Scream 4: Movie Review

"Scream" brought back the slasher genre from the grave. It was so influential that it even introduced the iconic Ghostface and it still is the highest-grossing slasher film ever. It brought fresh, new ideas into the slasher genre by having a deadly cocktail of thrill, comedy and film theory (almost breaking the fourth wall)into the mix. But honestly, "Scream" won't be "Scream" without the whodunit element. It always intrigues us finding out who the killer is. This, for us, is what makes the "Scream" series iconic. Every film has the same voice, the same masked antagonist Ghostface except the person/s wearing the mask (who have their own interesting reasons why they want to kill Sydney). It has been more than a decade since "Scream 3" and the slasher genre seems to be floundering once again. Can "Scream 4" influence, change and revitalize the genre once again? Read on to find out our verdict.

It has been fifteen years since the Woodsboro massacre. Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has decided to have her book tour end at the town of Woodsboro to show the world that she has finally moved on. When two high school girls are brutally murdered on the anniversary of the massacre, Sydney becomes a suspect as evidence is found at the trunk of her rental car. Dewey (David Arquette), now the sheriff of Woodsboro, decides to force Sydney to stay until the perpetrator is found. When Sydney and her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) witnesses Ghostface murder one of Jill's close friends, Sydney soon discovers that a new Ghostface is out to get her and her relatives.

We surely consider "Scream 4" a good slasher film - it still surprises and actually brings a lot of scares. In fact, the fourth film seems to have evolved to be grittier, gorier and bloodier at all angles. "Scream 4" lacks one thing though - the creativity that the first film brought into a floundering slasher genre. "Scream" fans will definitely love this film as all the trademarked elements are back - the comedy, film theory galore and a clever plot (especially the whodunit part). Some may be pissed off though that a "Scream" film actually stooped so low as to be a clichéd masterpiece - a cliché of the elements it introduced fifteen years ago. As for the acting, it was all topnotch especially the old cast and crew. All of them have aged well though the years. For the newcomers, Hayden Panettiere takes the cake. The film tries countless times to convince viewers that it has changed dramatically to be inline with the tastes of the modern audiences - we actually beg to differ. At its core, "Scream 4" is as clichéd as any slasher film from the past decade or so although this does not mean that we did not have a bloody good time.

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- even with the same old "Scream" formula, it is still a thrilling film that surprises and scares
- guessing and finding out who the perpetrator is still the best thing about watching a "Scream" film

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- some may feel that the film feels way too familiar to the first three films
- endless cuts in the local version somewhat ruins the overall experience