Welcome to the Second Union 31 Days of Horror event! Every day leading up to Tuesday, October 31st, (starting Sunday, October 1st) we will post a review of one horror film.
Today’s Film: Scream 2. Enjoy!
Scream 2 is once again directed by Wes Craven and brings back the remaining cast members of the first film for another murder mystery. Now, if you’ve read my review of the first film, you know that I love it dearly and I think it’s a flat-out masterpiece. Now, many people think that this is even better than the original, but do I? Well…not really. I think it’s a fine film, but its predecessor is a lot better, in many ways. Let’s take a look at why.
When you have something as original and amazing as Scream, it’s definitely hard to beat. There’s no denying that point. However, this film still tries, and it gets points there. However, its rushed schedule and script rewrites show in the film’s overall effect. For one, there are a plethora of stupid decisions in this movie. I couldn’t suspend my belief for one minute that Sidney didn’t pull of the mask of Ghostface when she had the chance. I couldn’t believe that the characters would be this stupid when they made perfectly logical decisions in their prior outing. The killers’ motives also feel so lackluster and insignificant compared to how reasonable the motive in Scream was. Here, there’s nothing original. It’s just a blatantly unsatisfying conclusion. No spoilers, obviously.
However, the film does get a lot right. To begin with, the kills are certainly equally as fun and gruesome as the original. The killer’s choice to off people with the same names as Woodsboro victims is really original, and one of the things that I actually like in this film more than its predecessor. Also, the choice to make the film focus more on Dewey and Gale was a great move on the writer’s part.
The scenes are still very entertaining, being even more fast-paced than the first film and including a whole lot more Ghostface. The film does go off on a tangent sometimes, introducing unnecessary characters or having scenes that probably shouldn’t have made the final cut. When I first saw this movie, I thought it was just as good, but it seems my thoughts have changed.
THE VERDICT
Scream 2 can’t match the greatness of the original, but it’s without a doubt entertaining. It has its moments and is filled with great comedic one-liners, but the motive of the killers and the overall stupidity of characters makes this one less memorable than the first. I’m going to give it a B.
Scream 2 stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O’Connell, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liev Schreiber, and Timothy Olyphant. Directed by Wes Craven.
