Right off the bat, I hate the title. It should've been called Scream 5 or 5cream or Scream Again or Screams or Another Scream or Scream! Or Screamer or Screamier or Screamiest. This trend of naming the long-overdue/nostalgia-bait follow-up by its franchise's first film title is a TERRIBLE trend. Yeah, I'm talking about you, Halloween (2018,) Candyman (2021) and The Thing (2011.)
That said, I see why they did it. This is the very first Scream movie that 100% didn't feel like a Scream movie. You can truly see and feel the departure of Wes Craven, even with all the references made to him and his movies. Despite this being in direct continuity to the previous 4 movies, this felt like the Casino Royale, Halloween (2007 & 2018) or Superman Returns of the series.
Take that for what it's worth to you. Now, it has all the beats of the series, include the usual suspects/stars and what you'd expect from the Meta Horror Film Series. But the way it was shot, scored and edited, it's clear the crew wanted to make their own movie and was forced to include the goods.
Speaking of which - I actually didn't like how it was shot. Way too many closeups and very few wide shots. I prefer those, especially on the big screen. I understand a lot of this was to cause tension and hide big reveals. Sadly, the trailer already spoiled most of the surprises. I do my best to never watch trailers. Unfortunately, sometimes they're wrongfully thrown into my face and it ALWAYS spoils the movies, including the very end.
A new group of "kids" very much linked to the Original movie start getting knocked off one by one and the survivors need help from some familiar faces to resolve the murders.
Wow, sounds like I just described the last 3 sequels. And I did.
As previously mentioned, this is as Meta as possible. Much like The Matrix Resurrections from last month or Ghostbusters Afterlife the month prior. In fact, they all could be watched back-to-back-to-back for how incredibly similar they are, despite being from three separate genres. You'd be shocked with how restrained all three movies were when it comes to the actors NOT looking directly into the camera as the scripts were written as a conversation with the viewers/fans.
I liked it. But, it's definitely my 4th favorite Scream. That said, I think after repeat viewings or Screamathons, it may increase in ranking. I did like how real it felt as the others always felt very fictional. And by "real," I mean comparatively speaking. This is like all the other Screams where extreme coincidences have to happen in order for Ghostface's plans to work, but this felt more like a movie than just a Popcorn Horror Movie. (NO disrespect to the other Scream movies. I really liked how those were shot/felt. And like Superman 1-5 and Man of Steel, I liked both extremely different methods.)
I recommend it, especially to fans. I don't normally get choked up with nostalgia as it's so incredibly overused these days. Scream (2022) DID make me cry at one point.
You cannot do wrong here and it fits very nicely with 1, 2 and 4. I'm still trying to pretend #3 didn't happen.
***
Final Thoughts: I guessed the killer immediately in this movie. That's a first for me as I am literally a terrible guesser. I was so proud of myself when I tagged who Ghostface was like 10 minutes into the film.
Here's my ranking. Not hard; there are only 5 movies, despite this title:
1. Scream (1996)
2. Scream 2
3. Scre4m
4. Scream (2022)
99. Scream 3.
That said, I see why they did it. This is the very first Scream movie that 100% didn't feel like a Scream movie. You can truly see and feel the departure of Wes Craven, even with all the references made to him and his movies. Despite this being in direct continuity to the previous 4 movies, this felt like the Casino Royale, Halloween (2007 & 2018) or Superman Returns of the series.
Take that for what it's worth to you. Now, it has all the beats of the series, include the usual suspects/stars and what you'd expect from the Meta Horror Film Series. But the way it was shot, scored and edited, it's clear the crew wanted to make their own movie and was forced to include the goods.
Speaking of which - I actually didn't like how it was shot. Way too many closeups and very few wide shots. I prefer those, especially on the big screen. I understand a lot of this was to cause tension and hide big reveals. Sadly, the trailer already spoiled most of the surprises. I do my best to never watch trailers. Unfortunately, sometimes they're wrongfully thrown into my face and it ALWAYS spoils the movies, including the very end.
A new group of "kids" very much linked to the Original movie start getting knocked off one by one and the survivors need help from some familiar faces to resolve the murders.
Wow, sounds like I just described the last 3 sequels. And I did.
As previously mentioned, this is as Meta as possible. Much like The Matrix Resurrections from last month or Ghostbusters Afterlife the month prior. In fact, they all could be watched back-to-back-to-back for how incredibly similar they are, despite being from three separate genres. You'd be shocked with how restrained all three movies were when it comes to the actors NOT looking directly into the camera as the scripts were written as a conversation with the viewers/fans.
I liked it. But, it's definitely my 4th favorite Scream. That said, I think after repeat viewings or Screamathons, it may increase in ranking. I did like how real it felt as the others always felt very fictional. And by "real," I mean comparatively speaking. This is like all the other Screams where extreme coincidences have to happen in order for Ghostface's plans to work, but this felt more like a movie than just a Popcorn Horror Movie. (NO disrespect to the other Scream movies. I really liked how those were shot/felt. And like Superman 1-5 and Man of Steel, I liked both extremely different methods.)
I recommend it, especially to fans. I don't normally get choked up with nostalgia as it's so incredibly overused these days. Scream (2022) DID make me cry at one point.
You cannot do wrong here and it fits very nicely with 1, 2 and 4. I'm still trying to pretend #3 didn't happen.
***
Final Thoughts: I guessed the killer immediately in this movie. That's a first for me as I am literally a terrible guesser. I was so proud of myself when I tagged who Ghostface was like 10 minutes into the film.
Here's my ranking. Not hard; there are only 5 movies, despite this title:
1. Scream (1996)
2. Scream 2
3. Scre4m
4. Scream (2022)
99. Scream 3.