Movie Review: Scre4m
Naturally, when I heard the news that another sequel was coming out, my expectations were a bit skeptical just because a new installment could have gone either. Well, I had never been so glad to be wrong! Scream 4, to me, was sort of a minor miracle. It not only furthered the story of the franchise, but it updated it.
No, it's not as good as the original - and I respect that - but it managed to brilliantly stay true to the original concept resulting to possibly the best sequel in the series. I thought the direction of Wes Craven was still great. He once again proved that he has maintained his knack for suspense and solid old school horror. I appreciated the fact that he still invested a substantial amount of time in developing the characters and building up a sense of dread.
The script, on the other hand, was shockingly insightful. It's self-indulgent, witty, generally surprising and yes, hilarious. It also featured a couple of surprises and twists riddled throughout. I admit, I was honestly baffled on who was the actual killer - yes, I avoided spoilers - right up until the very end when all was revealed. And although the motivation was a bit questionable and too shallow for my liking, I somehow didn't mind.
Now, I'm not going to write anything about the story just because I don't want to give anything away, but one should expect a fairly decent plot. This was, of course, overshadowed by the entertainment factor of the film. I mean, Scre4m was like the original only on steroids. On average, a person dies about every 5 minutes, and I could tell that there was some thought put into it. I know. I know. It should be illegal to be entertained to some of the killings, but I couldn't help it.
As for the performances, I thought they were all pitch-perfect! It was a pleasure to see the original trio back! I was all giddy when I saw Neve Campbell kick some butt in this film and her line "Don't F*ck With The Original" made me want to clap literally. Haha. Hayden Panatierre I thought gave a solid performance and so was Emma Roberts.
Oh, and I just have to say that the opening sequence was absolutely genius. I mean, it's rare to see a perfect combination of horror mixed with comedy crammed into such a short time frame.
Certainly, Scream 4 wasn't too shabby. It had that extremely refreshing "don't take this seriously" vibe and while I don't think it will convert anyone that didn't care much for the original movies, I must say that this was an absolute thrill to watch. Quality suspense. Old-school horror techniques. Perceptive comedy. Possibly the best Scream since the first one.
Movie Review: Scre4m
Reviewed by DAM
on
3:46 AM
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