S || Scream 4 || Review

Review by Ben Lee
April 21, 2011
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After more than a decade, the popular slasher franchise returns with "Scream 4", an enjoyable flick despite its lack of ambition. The famous Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro ten years after the events of the previous "Scream", only to find another series of brutal murders happening at the hands of another masked Ghostface killer. That's pretty much the basic extent of the plot, not that a cheesy horror needs a deep and complex narrative.

Because Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox have aged quite a bit since we last saw them in Woodsboro, "Scream 4" introduces a new generation of characters led by Sidney's cousin Jill (Emma Roberts). Most of these high school students are fodder for Ghostface, but it's disappointing that nearly all are rather wooden and bland. Though I'm a fan of Alison Brie, the only reason why I rooted for her character was because of the actress and not the dull publicist role that she played. Likewise, Roberts isn't given much to do for the most part despite having a lot of screentime. The only real standout is Kirby, brought to life by a surprisingly decent Hayden Panettiere. Panettiere brings plenty of sass and more importantly makes Kirby believable, which is a commendable feat given everyone's relaxed attitude towards death.

This quirk isn't exactly new to "Scream", but distracting nonetheless. A murder of a close friend should be evoking emotions - maybe anger, sadness, or denial. Instead, people here simply shrug and get on with life. They even throw a party where they plan to watch all seven "Stab" movies back-to-back, a fictional slasher series based on the town's previous massacres. On top of that, most never seem to consider the possibility that they might be the next victim until they come face-to-face with Ghostface.

However, the film was never meant to be Oscar material and is actually successful in what it tries to achieve. The "Scream" series has always given many self-aware nudges and winks to the horror genre, but here the writers take it further by being meta about the meta. For instance, "Scream 4" likes to bring up the 'rules' declared in the original "Scream" and then raise the question of how a remake might one-up things. It even jokes at how all sequels are essentially the same, which the film is no doubt guilty of. Though this gimmick threatens to become over-the-top, it ends up benefitting "Scream 4". The movie is knowingly clichéd, and the lighthearted and less serious tone makes it fun to watch everything unfold.

That's just as well, because the deaths themselves are fairly generic. The only noteworthy one comes near the beginning, where we hear bones crack and see the victim in genuine physical pain before her eventual end. Even then, it's more of a nod towards one of the best demises in the first "Scream". What the movie lacks in imagination, though, it makes up in tension. It's never really an out-and-out scary movie, but the build-up and the chases are often satisfyingly thrilling. The large cast - which also includes a number of other recognisable television stars like Aimee Teegarden, Adam Brody, and Mary McDonnell as well as cameos from Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell - helps to keep everything moving. You're never far from the next kill, and it's paced strongly enough all the way to the climax when the killer's identity and motives are revealed.

I have no hesitation recommending "Scream 4" to fans of the original "Scream" trilogy. Though it's very familiar, enough of the elements are executed well enough that the film becomes great popcorn material. At the same time, while fans won't mind the movie sticking so close to the tried-and-tested formula, people not into slashers may not be won over so easily. "Scream 4" doesn't do anything to advance the genre, nor does it attempt to in the slightest. It's just a bit of harmless fun and worth seeing if you don't overthink things.

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