Scream 2 Review
Leading up to the release of Scream 6, I’m reviewing all of the previous Scream movies. Which means that today we are reviewing Scream 2. Like the first movie, this was another first time watch for me. So what did I think about it? Was it another solid film in the franchise? Or was it a dud? Let’s get started!
The Good:
For me I find this to be a sequel that takes everything that works about the original and takes it to the next level. So you get a better mystery, more kills, better commentary, and a larger story. And that’s what all great movie sequels are supposed to do, build on the foundation of the original movie and try and make it better. And with this case I do think this is a better movie than the original. Where I just appreciated all of the aspects of this movie much more so than the original film. And I do think the mystery about who the killer is and the payoff to that is better in this movie. I was surprised by some of the twists that took place in this movie. Now I don’t want to say that I’m crapping on that movie because I really do like it, but I do think this is an example of a sequel that is better than the original.
And one of the reasons that I think this movie is better than the original, is because this movie’s commentary is more interesting and funnier in my mind. So the original movie is commenting on the horror genre, primarily the slasher genre of the past. And I’ve seen the original Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th but those aren’t franchises that I’m in love with, I don’t love those franchises the way other people do. So the commentary was still funny. I got some of the jokes, but it didn’t pop out as much as it might to other people. This film is commenting on sequels, where there is a 2 minute long scene where some of the characters are debating as to which sequels are better than the original movie. Randy even says this line commenting on what sequels are supposed to do “more bloody, more gore carnage candy”. And that’s just fun, commenting on whether sequels are inferior or better then the original movie is just a lot of fun for me. Because I'm a big movie fan that has strong opinions on sequels, it put a smile on my face. And another meta-commentary aspect of this movie that works is that the cold open is in a movie theater where they are watching a movie called Stab and the opening to that movie is an homage to Scream (1996).
Also, I just appreciated that this is a bigger movie with a bigger story about it. The budget for the original was about $15 million, this film’s budget is about $24 million so with a bigger budget they are able to tell a bigger story. And the big example of this is in the finale where the scope of the finale is much bigger than the scope of the original movie. Where that movie was mostly in a house this one is on a college campus and in a theater where the characters are using the set around them. All of it just feels bigger and makes the story have more affect and emotion taking place. And while the movie does go bigger with the story, it doesn’t go too big that it’s overstuffed and doesn’t work. It’s the right balance of bigger but not too big, it’s big in a way that makes it better over the original.
Also the cast for the movie is a lot of fun and delivers another set of solid performances. Neve Campbell just continues to deliver in this movie and just really solidifies in mind that Sidney Prescott is one of the great female movie characters of all time, and one of the best horror movie characters of all time. Courtney Cox and David Arquette have great chemistry with one another in this movie, as you see the romance between the two of them start to blossom with their flirty remarks. But the side characters when played by Liev Schreiber, Timothy Olyphant, Jerry O’Connell, Laurie Metcalf, and Jada Pinkett Smith just flesh out the movie and all of them deliver solid performances. And Timothy Olyphant was a fun one because this was before he became this well known actor, and he’s so young in this movie that it took me about 20-30 minutes into the movie before I realized it was him.
Finally, as this is a Scream movie you have to talk about the kills and they are just as brutal, intense, and bloody as the original film. Where when a person gets stabbed or shot you see blood just start to pour down and out of them. And there is one kill in this movie that was totally unexpected and I didn’t see it coming.
The Bad:
And the first thing that comes to mind is I feel like there are some laps in the logic in this movie. Without going into too many spoilers, both Gale and Dewey get injured in this movie, and they survive but other people who are stabbed and shot are dead. It just feels like they weren’t stabbed or shot in the places that could kill him because they want them to continue on the next movie. It’s not a big issue but it is something that I did notice while watching it.
And another piece of the laps in the logic of everything. Is that since this movie has the characters in college on a college campus and you have murders happening on campus. You’re watching the movie and thinking to yourself, why aren’t they sending the students home. Why aren’t they telling students to leave the campus and get out of town. Like that would be a safe and simple solution to everything taking place in this movie. But they don’t do that, because…I don’t know why.
Final Thoughts: Scream 2 I think is a sequel that is better than the original movie. It does what all great movie sequels are supposed to do that build on the foundation, but don’t go too big that it doesn’t work. This is a sequel that goes bigger but works better. The kills, mystery, and story here are bigger than the original and it just works. So this as of now is one of my favorite entries of the original movie that does have a lot to offer.
The Score: 8.8/10 (B+)
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