Scream 4!!!!! - Part 4

[The Joker]

So now that the dust has settled. I've seen the movie 3 times. I can honestly say...

OT for life.

This movie blew.

Henceforth, my reasoning:

Spoiler

THE GOOD:

- The opening in an opening in an opening. It was good till we got to the "real life" one. It happened too fast. No build up. No suspense. Poorly done (damn reshoots).
- Kirby - I loved her.
- Robbie - I loved him.
- Trevor - he was amazing what he was in. Wish there had been more. (Get the **** out!?)
- Kirby having to save Charlie ala Casey and Steve. PHENOMENAL. Best part of the whole movie IMO.
- The song that played over the top of the end credits. Got stuck in my head all 3 times I left the theatre.

THE BAD: (Hold on to your butts)
- Dewey / Gale's lack of being really in the movie. Idc about schedules. Characters were un-necessary and pointless. I was so upset.

- Sidney had NO character arc. None. At least 2,3 had that.

- Lack of character development overall. I never knew who we were "with". I figured it'd be either Sid or Jill. I understand the lack of Jill cuz of how it all ends up - but still.

- The lack of good phone calls. "Hello, I'm gonna kill you."
*attack* Comethehellon. No suspense.

- Editing in general. The pacing was so rushed there is no excuse for it. Horror films need to play out and carry on the dread like a slow dance.

- Sound effects - God they have never been this cartoony.

- Score: Same. Beltrami let me down hardcore. And no use of Red Right Hand from what I can tell?

- No Craven cameo. Smart move cutting that scene. Distance yourself from this Wes... run.... run far.

- The deaths of Robbie and Perkins. I'm sorry, I can't ever remember a "funny death" in any of the Screams. "...Bruce Willis." "I'm gay!" UGH. And also - Anthony Andersons death took too long for a knife to the brain while other stab wounds to the gut off people instantly (cept Kirby and Sid apparently).

- Olivia and Rebecca.... new characters... didn't really know olivia and still aren't sure why Rebecca had to die.... or who even did it.

- Jill didn't stab Gale... Charlie did. What did they compare notes or something?

- 2 false endings. The house after the Stabathon and then the hospital. Ya know... maybe if you didn't have these just for remake sake you wouldn't have had to rush through everything else?

- Everyone I know, including myself (on here even) called Charlie as a killer before the movie even started or got there. Thank you Randy for clueing me in there "If this were a scary movie, I'd be the prime suspect."

-Jill and Charlie.... ok. But you could have given them more to do before the end. Especially Charlie. And they shared a motive. I don't think anyone has ever shared the same motive that was a duo. LAME.
And so Jill's motive
is basically = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yZHveWFvqM

Um....... no. Make it stop. Not to mention... these kids look 12. How is NO ONE OVER POWERING THEM? And for someone like Sid, carry a damn gun on you forever more. Hell, everyone in woodsboro should be armed when this stuff starts up again. Furthermore....Dane Farwell is noticeably taller than both Roberts and Culkin. Not really fair and pisses me off. Just saying.

- How did the knife / phone get in Sid's trunk if she literally JUST showed up in town?

EXCUSES:
- I can understand them being sucky killers because they are basing how to kill people off the sucky stab movies. That's why they don't match up to Billy, Stu, Ms. Loomis, Mickey or Roman.

- The film addresses the problems with remakes.... and then follow them. Either Williamson / Craven were trying to make the epitome of remake movies and succeeded or did it by accident. This is a SOLID WELL MADE FILM for........... what it MAY have been trying to be. That's why all these kids loved it.

It's not a Scream movie for us, the fans of the OT. It's a completley different style of film for the new younger "remake horror generation." And they love it. Good for them. But I hate this style. Hate, hate hate. Give me character development. Give me build up. Give me suspense. Give me story.

So all in all. It's solid. It's not a movie made for me. I feel like Craven / Williamson made this for the new audience. I hope the franchise dies here with this bastard child tacked on ala Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull or Halloween Resurrection. But it most likely won't.

Final ranking:
Scream 2, Scream, Scream 3 and to me.... 4 doesn't exist.

- Jow

Jow! I knew there was one of our die hard Scream fan regulars here who had not posted an opinion on Scream 4 yet. Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it, man. It's a shame because I remember you being as hyped as the rest of us.

At least you gave it three viewings before forming an opinion though. Can't say fairer than that.

 

[DACrowe]

That's what makes Friday the 13th so much fun. Jason has become an icon. If you ask me, Saw is mindless gore,

Spoiler

so I loved the fact that Wes and kevin made fun of it in the opening scene. Remember, Wes was good friends with Sean S. CUnningham when he broke into the buisness. Craven does like Friday the 13th.

It was funny seeing the audience react that way to the deaths in the opening of Scream 2, lol. One of my favorite scenes in the franchise.

I too loved the beginning of Scream 2. Best/most disturbing death in the series after Casey Becker (followed by a close third of poor Randy ).

But I hate the FT13 franchise. They're mindless, unscary gore and misogyny. The remake while far better directed and made than the original films, only hightened these other factors. I prefer how Michael Myers was in the original Halloween films or Norman Bates or the original Leatherface....a scary monster outside of society who destroyed characters. Audiences were afraid for the protagonists and wanted to see Laurie survive, gasped when Janet Leigh got slaughtered in the shower and were disturbed and revolted by the "dinner scene" in TCM.

In FT13 films, even more in the remake, the protagonist is Jason and audiences want to cheer when people die, not be scared with them. That is why as terrible as it is, Rob Zombie's Halloween (2007) was still better than Friday the 13th (2009), in my opinion...though Zombie's H2 was a new low for the genre. But in the first one he made Michael Myers scary and made audiences root for Laurie, Annie, etc. to survive.

That is why the opening of Scream 2 is so clever and funny while still being disturbing and causing audiences to sympathize with Jada's character while mocking the fans of the genre who are watching this very slasher movie. That was a stroke of brilliant writing.

 

[antsman41]

SCRE4M is awesome.

1. SCREAM
2 (tie) SCREAM 2 / SCRE4M
4. SCREAM 3

Both 2 and 4 have many greats, some lull spots, and a very few dislikes.

-cameraman
-sorority girls
-missing mickey for a third of the film
-------------------------------------------
-editing opening
-Judy Hicks
-trevor's role diminished during 1/2nd acts

 

[Darkness Falls]

as a fan of the ot
i really enjoyed scream 4

the only part that took me out of the movie was the pacing in parts and the scream sidney's publicist makes lol she sounded like a chicken

overall 7/10

 

[Punisher Rising]

Seeing as others are ranking the movies:


1. Scream
2. Scream 4
3. Scream 2
4. Scream 3

 

[Doctor Jones]

A bit harsh. I'd just say that it is most definitely a Scream movie for fans of the originals. Hence the ending and Sid's final line. Methinks you missed the point of the motive. It was a social commentary on the new youth generation and the need for celebrity in the world of Youtube, American Idol and Twitter. The world of Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen and "Presidential Candidate Donald Trump."

And it was also a commentary on remakes and how the studio formula for those works. When you view it like that, [blackout]the killer Jill[/blackout] is the best the series has had since Billy and Stu. In any case [blackout]she[/blackout] is way better than Roman who was the lamest killer with the lamest motive in the series by a few thousand miles. I'd also add that this feels far more like the original 1996 Scream than Scream 3 did.

Honestly, if you think Scream 3 is better than this or closer to the original two films than this movie, it is nostalgia because Scream 3 sucked. Even Bob Weinstein, the mastermind behind that film, has admitted as much.

I need to watch Scream 3 again to get a better opinion of it. But I enjoyed it from what I remember. But I do hate the half brother thing. And the fact that they cheated with the reveal of the killer and it being only one.

Spoiler

But the motive is so brilliant. I mean I can't believe we all were trying to figure out the motive. Remember that a few months ago? This seems so obvious now. I mean these Jersey Shore *******s make hundred of thousands every episode for not working and doing stupid ****. Charlie Sheen is banking off his craziness, Kim Kardashian is in goddamn Sketchers commercials because it all started with a sex tape. Rebecca Black is now an internet sensation because her song is ****ing terrible.

This is the world we are living in today. With technology. And the society we are living in. The latter of which Scream has always commented on. The motive is just more relevant. And Jill was a fame envious ***** who took her fame seeking too far, which is in line with Bill and Stu to take horror films and use that against their victims.

The theme of these films is that we are ****ed up people in society and how the media effects us. It goes to show, this can happen to ANYBODY. Which is what's great about trying to figure out who the killer is and then listening to their motive. This could be any one of us. It's terrifying. The horrors we inflict upon eachother as well. Which is why I consider Scream horror films. It's the horror we inflict upon each other. The killings are a metaphor for this in a way. It's just getting worse too. And the films have always remained brilliantly relevant of it all.

I felt the remake and original "Don't **** with the original" said so much. Which is why I loved that Sydney lived. We would have never gotten that line. That line is SO ****ing Scream and Williamson. And Campbell's delivery is golden.

I love the nod to Robert Rodriguez better. The whole 'Stab-a-thon' sequence was a blast, especially the guys whistling and catcalling at the screen.

I did too. It brought me back to the opening of Scream 2. Definitely a homage there. I'm glad to see Scream 2 wasn't left out completely, even though they only mention the events of the first film.

I remember reading the sides and I'm sorry folks, Rebecca was all Kevin.

Spoiler

Sure, her death scene could have been rewritten by Kruger, but someone who saw the test screening told me her death scene was basically her going into the parking lot, getting the phone call, getting scared by the honking cars, running away and getting stabbed. That whol part with her getting into the car and Ghosty jumping on the windshield was added during reshoots.

But as far as exchange goes between Gale and Sidney, that was all Kevin's writing. It was in her audition sides for an April 2009 draft.

And I have gone on the record for saying her character is the one I like the least in the film. Ugh.

Yeah, I didn't care for Rebecca either. I liked

Spoiler

the parking garage scene though.

SCRE4M is awesome.

1. SCREAM
2 (tie) SCREAM 2 / SCRE4M
4. SCREAM 3

Scream 4 definitely takes a dump all over the third.

I love the second as much as the first. All I asked for was for this to make up for the third, and it did.

 

[Anjow1060]

You know it isn't all about you. There are plenty of fans who want a fifth. As long as there are fans who want new scream films they should keep making them. If you can't handle it don't watch them or pretend they don't exist it's that simple.

And I hope they don't get their wish.

Also - thank you JOKER for being cool to me and acknowledged that I am indeed a fan of this and was ready to defend this movie tooth and nail. I went in with 1 expectation and it was reasonable - be in the same style of the other 3.

I even said in my review - this is a solid movie for what it was trying to be. A remake of Scream. But it's not in Scream style. It's Scream style via remake standards.

And I've hated pretty much all the horror remakes of late (sans F13.) And this one joins the bunch.

But to those who enjoy the remakes.... enjoy.
I can't. This is not Scream style regardless of what all of you want it to be.

I'll see this movie prolly at least 3-4 more times in theaters. (Total viewings of 7-8. --- which doesn't come close to my Batman Begins record of 21 or TDK of 36) but still. I watch movies a lot guys. A LOT. I watch the worst movies a lot. The best movies ALOT. trying to find what, to me, works and doesn't work. No matter the movie.

I'm sorry if I'm in the minority here, but I'm not gonna lie and say I loved this movie. It was entertaining. But paced too fast. There is poor/none character development / arcs. And the humor was just.... ugh.

I'm sorry. But legit - I'm out of here. Let those who hated this with me message me so I don't feel like a loner. lol

- Jow

 

[terry78]

as a fan of the ot
i really enjoyed scream 4

the only part that took me out of the movie was the pacing in parts and the scream sidney's publicist makes lol she sounded like a chicken

overall 7/10

She walked like one too. But she wasn't lacking any breast meat, I tells you that.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I don't understand why someone would pay so much money to see a film they hate so many times. If you hate it, can't you just wait to watch it on DVD at least and dissect it. You must have alot of money to spend, or that's all you spend your money on. Which is cool, because I only spend my money on movies.

 

[antsman41]

Jow, I'm not saying your wrong or anything. I'm just confused but it's ok.

I love BEGINS more than TDK but not many others do...

So, as the great Harry Callahan once said;

"Opinions are like *******s, everyone's got one."

 

[antsman41]

The one thing that does upset me is them not ending on a [BLACKOUT]some-what cliffhanger/death of one of the main 3[/BLACKOUT].

It would have been genius.

[BLACKOUT]1. The crowd knows Jill is the killer but she gets to ride off into the sunset as the hero[/BLACKOUT].

[BLACKOUT]2. Gale for sure should have died but if not then let Sid be taken out by this false "hero"[/BLACKOUT].

This would have made the film a classic and would have Nolan'd the horror genre.

As much as I love Sid, she can't live forever, and for them to "reveal killers, kill killers, then kill killers again just to make sure" for the fourth time was the biggest let down. I even though back in 2 and 3 that it got to be too much of a schtick and wasn't the punch it originally was with Billy or even Mickey, maybe...

 

[Doctor Jones]

Mickey... still my favorite killer. Bat **** out of his mind. I mean all of them are. I just loved Olyphant's performance in his reveal. The fact that Mrs. Loomis commented on his plan made it even better and how insane he was. Then Billy and then

Spoiler

Jill.

 

[DACrowe]

BTW the last few pages made me think....What are the best Ghostface phone calls? We've ranked openings and deaths, but conversation with "The Voice" is as important as the death scenes in this series.

My Favorite Ghostface Phone Calls:

1. The Voice calls Casey Becker (Scream)
2. Sidney's first-ever convo with The Voice (Scream)
3. Randy and Ghostface have a battle of wits (Scream 2)
4. Ghostie plays cat to CiCi's Mouse (Scream 2)
5. Quiz Show with Kirby (Scream 4)

....and two more I liked so....

6. Sid remeets Ghostface after Cici's death (Scream 2)
7. Ghostface goes after the "Blonde with Big ****" and a 4.0 and 195 IQ (Scream 4)

There a few good ones I left off, but those were the classic Scream "phone call scenes," in my opinion.

 

[The Joker]

My Favorite Ghostface Phone Calls:

1. The Voice calls Casey Becker (Scream)
2. Sidney's first-ever convo with The Voice (Scream)
3. Randy and Ghostface have a battle of wits (Scream 2)
4. Ghostie plays cat to CiCi's Mouse (Scream 2)
5. Quiz Show with Kirby (Scream 4)

....and two more I liked so....

6. Sid remeets Ghostface after Cici's death (Scream 2)
7. Ghostface goes after the "Blonde with Big ****" and a 4.0 and 195 IQ (Scream 4)

Yeah, they'd get my vote, too. I'd also add in the call Sid got in the Police station in Scream 3. "Always hard being friends with you, Sidney. When you're friends with Sidney you die".

I just realized looking at your list that Gale and Dewey never ever got a Ghostface call in all four movies. Though Gale came close in Scream 2, when Mrs Loomis rang her cell phone but Randy answered it. That cost him big time!

 

[Doctor Jones]

I forgot another great response in this film.

"What's your favorite scary movie?"

"Bambi."

But anyway, my favorite could be Randy's phone call. I also like Sydney's first because she isn't afraid of him. CiCi is also another great one. Him sneaking inside the sorority house was great.

 

[The Dark Defender]

I'm sorry if I'm in the minority here, but I'm not gonna lie and say I loved this movie. It was entertaining. But paced too fast. There is poor/none character development / arcs. And the humor was just.... ugh.

That last one is what killed the film for me.

The only times where ghostface felt like ghostface to me was

Spoiler

"I didn't say I was in your closet!" and the quiz game with Kirby.

The rest of the time this movie had all the atmosphere and tone of a 100 minute SNL skit about Scream.

I know Scream has always been satirical and humor laced, but this movie goes completely nuts with it.
Before a few days ago, I never could've imagined hearing Ghostface in a genuine Scream film saying things like "you don't have to be a ***** about it!"

The voice sounded terrible in the film too, in the previous films he sounded normal then escalated to sounding sinister, in this thing the voice sounds completely OTT insane right off the bat.

If this movie was even trying to be intense or suspenseful I could hardly tell where, the vast majority of it functions like a full blown self parody, to a degree that Scream 3 never even came close to.

The cast did fine, but that script is just atrocious. As for this talk of it being 'for the remake generation,' I'm 29 years old and have been a huge Scream fan from the beginning. The first was my favorite film at the time it came out, that said I also atleast moderately enjoy a pretty good amount of the modern remakes...and I STILL hate this movie as anything but a comedy with lots of blood.
This is essentially the Jason X of this series. Just one big gag reel with a few hints of what Scream actually was mixed in.

If I'd went into Scary Movie and got this I'd have been happy, but definitely not the return of Scream.

I half expected a "STAB 8!" fake title card to pop up after the final shot, this felt more like Stab than Scream.

 

[Cain]

My dislike of this movie and seeing how so many posters I have always respected on here like Joker and DACrowe loved the series so much inspired me to rewatch the first 2 today on netflix. Man I saw the first when I was 13 and the second at 14 and I will say at 27 both still hold up quite well. Especially the calls. I could see the problem Jow had with the voice. That call to Casey in part 1 and how you can tell just based on the voice inflictions who Billy and Stu are when they alternate and how calm the convo all starts (Billy) out and crescendos into him flipping completely (Stu), stroke of effing genius.

Definitely something this new one sorely lacked with it's aggressiveness from the get go when it came to the voice. I'll concede though that indeed since these were STAB inspired killers that justifies the tone but still that stuff is sorely missed. Also the convo with Randy and the way Kennedy delivers the FU lmao damn. It's comedic but still not over the top like the new comedy and then the way Mrs. Loomis just drags him in and kills the poor guy, so tragic. Perfect balance of horrid death and comedy unlike the death of that one "Bruce Willis" guy. I miss this Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson.

Oh and was I really the only person who completely called that "closet" bit? like seriously how could any slasher fan not see that one coming a mile away. That's another thing there just was no genuine suspense in this one for me. I'm looking at the Casey trying to get to her parents or Elise Neal and Sidney trapped in the car with Ghostface scene and how much tension those have. This new movie had none of that. Maybe I'm just getting too old for the subgenre then again if that were true I wouldn't have enjoyed Cold Prey and My Bloody Valentine 3D so much so...

 

[kickass]

I'm sorry you feel that way, Jow. I really have no idea how you can say this was nothing like the OT when Scre4m has elements from all previous Scream films mixed into it. I really wished you enjoyed it as much as we did.

But I'll also say you seem completely and utterly aggressive towards us who did like it. Why so serious? It may not have made the money it was "supposed" to, but I think it's pretty safe to say 80% of the average moviegoer who saw Scre4m loved it. In terms of quality, which was always the biggest worry amongst fans, it succeeded.

 

[The Joker]

My dislike of this movie and seeing how so many posters I have always respected on here like Joker and DACrowe loved the series so much inspired me to rewatch the first 2 today on netflix. Man I saw the first when I was 13 and the second at 14 and I will say at 27 both still hold up quite well. Especially the calls. I could see the problem Jow had with the voice. That call to Casey in part 1 and how you can tell just based on the voice inflictions who Billy and Stu are when they alternate and how calm the convo all starts (Billy) out and crescendos into him flipping completely (Stu), stroke of effing genius.

Definitely something this new one sorely lacked with it's aggressiveness from the get go when it came to the voice. I'll concede though that indeed since these were STAB inspired killers that justifies the tone but still that stuff is sorely missed. Also the convo with Randy and the way Kennedy delivers the FU lmao damn. It's comedic but still not over the top like the new comedy and then the way Mrs. Loomis just drags him in and kills the poor guy, so tragic. Perfect balance of horrid death and comedy unlike the death of that one "Bruce Willis" guy. I miss this Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson.

Oh and was I really the only person who completely called that "closet" bit? like seriously how could any slasher fan not see that one coming a mile away. That's another thing there just was no genuine suspense in this one for me. I'm looking at the Casey trying to get to her parents or Elise Neal and Sidney trapped in the car with Ghostface scene and how much tension those have. This new movie had none of that. Maybe I'm just getting too old for the subgenre then again if that were true I wouldn't have enjoyed Cold Prey and My Bloody Valentine 3D so much so...

Definitely agreed on your points about Scream 1 and 2. They are in a class entirely of their own, IMO. That was Craven and Williamson, as well as the main cast, on top of their game.

Two little minor complaints from a Scream fan about what I missed in Scream 4:

- An epic chase scene between Ghostface and someone. Like Sid and Ghostface in Scream 1, or Gale and Ghostface in Scream 2. They were real adrenaline pumpers.
- A good old fashioned blood curdling scream from someone. Remember Mrs Becker's scream when she saw poor Casey hanging from the tree. Or Maureen's scream when she climbed up in front of the movie screen at the Stab premier. Or Gale's scream when they found Randy's body in her van.

 

[Anjow1060]

THANK YOU CAIN AND DARK DEFENDER!

I'm not insane and lonely after all!

*group hug*

- Jow

 

[Marvolo]

And I hope they don't get their wish.

I even said in my review - this is a solid movie for what it was trying to be. A remake of Scream. But it's not in Scream style. It's Scream style via remake standards.

And I've hated pretty much all the horror remakes of late (sans F13.) And this one joins the bunch.


- Jow

Its like you missed the point of the movie. This movie is a diss on remakes by appearing to be a remake and yet killing off the new characters and then Sydney saying "don't **** with the original" reinforces that idea that you can't beat the original. This movie isn't a remake. Its a knock against remakes and all the stupidity that can sometimes come with them. So it did exactly what it was supposed to do. It appears some might be letting there hate of remakes effect their judgement of this film. Let me say it again, this film is not a remake. It is taking the ideas of a usual remake and pissing on them. The first film took slasher standards and turned them on there head and showed how crappy the Slasher genre had gotten. The second was a knock against sequels. The third well I haven't quiet figured out that one lol but it was a knock against something. This film followed in the same vein. These films have always been commentaries about what's wrong with the genre and films in general.

 

[Darkness Falls]

She walked like one too. But she wasn't lacking any breast meat, I tells you that.

[YT]fVQT3638TZA[/YT]

 

[mclay18]

Okay guys, let's not try to 'correct' Anjow -- movies aren't a 'one size fits all' mentality. People are entitled to their own opinions, and let's be honest -- Jow didn't try to flame or incite flames. He spelled out the things he liked and the stuff he didn't.

Let's just move on, please.

 

[DACrowe]

The rest of the time this movie had all the atmosphere and tone of a 100 minute SNL skit about Scream.

Woah, woah, WOAH. That is offensive!

....SNL hasn't been this funny in at least, AT LEAST 10 or 12 years, if that.

The voice sounded terrible in the film too, in the previous films he sounded normal then escalated to sounding sinister, in this thing the voice sounds completely OTT insane right off the bat.

I will say that there was no cat and mouse games on the phone. But there weren't really any in Scream 3. I figure that the Loomis' were good at it (particularly Billy). After they died, the copycats are mimicking the aggression of Stab. Roman and [blackout]Jill/Charlie[/blackout] just don't have the wit of Mamma Loomis and son.

The cast did fine, but that script is just atrocious. As for this talk of it being 'for the remake generation,' I'm 29 years old and have been a huge Scream fan from the beginning. The first was my favorite film at the time it came out, that said I also atleast moderately enjoy a pretty good amount of the modern remakes...and I STILL hate this movie as anything but a comedy with lots of blood.

By the remake generation, I meant 14-20. The ones who never saw the Scream films and the definitive horror genre of their childhood/adolescence is Saw. If I do the math right, you would have been in high school when the first two Scream films came out, that's actually the target age for these films.

 

[Sith Scotti]

Its like you missed the point of the movie. This movie is a diss on remakes by appearing to be a remake and yet killing off the new characters and then Sydney saying "don't **** with the original" reinforces that idea that you can't beat the original. This movie isn't a remake. Its a knock against remakes and all the stupidity that can sometimes come with them. So it did exactly what it was supposed to do. It appears some might be letting there hate of remakes effect their judgement of this film. Let me say it again, this film is not a remake. It is taking the ideas of a usual remake and pissing on them. The first film took slasher standards and turned them on there head and showed how crappy the Slasher genre had gotten. The second was a knock against sequels. The third well I haven't quiet figured out that one lol but it was a knock against something. This film followed in the same vein. These films have always been commentaries about what's wrong with the genre and films in general.

You hit the nail on the head. The first 2 screams had a message , The third was just a spoof of itself . The 4th brought back the satire by going after remakes