Post by Johno on Apr 17, 2011 17:41:05 GMT -5
All right, I saw it a second time and my review is updated.
My ranking of the movies:
Scream: 9/10 (A)
Scream 2: 9/10 (A)
Scream 4: 8.8/10 (A-)
Scream 3: 5/10 (D)
Can't wait for a third romp!
The opening scene was lame IMHO. Too much time was spent in the movies, and I felt no emotion toward the deaths of the real girls. I really liked Lucy Hale, but I feel Aimee Teegarden's acting was really poor. I wanted more of Britt Robertson, that innocent look she has really had me feeling bad for her. The opening scene was reshot, and I wish the original opening stayed in the film... It involved Robertson and Teegarden getting killed, but Robertson was the main victim and they were posed as Casey and Steve (both gutted - Marnie hung on a ceiling fan and Jenny tied to a chair nearby). I could tell there were quite a few bad continuity errors due to the original opening being cut, including lines concerning the "pattern of the original movie". I saw no pattern with the original film's deaths, but if their bodies were posed to be like Casey/Steve, it would've made more sense.
The new teens were all good characters, but I felt Erik Knudsen's Robbie was just irritating. Not a lot of development from Marielle Jaffe's Olivia or Nico Tortorella's Trevor, but their deaths both were so f'ing painful it made me care about them. By far, Kirby played by Hayden Panettiere was the standout teen character. I really was rooting for her and Charlie, played by Rory Culkin throughout the movie. They felt desensitized and not very caring about the murders going on throughout the entire movie. That was the point, though. This is a look back at the decade and how different teenagers are. It's true. Something bad happens, and most of the time we either a) don't give a crap or b) joke about it. Which is pretty sad, but it's true.
The cops were all complete doofuses. Marley Shelton was subtlely creepy and hilarious as Judy Hicks, I felt her character was reminiscent of Scream 3's ridiculous Jennifer Jolie, but on a smaller level. I was glad to see her survive, I liked her character and her "ass-tasting lemon squares". Anthony Anderson was funny, I loved his interactions with Adam Brody's bland character. Their death scene was brutal, but I felt Anderson's reaction to it was simply ridiculous.
The most important thing -- the original trilogy. Neve Campbell is phenomenal - as usual - in the role of Sidney Prescott, but I felt Dewey and Gale were very reminiscent of their comical Scream 3 cardboard cutouts. I did love the Gale/Judy Hicks scenes though, they played well off each other without going overboard. There wasn't much development for any of the original characters except Gale - I felt her character really was a lot different, but still the same. Determined to get back in the game. I loved that none of them died - it showed they weren't going to fall into cliches like that. The whole point of this movie was to show that you can't "f**k with the original" and I think it worked well.
The ending was PHENOMONAL. Rory Culkin and Emma Roberts were simply astounding in their roles, especially Emma, who played the ingenue Jill Roberts, Sidney's innocent-looking cousin. It all played out perfectly, and I felt the last 20 minutes is really worth the price of admission. Everything is so intense and just WOW. The hospital showdown - while extremely unrealistic - was so intense. Jill's self-mutilation scene - and her 'execution' of ex-boyfriend Trevor - was extremely devious. She's my favorite Scream killer, atm. So ruthless and just an evil little devil whore and her motive was truly an awesome reflection on the "instant fame" of today's stars. She's like the evil Rebecca Black.
Overall, I feel that as an ending to the series, Scream 4 was amazing and made up for the lackluster Scream 3. However, I felt there was too much humor that sometimes the audience didn't know how to react to the more serious scenes. I came in to the movie expecting the opening to a new trilogy, and found myself thinking - maybe it was all a hoax. We're looking at the new characters to see who will be the "new trio" and at the end of it, the only people left standing are the original characters (plus Judy Hicks). It had a strong message to it and I really loved it by the time the ending rolled around. As it opened, I felt extermely disappointed, but by the end I forgave its shortcomings. A fun thriller, one of the best movie experiences I had in a theater, but I can't help feeling that there is so much more left to see.
At least 8 scenes were left on the cutting room floor according to Wes Craven, and I think that extra bulk may have helped put more beef to the movie. It felt like it was too fast of pace at points, and I didn't get to know the characters that well. Overall, I enjoyed the film. Had a really fun time and I reccomend it just for the ending and the strong performances.
In closing, there was quite a lack of character development and quite a few pacing issues, but to be honest, it didn't matter to me. As a fan, the movie's message was that all that matters is our trio - Sidney, Gale, and Dewey - and that reboots are steaming piles of shi|t. Scream 4 is the anti-reboot and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Grade. A- (8.8/10)
The new teens were all good characters, but I felt Erik Knudsen's Robbie was just irritating. Not a lot of development from Marielle Jaffe's Olivia or Nico Tortorella's Trevor, but their deaths both were so f'ing painful it made me care about them. By far, Kirby played by Hayden Panettiere was the standout teen character. I really was rooting for her and Charlie, played by Rory Culkin throughout the movie. They felt desensitized and not very caring about the murders going on throughout the entire movie. That was the point, though. This is a look back at the decade and how different teenagers are. It's true. Something bad happens, and most of the time we either a) don't give a crap or b) joke about it. Which is pretty sad, but it's true.
The cops were all complete doofuses. Marley Shelton was subtlely creepy and hilarious as Judy Hicks, I felt her character was reminiscent of Scream 3's ridiculous Jennifer Jolie, but on a smaller level. I was glad to see her survive, I liked her character and her "ass-tasting lemon squares". Anthony Anderson was funny, I loved his interactions with Adam Brody's bland character. Their death scene was brutal, but I felt Anderson's reaction to it was simply ridiculous.
The most important thing -- the original trilogy. Neve Campbell is phenomenal - as usual - in the role of Sidney Prescott, but I felt Dewey and Gale were very reminiscent of their comical Scream 3 cardboard cutouts. I did love the Gale/Judy Hicks scenes though, they played well off each other without going overboard. There wasn't much development for any of the original characters except Gale - I felt her character really was a lot different, but still the same. Determined to get back in the game. I loved that none of them died - it showed they weren't going to fall into cliches like that. The whole point of this movie was to show that you can't "f**k with the original" and I think it worked well.
The ending was PHENOMONAL. Rory Culkin and Emma Roberts were simply astounding in their roles, especially Emma, who played the ingenue Jill Roberts, Sidney's innocent-looking cousin. It all played out perfectly, and I felt the last 20 minutes is really worth the price of admission. Everything is so intense and just WOW. The hospital showdown - while extremely unrealistic - was so intense. Jill's self-mutilation scene - and her 'execution' of ex-boyfriend Trevor - was extremely devious. She's my favorite Scream killer, atm. So ruthless and just an evil little devil whore and her motive was truly an awesome reflection on the "instant fame" of today's stars. She's like the evil Rebecca Black.
Overall, I feel that as an ending to the series, Scream 4 was amazing and made up for the lackluster Scream 3. However, I felt there was too much humor that sometimes the audience didn't know how to react to the more serious scenes. I came in to the movie expecting the opening to a new trilogy, and found myself thinking - maybe it was all a hoax. We're looking at the new characters to see who will be the "new trio" and at the end of it, the only people left standing are the original characters (plus Judy Hicks). It had a strong message to it and I really loved it by the time the ending rolled around. As it opened, I felt extermely disappointed, but by the end I forgave its shortcomings. A fun thriller, one of the best movie experiences I had in a theater, but I can't help feeling that there is so much more left to see.
At least 8 scenes were left on the cutting room floor according to Wes Craven, and I think that extra bulk may have helped put more beef to the movie. It felt like it was too fast of pace at points, and I didn't get to know the characters that well. Overall, I enjoyed the film. Had a really fun time and I reccomend it just for the ending and the strong performances.
In closing, there was quite a lack of character development and quite a few pacing issues, but to be honest, it didn't matter to me. As a fan, the movie's message was that all that matters is our trio - Sidney, Gale, and Dewey - and that reboots are steaming piles of shi|t. Scream 4 is the anti-reboot and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Grade. A- (8.8/10)
My ranking of the movies:
Scream: 9/10 (A)
Scream 2: 9/10 (A)
Scream 4: 8.8/10 (A-)
Scream 3: 5/10 (D)
Can't wait for a third romp!
