Scream (2022) Review

 

Scream (aka Scream 5) is a slasher film and the fifth installment of the Scream film series. The movie is produced by Spyglass Media Group, Radio Silence Productions, Project X Entertainment, and Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Scream is written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

The story is someone has donned the Ghostface mask that has frightened many times before in Woodsboro. The new killer is not only just planning a murdering a new batch of victims, but also wants to reveal many to the town's secrets from a deadly past.

Initial Reaction

My reason for wanting to see this is like everybody else's reason. I'm a fan of the franchise. I've loved all of the movies...okay, Scream 3 was just okay but still. So I was pumped when they were making a new one. Pumped and I bit sad too, cause this is gonna be the first Scream movie without Wes Craven involved (still miss the guy). Although I do wish there was a more creative title, or at least just call it Scream 5.

Cons

I've got nothing to say. Let's just move on.

Middle Ground

One mix bag was the meta commentary. For a majority of the movie it's actually good. They even go as far as to how Hollywood is basically cashing in on the nostalgia, with what the movie referred to as a "requel". Which is a sequel that while it continues the story, it also brings up tropes that made the previous movie so good, which in return can kinda make the new movie come off as a remake. Where I think it doesn't work is how they address "toxic fandom". I've seen people discuss this kind of thing, and Hollywood try desperately to poke fun and sometimes be serious, but I've become jaded to the whole thing. So seeing it brought up doesn't do anything for me. If anything it might make the audience both fans and maybe just casual moviegoers roll their eyes. Then we have the killer's identity. I did figure one piece of that puzzle. But like I said that's just one tiny piece, so it wasn't all that bad.

Pros

Now let's give credit where it's due, and what the newest Scream does pretty while with is the humor. The Scream movies have always had a dark sense of humor, and this film is no different. There was plenty of times where a joke truly worked, where not only was I laughing, but so was the audience I saw this with. What also worked were the scares. I was worried this was the part of the movie where it would sink, however that's not the case here. There was one scene in particular where I was just begging for the killer to show up. Not because I'm impatient, but because it's one of those scenes that was making you nervous to the point where you just want to get it over with. What was also done to an effective degree was the mystery. I know I said I had a slight issue with the killer's identity, but what ultimately saves the rest of the mystery was how everything connects together. Such as why was this person killed, what is the killer's motive, and what secret is one of the newer characters hiding. Speaking of which, let's talk about the characters. Yes, it was great to see Sidney, Gale, and Dewey back again. And how they're brought back wasn't just for nostalgia, but also help the new characters. Which by the way our new characters are actually pretty good. I can actually see them coming back (that's if there will be a new movie), and just leave the old characters behind. Who were actually written in a way where that would be possible.

Scream definitely was an enjoyable movie-going experience for me. It has good jokes, nicely done scares, an interesting mystery, and characters both new and old were great. What could've gone better was the meta commentary and that tiny bit with the identity of the newest Ghostface.

My final rating is Good.

So yes, if you're a fan of this franchise, give this one a watch. Just not right now, you can give yourself some time before seeing it. Anyways, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, Jan 17th for my review of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.