Scream 4 (2011) Review

11 years after Scream 3, they decided to make a fourth Scream film and I have now watched it and here is my review for Scream 4. The premise of the film is set 10 years after the last film and sees Sidney return to her hometown which sees a re-emergence of Ghost Face and the killings. 

Main Character

Neve Campbell is back as Sydney and she is functional here, it is nice to see her back in the role and it seems like she is glad to be back. But once again there is very little added to her character and it just feels like she is here because it would be strange for her not to be here because it is a Scream film. 

Supporting Characters

David Arquette and Courteney Cox are back as Dewey and Gail and I have similar feelings towards there characters here as I did in the first film. They started off annoying me, but I grew on them and it was fun watching them work together after all the time since the previous film in the franchise. Emma Roberts comes in as Sidney's Cousin and she was a nice addition to the cast, she just fits the mould of the film well and she adds plenty here. But just like the other Scream films some of the other cast are overacting and it takes me out of it especially if and when they get killed. 

Story 

I actually quite liked the twist about who Ghostface is in this film. Also seeing the characters we know older and dealing with this situation is fun enough. But there is no doubt that there is plenty rehashed here and the plot isn't clever enough to get around this. There are probably too many characters which makes the film feel disjointed and for me taking a bit too long to get the blood pumping. 

Script

The script is alright, nothing great but nothing truly bad either. It has decent twists and turns which keeps the film enjoyable but some of the characters lack depth and the story overall isn't written with enough to interest. 

Style 

Once again the Ghostface killings are fun and just as bloody as they have always been if not even more then the others. But the pacing of the film isn't that great, I just felt like the film was going through the motions for some of it and it failed to truly keep me invested and interested. 

Overall

Overall, Scream 4 is an average film. It has some good moments but is too inconsistent and shows the limitations of a franchise like this. 

Rating - 5/10

Scream 3 (2000) Review

Next in the Scream review series comes the third film in the franchise and I watched Scream 3 today and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a film being made about the events of the previous incidents when another Ghostface killer surfaces. 

Main Character

Neve Campbell is back as Sidney and unfortunately the character doesn't work here and I am not sure it is even Campbell's fault. The character isn't even really in the first half of the film and it feels strange that this character that has been a big part of the franchise is just talked about and doesn't do much. Then when she is on screen, there isn't anything there, she has weird visions about her mother but it just doesn't feel like it hits the mark at all. 

Supporting Characters 

With Sydney not really a part of the first act it leaves David Arquette as Dewey and Courteney Cox as Gale to take centre stage and I can't deny that when I first saw them I was annoyed with their characterisation. But as the film goes on they both become there more charming selves and it is fun to see them working together and being a team. But they do waste some actors such as Patrick Dempsey and Lance Henriksen, they don't offer much to the project and thats a shame considering there star power. Also all the new young actors are over the top and I know it is a trope of this franchise but it has never really worked for me. 

Story

The story again misses the mark, it makes fun of being the end of a trilogy but it follows all of the tropes and it becomes all basic. I thought the reveal was a surprise but the motivations felt forced and just chucked in there because they weren't sure what to use as part of the end of the trilogy. 

Script

The script was actually okay, there was some chuckles in this one. They were in weird places but I thought it was better then the last film but the drama still falls a bit flat and the film isn't as clever in it's storytelling as the first film at least. 

Style 

The film still has exciting death and action scenes. I will always love the over the top and exciting Ghostface encounters, though I would argue we see a bit too much of him in this film. The pacing isn't that great for the film though, it takes too long to get going and that makes you a bit fed up when some exciting things happen. 

Overall

Overall, Scream 3 is a poor film that is a low point for the franchise and makes you wonder whether they even needed to make any films after the first film. 

Rating - 3/10

Scream 2 (1997) Review 

After the success of the original Scream film, this sequel was greenlit very quickly and I have now watched Scream 2 and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees Sidney move to College in order to get away from the killings of the past, but she gets dragged back in when a copycat killer bursts onto the scene. 

Main Character

Neve Campbell reprises her role as Sidney and I think she does an okay job here. There is no denying she keeps the essence of the character from the first film alive and there isn't any doubt that she does enough to keep the character interesting. But I don't know, I didn't feel there was as much intensity here and that she kind of just went through the motions at times and I didn't care as much here as I did in the previous film. 

Supporting Characters

David Arquette and Courteney Cox are back in there roles as Dewey and Gale and they are once again fun to watch. There is an argument that the characters haven't developed that much since the original but I can't help but enjoy there chemistry together. Liev Schrieber plays a role here and it is funny seeing how young he is here but he does a decent job. His character is a bit all over the place and feels a bit disconnected but I think he was fine. I have some issues like the first film with some of the overacting, even by talented actors and it just takes me out of the film and shows its age. 

Story

The story has some merit, it is interesting seeing a copycat killer and I couldn't work out who the killer was for quite a while which surprised me. But the film overreaches for me and I found the final reveal itself to be a bit lacking. I also don't think the characters felt the drastic repercussions from the original film as much as they should have done.  

Script

The script is okay and once again I like how this film attempts to deconstruct horror films and sequels in general. But there just isn't as much to this script as there was in the previous film and it mostly feels like a bunch of rehashed moments. 

Style

The film has some fun action and horror scenes. Credit has to go to the stunt people who are in the ghostface costume as they throw themselves around to make the action and horror seem even more intense. But the film doesn't hit the heights of its previous film and the film is a bit longer then it really needs to be. 

Overall

Overall, Scream 2 is an average sequel that rehashes most of the plot points from the original film but slightly worse. Unless you are a big horror fan then you can give this one a miss. 

Rating - 5/10

Scream (1996) Review

There is a new Scream film out, but I haven't had the chance to see it yet, so I decided to watch the previous films in the franchise and here is my review for the original film. The premise of the film sees a slew of killings inspired by horror movies that aims at mostly young girls. 

Main Character 

Neve Campbell plays Sidney and she is good in the film. She plays the damsel in distress pretty well but there is also some toughness to her that made her more interesting. She isn't amazing but I think she deserves a lot of credit for a good performance as a female lead character in a horror film can be a difficult role to play. 

Supporting Characters

Courteney Cox plays Gale, a news reporter who is trying to get a scoop on the murder investigation. She is good in the role and it is nice to see her play a different role as this would have been amongst the friends pomp. David Arquette plays Dooey and he is fun but doesn't really stand out, he is a young but lets face it pretty inept police officer. There is enough charm there though that manages to make him a good enough character. But the rest of the cast are just a bit too over the top, it comes across as a bit cringey and I am sure that is due to the age of the film but it is something that I noticed.  

Story 

The story is interesting, it spoofs other horror films and basically deconstructs them which I really enjoyed. The focus on ghostface's killings is well handled and I liked seeing the variation and suspense that was given in each one. However, I thought a few elements were a bit rushed and underdeveloped, alongside a really rushed and uninformative ending holds it back a little bit. 

Script 

The script is a bit like the characters, it does a decent enough job but hasn't exactly aged too well. It deals with the horror really well and the drama. At times the humour raises a wild chuckle but the film clearly thinks it is funnier then it actually is and it does suffer with this. But there is no doubt that there is some clever writing here. 

Style 

The film is filmed really well, the horror scenes are great. They keep you on the edge of your seat throughout and when they do take place they are energetic and frenetic which really helps make this horror film stand out. The film is paced really well with plenty of death and scares, the first 10 mins alone is some of the best you will see in any horror film and makes you want to keep watching. 

Overall

Overall, Scream is a good film. I am not a huge horror fan but this is one of the better ones and if you like horror I can see this being right up your street. 

Rating - 7/10