1996). The deaths were more graphic but also more realistic. In Scream 2 and 3, it seemed like Ghostface would stab someone once in the stomach and they would die instantly. That just doesn’t happen. I know this is a turn off for may people but at least in Scream 4, it took more for someone to die.
I also must give credit where credit is due. The casting of the new, young characters scared me. I thought that casting of Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, and Hayden Panettiere and the rest was just awful. I was correct to a certain extent in the sense that while not completely terrible, there was just no way they could live up to the fantastic performances of the original cast. They were adequate.
Also, if you are wondering about the opening scene, which is always one of the most anticipated scenes in each Scream film, this one will not disappoint. While not as scary as the original opening with Drew Barrymore, it has a number of twists you won’t see coming. Speaking of twists, just wait until to big finale! The last 30 minutes was scary and funny, just like every Scream movie.
All in all, Scream 4 is in no way as good as the original. However, it is on par with the second film and far better than the third. Honestly, this review does not do the film justice. Basically, it’s just really refreshing to finally see Ghostface again after missing for 11 years. The horror movies these days are boring. Scream 4 was not only scary, but funny too. Yes it has it’s flaws but nowhere near as many as most horror films these days. I loved Scream 4. It’s just one of those you have to see if you even remotely have an interest in horror movies or dark comedies. I loved Scream 4 and I give it an A-.
The film definitely has it’s flaws but they are few are far between. A couple of the flaws I cannot mention without revealing important spoilers. One blemish I am able to point out is the location. The location of the film is beautiful. Filmed in Michigan it looks just like any small town in America. However, while Scream 4 is supposed to take place in fictional Woodsboro, California, the same location as the 1996 original, it looks nothing like what it should. The original Scream’s Woodsboro was filmed in Northern California. This time around, Michigan just couldn’t do justice for the original and it just didn’t look the same. That bothered me because the first Scream had such a unique look while also looking like the epitome of small-town America; not an easy task.
The other flaw was that there were too many jokes and one liners. The Scream franchise is known for poking fun at its genre but Scream 4 over did it by just a tad. At it’s core, it is about main focus should be about scaring the audience, not trying to make it laugh all the time. Conversely, and to its credit, the jokes were funny as hell. I attended the midnight screening of the film and every intentional joke had the audience rolling on the floor. There just shouldn’t have been as many jokes. In a way I feel bad for Scream 4 because every time the audience recognized one of the franchise’s many staples, such as a phone ringing, the audience would laugh. The laughter can be clearly attributed to the fact that the audience loved seeing the stuff they had missed for 11 years, not because they though it was stupid.
Another minor flaw is the way the writer, Kevin Williamson (Who also wrote the first three films) tries way to hard to connect with today’s youth. The original trilogy took advantage of the up and coming craze of cell phones so what does he do here? He replaces a number of scenes where a phone would normally be used, with text messages and Twitter and Facebook updates. The problem with this is that the Scream franchise was built on the idea that, with a cell phone, the killer can be anywhere, not just calling from a landline. He can be in your house! Seeing a text message which reads, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” is just nowhere near as affective as hearing the killer’s voice on the other end of the phone.
The soundtrack is also a bit overbearing but not so much that it completely ruins the mood. Marco Beltrami was the genius composer of the first three films but this one just doesn’t have the same feel at the first three.
There is a plethora of positive moments in Scream 4, far too many to count. The good far outweighs the bad and that is why I will give this film a great rating. Scream 4 would have been nothing without the original trio of characters. Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and the franchise’s fearless heroine, Neve Campbell have all returned. Scream 4 has Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott returning to her hometown of Woodsboro on the last leg of her book tour (A book written about her experiences surviving the events of the first three films). Of course, with her return brings Ghostface popping up to murder a new batch of unsuspecting teens, including Sidney’s cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts) and her friends.
At the risk of sounding overly morbid, I must say that the deaths in Scream 4 are fantastic. One of the deaths in particular is even more brutal than Drew Barrymore’s now infamous demise in the opening scene of Scream (1996). The deaths were more graphic but also more realistic. In Scream 2 and 3, it seemed like Ghostface would stab someone once in the stomach and they would die instantly. That just doesn’t happen. I know this is a turn off for may people but at least in Scream 4, it took more for someone to die.
I also must give credit where credit is due. The casting of the new, young characters scared me. I thought that casting of Emma Roberts, Rory Culkin, and Hayden Panettiere and the rest was just awful. I was correct to a certain extent in the sense that while not completely terrible, there was just no way they could live up to the fantastic performances of the original cast. They were adequate.
Also, if you are wondering about the opening scene, which is always one of the most anticipated scenes in each Scream film, this one will not disappoint. While not as scary as the original opening with Drew Barrymore, it has a number of twists you won’t see coming. Speaking of twists, just wait until to big finale! The last 30 minutes was scary and funny, just like every Scream movie.
All in all, Scream 4 is in no way as good as the original. However, it is on par with the second film and far better than the third. Honestly, this review does not do the film justice. Basically, it’s just really refreshing to finally see Ghostface again after missing for 11 years. The horror movies these days are boring. Scream 4 was not only scary, but funny too. Yes it has it’s flaws but nowhere near as many as most horror films these days. I loved Scream 4. It’s just one of those you have to see if you even remotely have an interest in horror movies or dark comedies. I loved Scream 4 and I give it an A-.