Scream (2022)

 

In 2011, Wes Craven confirmed he was contracted to work on a fifth AND sixth installment of the Scream franchise. This would take another ten years for the fifth film to be materialized. During this time, Craven was the executive producer of the Scream television series (never watched it) and had his focus on that. Sadly, however, on August 30. 2015, Wes Craven passed away, leaving the franchise in limbo. On top of that, The Weinstein Brothers were facing numerous sexual misconduct allegations, shutting down any plans for future films. Thankfully, in November 2019, Spyglass Media Group acquired the rights to make a new Scream film. This time, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet would take over the director's chair while Kevin Williamson fills in the role of executive producer. With the addition of the Triumphant Trio of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette, the production of Scream 5 was set and ready to go. The result is...pretty mediocre. There are some positive things to be found in Scream 5, but the majority of the film just feels off and the writing is not all that great. Most of these issues have to do with Sam Carpenter, and oh boy, I have a LOT to say about this character. I don't know...It just doesn't seem like a movie  I want to latch onto. As much as I would like to examine the glaring issues in Scream 5, I appreciate the effort of the filmmakers trying to honor Wes Craven's legacy but, it just doesn't hit the mark for me. 

The Story: After her sister survives a brutal attack, Sam Carpenter returns to her hometown of Woodsboro. But as a deep dark secret comes back to haunt Sam, her sister's attacker strikes again. With the help of Sidney, Dewey, and Gale, Sam must unveil the killer behind the Ghostface mask. 

To keep up with tradition, let's examine the opening scene:

We open to Tara Carpenter texting on the phone with her friend Amber, planning a get-together. Then, she gets a phone call...As we all know, it's the voice of Ghostface, asking the simple question: "What's your favorite scary movie?" 

Tara answers The Babadook because it's "Elevated Horror." Elevated Horror is a term used for horror movies that has a more psychological and intellectual meaning. According to Tara, The Babadookis the examination of motherhood and grief. This is in regard to how Elevated Horror has become popular over the years and is often the topic of every social media post. 

Things get a bit sinister when the caller quizzes Tara about the Stab movie once he puts out a threat on Amber's life. The question: Who were the two killers in the first Stab movie?  Since Tara wasn't born in the nineties, she has no clue what the Stab movies are about. In a moment of panic, she pulls out her to look up the Stab movies on IMDB. Tara actually gets it right by saying the actors' names but the characters' names.

Unfortunately, Tara gets a visit from Ghostface. She puts up a pretty good fight but this Ghostface is no-holds-barred and the takedown of Tara is pretty brutal. And as the killer makes their final blow, the title card flashes on the screen. Then all of a sudden, Mrs. Jackson by Outcast plays. That was a pretty weird tonal shift. But here's the twist. Once we're introduced to Tara's sister, Sam, we learn that Tara actually survived her attack. I gotta be honest with you, I did not see this coming. 

Anywho, this is where we meet our new main characters. So before we get to the important characters, let's get the side characters out of the way. 

First, I would like to present to you our weakest character in the movie, Liv McKenzie. All that we know about her is that she's the girlfriend of Chad (Meeks)-Martin, has a volatile ex and is a bit of a drama queen.  She throws a massive bitch fit when Chad rejects her for sex and I'm like, "Take it easy, girl. It's not that serious." So yeah, that's all I got on Liv. She's just a bland character fading in the background.

Kyle Gallner is totally wasted as Vince Schneider, the supposed nephew of Stu Macher. When did Stu have a sister? Anywho, Vince is nothing more than a stereotypical bad boy who just so happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Liv. Throughout most of his screentime, all Vince does is cause trouble for Chad and his friends.

Vince is promptly killed with a blink of an eye and Kyle Gallner only has two or three lines to thank for. I actually consider him to be a good actor and would've preferred him in the role of Richie Kirsch.

Then we have Wes Hicks played by the very handsome Dylan Minnette. Wes is a nice enough guy but all that we know about him is that he's the son of Town Sheriff Judy Hicks and has a crush on Tara though, I would've preferred them to be an official couple but that's just my suggestion. But here's where the plot hole comes in. So, you mean to tell me that during the events of Scream 4, Judy Hicks had a six-year-old son? There wasn't even a hint that she was a single mom, so it was kind of confusing. 

Speaking of, let's focus on Judy Hicks for a bit. She is now the sheriff of the town, which is admirable but the downside of it is Dewey is left in the dust. More on that later. Judy seems to have animosity towards Sam for some reason because of all the trouble she caused in Woodsboro. Sure, you can understand Judy's frustration but now that Sam is a grown woman, it seems strange for a character like Judy to hold a grudge for that long. Anywho, both Judy and Wes get some extremely gruesome deaths. The build-up of the scene was pretty well done for the most part. 

Judy gets a threatening phone call from Ghostface on her car phone. When Ghostface references Psycho, the scene cuts to...you guessed it:

Wes taking a shower. 

Judy makes a sharp U-turn and races to the finish line. Just when you think Judy makes it on time...

BAM! Ghostface gets her and it's pretty shocking to see Judy, the loveable deputy from the fourth film, go out in such a bloody way. 

 

Wes is no match for Ghostface either when he gets a REALLY slow stab through the neck. Yeesh! This scene as a whole was incredibly suspenseful and also, the bloodiest so far. 

Then there's Amber Freeman played by Mikey Madison, who seems to be a little too overprotective towards her friend, Tara. There's not much to know about her after that. The filmmakers try to give off this mysterious aura about Amber but she is just not developed enough for me to care. 

Richie is the boyfriend of Sam Carpenter and he does nothing for me either. Don't get me wrong, Jack Quaid is very charismatic but he's given the worst dialogue and what makes his character even more unbearable is that the filmmakers prep him up to be this comic relief. His jokes are just terribly flat. If they would've took out the cringy dialogue, made the character a bit more serious, and cast Kyle Gallner, I would be singing a different tune. 

Then we have the niece and nephew of Randy Meeks, Mindy and Chad played by the handsome, charismatic, and sexy Mason Gooding and the funny, charismatic, and adorable Jasmin Savoy Brown. 

Oh yeah, a special shout-out to Heather Matarazzo as Martha Meeks, the little sister of Randy and mother to Chad and Mindy. It's a small little cameo with only one line but Heather Matarazzo makes it work just by the way some comes in like a nice suburban mom with baked cookies in her own adorable way. But anywho, back to Chad and Mindy. They really don't have that much screentime, but when they are on screen, it's totally worth it. 

Chad is the loveable jock type and is far from dumb. He's quite the gentleman, has a witty sense of humor, and is an all-around nice guy. He's actually the one who rejects Liv for sex and not the other way around. Furthermore, Chad is quick to defend his friends which adds more to his likable qualities. 

Chad gets a close call from the killer but he makes it out okay. And I'm totally glad he did. 

Mindy is probably one of my favorite characters in the movie. The scene where she gets to shine is when she lays down the rules of the "requel." Just like her dear uncle Randy, Mindy knows her shit and Jasmin Savoy Brown really gives it her all here. With just a small amount of screentime, she leaves a pretty big impact. 

Mindy also gets a close call from Ghostface but just like her brother Chad, she makes it out okay. Now that is the true power of twining!

We have now come to this, our Triumphant Trio. They're a little older, a little wiser, and a lot savvier.

Let's start with our favorite TV news anchor/bestselling author Gale Weathers played by the ever-so-incomparable Courtney Cox. In the years of dark, sensational tabloid stories, Gale has regressed into the safe compounds. I guess at this point, Gale wanted to soften her image after being branded as the 'His Girl Friday' of the Woodsboro Murders but that doesn't mean she's still hot at her game. When the Ghostface killer is on the prowl, Gale is right in the field mines, ready to make her mark. Sadly, Dewey won't join her this time...

Dewey and Gale are no longer together. But I do think the chemistry between Courtney Cox and David Arquette still works here and their reunion was painstakingly bittersweet. 

Speaking of, let's move on to Dewey played by the criminally underrated David Arquette. The characterization of Dewey is one of the main issues that I have with the film. After the events of Scream 4, he's divorced from Gale, has resigned as sheriff, and lives in a ramshackle trailer with an obvious drinking problem. Seeing how the character evolved throughout the film series, it's kind of disheartening to watch knowing that this will be...Spoiler Alert! His Last Screen Appearance. 

So here's how it goes. When Sam and Richie ask for Dewey's help, he firmly dismisses them. He's been down that road before and without the person he loves, he doesn't want to go back.

But as you do, Dewey comes to his senses and grabs his badge and gun. With some words of encouragement from Gale, Dewey becomes the hero we know and love. But this is where something stupid happens. When he joins Sam and Richie to rescue Tara, Dewey stays behind to finish off Ghostface. His reason? He has to shoot him in the head... because he always does. Worst. Writing. Decision. Ever.

And this ladies and gentlemen is the moment where Dewey dies! why did this have to happen? Okay, if you wanted to give Dewey his final farewell, why not have him sacrifice himself for Tara's life? That would've come out so much better. And why not throw some of David Arquette's wrestling moves, make it more badass. Oh well, this is Dewey's swan song and he will be missed. 

I would also like to mention the heartbreaking scene of Gale discovering Dewey's dead body. Courtney Cox really sells it here, invoking Gale's shock and devastation. I consider this one of the better scenes in the movie just based on how tragic Dewey's death really is. All I can say is, David Arquette had a pretty good run and he's one of the reasons why this character is so memorable. Au dou to you good, sir and may god speed.

Now, we have reached to the one and only Sidney Prescott played by the legendary Neve Campbell. In the years since, Sidney has settled down, got married, has two kids, and lives in a quaint, suburban neighborhood. There's a quick little reference that she's married to Mark Kincaid, the detective from Scream 3. It would've been nice to have an on-screen cameo from Patrick Dempsey but I digress. But the most important part is, Sidney is living the life she's always wanted: A life of normalcy...until she gets a phone call. No, it's not Ghostface. It's from our dearly departed Dewey, prompting Sidney to get back in action. Though considering her Final Girl experience, Sidney is fully prepared. 

But just as she arrives for another heartfelt reunion, sadly, Dewey isn't there to lend her a hand. By this time, Dewey's death brings Sidney and Gale closer than ever, forming a close-knit bond they never knew they had. This is actually the first time Sidney and Gale work together and they make quite a formidable team. 

Although Sidney makes a triumphant return, she doesn't have as much screentime. I guess to make way for newcomer Sam Carpenter, which I will get to shortly. But besides all that, Neve Campbell gives the character a self-assured toughness but gives this protective Mama Bear energy that I love. Although I think this film is rather subpar compared to other Scream films, Neve Campbell will always be the best part of it. 

Now is the time to discuss our new main characters, the Carpenter sisters.

Here we have the youngest of the two, Tara Carpenter played by the lovely and extremely talented Jenna Ortega. Although Tara is an important part of the story, she is more or less a supporting character, which is a shame because Jenna Ortega is a very effective Scream Queen.

I would've preferred her to be the main character instead of Sam or better yet cut out the Sam character completely. It would be a great twist if you'd suspect Tara to be the opening victim but turns out, she's the movie's final girl. For most of the film, Tara is used as a plot device to make way for Sam's story arc. This is a bummer because Jenna Ortega would've made a very compelling lead. This girl is definitely a star in the making. 

Now we have entered into the forgone conclusion to one of my biggest, I mean, biggest issues of this movie, and that is the character of Sam Carpenter. Let's just get the elephant out of the room. Sam Carpenter is the supposed daughter of Billy Loomis. I consider this to be a major plot hole but at least the movie tries to explain it to us. You see, Sam's mom had her back when she was in high school. I'm guessing that Sam's mom is probably the bitchy cheerleader from the first movie (In which, the actress just so happens to be Skeet Ulrich's girlfriend at the time). Okay, this is where this subplot is becoming more complicated than I expect. So apparently, Billy was with Sidney and the unnamed mom at the same time? Considering that he was the mastermind behind the Woodsboro murders, I don't see how he would balance out a love triangle at the same time. But the real question is, how does Sam know all this? The good o'l diary in the attic. How cliche. Sam found all this out when she was a mere teen and just like that, she became rebellious and left town, leaving Tara behind with an emotionally absent mom. I guess this explains why the mom doesn't check up on the girls, especially Tara. 

But this is when things get really dumb. Apparently, Sam has some sort of mental disorder where she keeps seeing her dead biological dad in the mirror. Okay, I appreciate the Skeet Ulrich cameo but I thought this was completely unnecessary. It would've been good if the filmmakers had a hallucination/dream sequence similar to Sidney's nightmare in Scream 3 but no, they kept using him and using him to the point where it became cheesy and redundant. Oh and one more thing, I can totally see the CGI backdrop on Skeet Ulrich. Was it worth it? This is by far one of the dumbest decisions in the movie. Period. Point. Blank.

Okay, let's talk about Sam's personality. Oh wait, she doesn't have one. I get why the filmmakers wanted to make Sam a blank slate but where do you go from there? They try to pull the "mysterious" card on her but it doesn't work either. I don't buy that she's this former teen rebel. There's just not much of an edge to her, and maybe it has something to do with her acting. Now before I go on, I just want to say that I am not attacking Melissa Barrea, she seems like a really lovely person, I pray for all of her endeavors but she just wasn't good in this movie.

For example, there's the hospital scene where Sam confesses to Tara about her biological dad. Jenna Ortega knocks it off the park. Melissa...not so much. I just didn't feel enough emotion. Though, it's not really her fault. The screenplay writes her as a flat character with flat lines.

And does anyone notice that the chemistry between Melissa Barrea and Jack Quaid was off? Maybe if they had Kyle Gallner. Just maybe. 

Alright, this is the moment where I pull a What If. Let's say instead of Sam being his biological daughter, why not make her Billy's half-sister? What if, after the events of Scream and Scream 2, Billy's dad moved on, got remarried, and had two more kids, Sam and Tara. Therefore, Sidney can throw in a reference about her half-brother (Roman from Scream 3) and then we're sold. This comes out so much better than the script asked for. 

 I thought the directing was much better than Scream 4, going for a gritty, stylistic style similar to Radio Silence's own Ready or Not. But as you know already, my main complaint is the writing. Sam's story arc is something straight out of a cheesy soap opera. It was so uncalled for. I just have a feeling that this wasn't Kevin Williamson's idea but somebody had to greenlight it, right? But in my humble opinion, if they would have went with the aforementioned What If, Sam's story arc would be much more organic. 

Now is the moment you've been waiting for...Who is the killer behind the Ghostface mask? It's not Sam. Oh no, that would be too easy. But it is someone close to Sam and Tara...

Yep! You guessed it! It's Richie and Amber. Being lifelong fans of the Stab franchise, they hate of what it's become. So they make their own real-life Stab film to connect the dots to the relatives of the class of Woodsboro High circa 1996. I think this is a commentary on toxic fandom but I can point out the obvious clues, such as Richie watching a bad movie review of Stab 8 and Amber's obvious obsession with Tara. 

So right into the third act, Sam, Tara, Sidney, and Gale go toe to toe with Richie and Amber. Mikey Maddison's acting becomes incredibly hammy and so does Jack Quaid's. There's crazy and then there's doing a little too much. 

Sidney and Gale overpower Amber who is quite strong for her small stature but she is no match for the triumphant duo. Drenched in sanitizer, Sidney and Gale shoot Amber into a firey blaze. 

Meanwhile, Sam goes head-to-head with Richie but she's able to take him down. When she has Richie cornered, Sam spouts out a cheesy one-liner, "Never mess with a daughter of a serial killer." Sorry, Sam, you are nowhere near Sidney's level. And just like that, Sam goes to town on Richie, stabbing him multiple times. She then slits his throat and shoots him in the head. Talk about overkill. But the girls aren't finished yet. Amber, her face horribly disfigured, lunges at them with a knife, and then...

BANG! Tara shoots her in the head. "I prefer the Babbadok," is her badass line and Jenna Ortega sells it. 

As the Triumphant Girls (Sidney, Gale, Sam, and Tara) step out of the house, wounded but not broken, the police arrive. Out comes the Wonder Twins, Chad and Mindy, being wheeled out in their stretchers. Then there's the Carpenter sisters in mutual rejoicing; Sam coming to terms with her past and, Tara safe and alive in her arms. Zen Survivor Sidney sits proudly beside her former frenemy and now best friend Gale Weathers. As their story arc comes to a close, Gale tells Sidney that she might write a book about Dewey, The Unsung Hero of Woodsboro. Okay, I'm going to pull another What If:

Let's say if the filmmakers had Kyle Gallner cast as Richie, it would be kept a mystery that he's actually the nephew of Stu Macher. Therefore, that would hype up the fans who wanted Stu to return. See? Maybe Richie would be obsessed with Sam being the half-sister of Billy Loomis, so much so it becomes toxic. Along with Amber, he sets his sights on reigniting the Woodsboro Murders.

If the filmmakers would've kept that version of the story, the screenplay could've had a better flow. Just my opinion. 

So yeah, that was Scream or Scream 5 or Scream 2022, it doesn't matter. I just think it was an okay film but it had so much potential to be better than it was. I've heard Scream 6 has been released and judging from what I've seen in this movie...it might take a little while for me to review. Trust me, I've seen it and...I have a lot of thoughts. Anyway, Scream 2022 might not hold up well for me.

My last word: Not bad but not great either.