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"4 stars: Someone has taken their love of sequels too far"
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Shockingly solid slasher satire sequel.
-
Oct 9, 2011
- by ryguy4738
- posted in Movie Hype
Rating:
*** out of ****
+3
"Scream 2" is all whimsy, all wit, and all entertainment. I don't find it quite as funny, scary, or unforgettable as the film that it is a follow-up to, but it works in the same ways as the original film and operates well with Wes Craven returning as its director. The man who penned the first "Scream", Kevin Williamson, also hops aboard and once again does a pretty good job at providing us with what's simply put, a screaming good time. If you go to these movies for anything more or anything less, then you may not find this sequel to your liking. But then again, if you're one of those people, then you probably saw "Scream" and lacked the ability to see what everyone else was apparently seeing. It's not exactly difficult to find humor in something as deliciously over-the-top as "Scream" or its sequel, but there are of course, detractors. Perhaps this isn't their idea of a good time. That's too bad. As long as they can have fun otherwise, then I think we're OK. "Scream 2" is made for a certain audience, and luckily, I'm not in the minority when I say that it's actually pretty darn good.
Most of the original cast returns for the film, which was a nice surprise. If you didn't know already, "Scream" was a somewhat groundbreaking and undeniably original horror film in which the characters had seen the horror films that we saw; and the film set out to satirize the genre as a whole. If you know what to expect from that set-up, then you know what to expect from "Scream 2". It leaves off from the first film; which ended in a bloody finale that was as hilariously well-written as it was appropriately violent and intense. The first film involved a vile, sadistic stalker/serial killer who made creepy, flirtatious house-calls to young women in which he would ask them horror trivia and the like. They were playing for people's lives, or at least, that was how it was with the first game. But as we know, in the end, the killer(s) were revealed, and the story had seemingly ended. Boy, were we fooled!
Sidney (Neve Campbell), the central heroine from the first feature, returns here as the main role. You've got a nice change of location, as Sidney is studying at a college now, and you've got most of the characters that you remember from "Scream", so really, it's all a matter of what Craven and his filmmaking team do next. Sidney has a new boyfriend (Jerry O'Connell), and since her original circle of friends was killed by the end of "Scream", some new amigos. This includes Mickey (Timothy Olyphant), Hallie (Elise Neal), and Randy (Jamie Kennedy) who, come to think of it, was indeed in the first film. So there; not everyone was stabbed to death.
You thought the murders had stopped, but you'd be wrong. The psycho killer known as "Ghostface" is back and at it again; first starting at a movie screening in which a film based on the brutal events of the first film is having its world premiere. A couple is killed. The news people get involved. And when I say that, I hope you think of Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox); the nosy news lady from the first film, who would consistently intrude on the lives of the victims and friends. She hasn't changed a bit.
"Scream 2" is ridiculously predictable, but only because it wants to be. We know every twist, and we know just about everything that Craven is going to do with his story, but here; I don't think it's all about storytelling. This is yet another fine satire of the slasher film, so Craven's central fixation is film references and dialogue. It's an intelligently written film, where the scenes of brilliance certainly stand out among other things. I think you'll like it as long as you enjoyed "Scream"...and as long as you can tolerate graphic violence.
This isn't a great film, like its predecessor. It's well-acted, and made as only a Wes Craven slasher film can be, so if you go in looking for a good time; then that's what you will get. I didn't expect greatness, and what I got was goodness, so I was alright. There's some good writing and direction that went into the product, and in the end, it kind of works well; or at least well enough to impress this guy here.
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More Scream 2 reviews
It has been a year since the events at Woodsboro. A year since a psychotic killer went on a rampage sending a wave of fear and paranoia through a once peaceful town. The hero Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has survived her ordeal but left emotionally scarred and despondent she is now attending Windsor College in Ohio with one of the survivors of the Woodsboro murders, Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) the ultimate horror movie guide who narrowly escaped with his life after his … more
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About the reviewer
Ryan J. Marshall (ryguy4738)
Ranked #5
Ranked #5
It's very likely that the only kind of reviews I'll ever post here are movie reviews. I'm very passionate about film; and at this point, it pretty much controls my life. Film gives us a purpose; … more
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About this movie
Scream 2 is a 1997 horror film, the second part of the Scream series. This movie takes place one year after the original. As with the other films in the series, Scream 2 combines straight-forward scares with dialogue that satirizes conventions of slasher films, especially (in this case) slasher film sequels.
Cast:
David Arquette,
Neve Campbell,
Jamie Kennedy,
David Warner,
Liev Schreiber,
Omar Epps,
Jerry O'Connell,
Laurie Metcalf,
Courteney Cox Arquette,
Sarah Michelle Gellar,
Elise Neal,
Timothy Olyphant,
Jada Pinkett Smith,
Lewis Arquette,
Duane Martin,
Tori Spelling,
Portia de Rossi,
Marisol Nichols,
Rebecca Gayheart
Director:
Wes Craven
Genre:
Horror,
Mystery
Release Date:
December 12, 1997
MPAA Rating:
R
Screen Writer:
Kevin Williamson
DVD Release Date:
Aug 7, 2001
Runtime:
2hrs o min
Studio:
Dimension Films
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