IT’S been twenty-five years since a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, but a new killer now dons the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, this installment features new blood aided by legacy characters (Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette).
The biggest problem with sequels is that writers usually just copy the plot of the first film, and the lack of original ideas in Hollywood shows when sequels are just straight-up rip-offs of the original. When that happens, it leaves most fans craving something new and creative.
In any case, trying to go the same route as the original for the sequel is almost always a recipe for disaster. However, screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick managed to include enough twists and clever dialogue in the fifth film that might just impress the fans.
Needless to say, the film shares the template of the series: a self-aware, meta slasher whodunnit. It’s gnarly, bloody, funny and full of red herrings. In other words, it’s a Scream movie that’ll make you lean forward in your seat.
Among the new cast, the main friend group is made up of Jenna Ortega (Ellie Alves on Netflix’s You) as Tara Carpenter, Dylan Minnette (Clay Jensen on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why) as Wes Hicks, Jasmin Savoy Brown (Evangeline “Evie” Murphy on HBO’s The Leftovers) as Mindy Meeks-Martin, and Mikey Madison (Max Fox on FX’s Better Things) as Amber Freeman.
In the series, Arquette stood out the most and developed Dewey’s character a little more compared to what we’ve seen before. Meanwhile, Brown would definitely be the new fan-favourite with her hilarious acting by leaving the biggest impression among fans.
However, I must say that the scares are rather underwhelming, but luckily, they’re overshadowed by the film’s better qualities. Fans will be impressed by both the new and old, and Scream is one movie to check out.
Even if you’ve never seen the 1996 original or any of its sequels, you’ll still be able to enjoy Scream (2022), as the movie plays with your expectations and keeps you guessing from start to finish.
But if you grew up on these movies, this film will be like a bloody love letter for you, and it’ll feel as if Scream has come full circle.
CAST: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega
DIRECTORS: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
E-VALUE: 7
ACTING: 7
PLOT: 9
