Thursday, January 5, 2012

Movie Review: Scream 4




I certianly enjoyed this sequel. I like how they still kept the witty dialouge and the genre savvy techniques fresh, especially when it comes to horror movies these days which is filled with pointless reimaginings and prequel/sequels. Scream 4, however, does a good job at rehashing the feel of the first film and then turning it into something completely different in the second act, which would be a definite spoiler for you folks out there, so keep in check.
Now here's the story: During a book tour for her autobiographical novel, Sidney Prescott returns to her hometown and back to the skeletons in her closet. Her two partners in crime-fighting are having fairly normal lives. Dewy is now sherrif and Gale, who was best-known for writing non-fiction, is now writing just fiction. Meanwhile, there is a new batch of characters along the way: Kirby, the horror movie fangirl, Oliva, the beauty queen, Charlie and Robbie, two horror movie enthusasists, and Jill, Sidney's long distant cousin, who is also having relationship issues with her boyfriend, Trevor. Just then, two teenage girls have been burtally murdered, stirring up the town's paranoia. The plot thickens when Jill recieves a phone call from the killer prompting Sidney, Dewy, and Gale to face the battle at hand yet again.
I liked how they kept the story fresh yet subtle. The opening scene was really cool. Jumping from movie to movie was totally inventive. Although the film was quite suspenseful and entertaining, it felt a bit rushed. There were some characters who were killed without us even knowing them. Oh yes, the characters, let's get to them. I mostly suggest the more memorable ones. First let's start with Hayden Panettiere's lovable performance as Kirby. She was a spitfire of a vixen and it would've been cool if she was the film's final girl. she knows her way around horror films, why not have her as one. Then there's the lovely Marley Shelton as deputy Judy Hicks. Her character was all but cute and quirky, though a little weird, I still love her for it. How can I not mention the blue-eyed cutie Rory Culkin as Charlie. His performance was so adorable I couldn't help but blush. Too bad he's one of the main killers though.
Emma Roberts pretty much blew me away. Boy, can she amp up the crazy or what? From being the sweet, shy, supposed final girl to being the knife-wielding, blood-thirsty bitch-on-wheels was clever twist. Damn you Jill Roberts you fooled us all. And boy, did she wanted to steal the crown from Sidney, queen of the final girls. What was even more hiliarious was her self-harming scene. Gosh, this girl is fucking dedicated.
As always there is our herioc trio, Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courtney Cox, especially Courtney Cox, who is stunning and powerful as ever. Sidney, you will be dear to my heart as a kickass final girl. Dewy is as sympathic as he once was before but more resilant and strong-willed.
The directing is, of course, suspenseful and the edge-your-seat inducing, although the editing was a bit shaky. Overall, the movie was pretty good. Now, I'm not saying this was a masterpeice but it's better than most horror movies these days which the creators are so intent on remaking these films. This addition is sort of an 'F' you to them all.
My Last Word: With it's mix of dark humor and horror, this movie is definitely a watch.

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