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| Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup | | Rating: 4
| "The first one was [good], but all the rest sucked," said a cinematically-savvy teen in last winter's Wes Craven thriller "Scream," her statement referring to the films of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series but really putting down franchise overkill in general. The comment certainly carries clout: For every truly great sequel, there appears to be a couple of duds, making one wonder if writers are better off sticking solely with fresh ideas. But like it or not, along comes "Scream 2." And believe it or not, it's a doozy -- a slick, sinister, madly subversive good time at the movies, as intent on sending up Hollywood's sequel syndrome as much as its prequel poked fun at slasher conventions. "Scream 2" is definitely that rare movie thing -- a follow-up that can stand along side its original with pride.
It's been two years since a pair of overzealous horror movie fans clad in Edvard Munch-esque get-ups carved their way through the young populace of Woodsboro, California. Those surviving the ordeal have gotten on with their lives. Plucky heroine Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is a drama student at the Midwestern Windsor College; her pop culture-whiz pal Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) has tagged along. Trash tabloid reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) has written a best-seller based on their ordeal, the basis of which has been turned into a (very bad) movie called "Stab." And Dewey Riley (David Arquette), still suffering from wounds inflicted during "Scream," has left his job as a police officer for a while.
Life is tranquil ... at least for a while. Several sudden murders bring Sidney, Randy, Gale and Dewey together again, but with suspicious eyes cast on each other and most of those in their surroundings -- if these four people learned anything from the past, it's to trust no one. Thus, the possible victim/potential killer list includes said quartet, as well as: Derek (Jerry O'Connell), Sidney's new beau; Cici (Sara Michelle Gellar), a chatty sorority gal; Joel (Duane Martin), Gale's cameraman who's not too thrilled with her blood-soaked past; Hallie (Elise Neal), Sidney's sassy roommate; Debbie (Laurie Metcalf), a local reporter who gives Gale some not-too-friendly competition; and Mickey (Timothy Olyphant), Randy's good friend and fellow film student. Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), the man Sidney wrongly accused of her mother's murder in Scream, also shows up on campus -- but why?
Like the first Scream, Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson inaugurate things with a bang. This time, it's an extended sequence that finds an African-American couple (Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps) attending a sneak preview of "Stab," making sly references about everything from Sandra Bullock to the lunchmeat non-roles of blacks in slasher cinema. Before tragedy ensues at the screening, the movie-within-a-movie setup allows for plenty of jokey moments, including a scene from "Stab" which turns Scream's now-famous Drew Barrymore prologue on its ear. ("B----, hang up the phone and Star-69 his a--!" Pinkett yells at the screen.) It's funny, creepy stuff (I don't think I'll ever feel safe in a movie theater again) that effectively foreshadows the ratio of smart scares and spoofy laughs down the road. Another flawless example of this is a riotous cell phone-assault of the killer on Randy, Dewey and Gale in broad daylight; it builds comedically and ends with genuine terror because of the emotional investment made on these delicious characters. There are other superb set pieces, but explaining them risks ruining their effect.
There are more players this time around as to provide both a higher number suspects and a staggering body count. It's something of a trade-in -- the new characters are too large in number to be as fully-developed as the original "Scream" gang, but this movie packs in knowing performances (especially by Kennedy and Cox) and more death for your dollar. It can be argued that, while the original might outclass it by a tad, Scream 2 is both scarier and funnier. It certainly doesn't skimp with shocks -- a major one being the killing of one cast member very near and dear to my heart (I actually questioned Craven and Williamson's judgment here, considering how much this person has added to these films). Sometimes you wish that more could have been done with Stab -- the two scenes we're shown are dead-on -- but for film fans, there are plenty of subtle nods to movies like "The Usual Suspects," "Aliens" and "The Empire Strikes Back."
Still, "Scream 2" does so many things right, it's petty to quibble. Its penchant for parody is irresistible, discussions of the merits of film sequels and all. The attractive, solid cast is a definite bonus. And the denouement (while not as shocking as "Scream"'s) is priceless; the film's final revelation incorporates bits of a particular horror film prominently referred to in "Scream" with one of the best bad guy motives ever put on paper. All this and a "Scream 3" is in the works. Knowing the series' tendency for self-reference, perhaps one of its characters will again discuss the concept of sequel justice. Mentioning "Scream 2"'ll help them in their argument.
By : Jamie Peck
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| | Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup | | Rating: 4
| Synopsis: This fun movie is the sequel to SCREAM (1996), a gore spoof and slasher parody which pitted heroes Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette against an anonymous, masked movie enthusiast/marauder whose murderous style was based on horror genre cliches. Since SCREAM 2 picks up where the original SCREAM left off, let's take a moment to remember the original. In SCREAM the running gag is that the mysterious masked killer always follows film cliches, but luckily the killer's prey are movie buffs who try to predict the killer's next move based on the same cliches. High school girl Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is stalked by the movie enthusiast/killer. But she turns the tables, and tries to solve the mystery of her masked stalker's identity. Also in on the hunt is sleazy, catty, tabloid reporter Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox), and lawman Deputy Dewey Riley, (David Arquette) a baby-faced, inept investigator. In SCREAM 2, Director Wes Craven and Writer Kevin Williamson team up again to create another whodunit that follows the further adventures of hapless SCREAM characters Sidney, Gail, and Dewey. This time, Sidney is a theater student in a college town when a series of SCREAM copycat murders occurs. Sidney becomes the next most probable victim. Soon enough she is joined by reporter Gail and friend Dewey, and they all try to figure who the new masked slasher is. The problem is, people keep conveniently arriving just as the masked attacker leaves, or leaving just before the killer appears, making everyone a possible suspect. Sidney and friends trade hip and witty barbs about movie and pop culture trivia as they wrack their brains trying to figure out the killer's pattern. Who is the slasher really? The boyfriend? Another film student? Gail, Dewey, Sidney, the roommate, the sorority girls, the cops, the recently released jailbird, or an unknown wacko? Find out.
Opinion: The thing about any sequel is the question: "Is it as good as the original?" In this case the answer is yes. If you liked SCREAM, then chances are, youll think that SCREAM 2 is at least in the same ballpark. One thing I like about SCREAM 2 is that it spends some time developing the characters from SCREAM so that you come to know more about them and like them. If you intend to see this movie, I highly advise seeing SCREAM (on video) first, because SCREAM 2 assumes that you remember all the characters and events of SCREAM. It can get slightly confusing if youre not up on the original story. Here's an example: In the original SCREAM, one of the characters talks about a movie being made. "I see myself as sort of a young Meg Ryan. But with my luck, I'll get Tori Spelling." In SCREAM 2, sure enough, the characters are watching a movie called STAB, based on the events of SCREAM. Tori Spelling plays the STAB actress!
By : David Sunga
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