I just had to post a review now, after the itching in my fingers got the best of me. The breaking point was a recent comment stating that Scream 4 meant a "sad day for slasher evolution".
Wow. Slasher evolution. My head just exploded. I think those choice of words are so unintentionally amusing that it should have been in the... wait, it is. Only they call it "slasher innovation". That did make me giggle a little too, as I recall. Slasher innovation? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no such thing. The height of slasher "innovation" was probably reached when they called Friday the 13th part V "A New Beginning" after calling part IV "The Final Chapter". In fact, I'd say, the very reason a lot of people who liked the original Scream didn't fall for Scream 2 or Scream 3 is due to the fact that there is no innovation to be had in this genre; and that's the point of it. Making a satirical meta-slasher works, because its fun. But the sequels, though amusing to a lot of people (me included), indeed forced the audience to feel more sympathy with the characters than I think the audience really wanted to. The whole soap opera concerning Sidney Prescott wasn't really why the original Scream became such a hit. At all. And around Scream 3 the series really did start to run on fumes.
Its truly delightful to see that Scream 4 goes back to the first movie's core concept; it lets you know instantly that it's a complete Meta Movie. From the very get-go the pacing of Scream 4 is almost at a Mel Brooks level, and the various layers of referencing are so many that you'd think Kevin Williamson wrote the script on a constant caffeine overdose. I liked it, I friggin loved it. This movie had me laughing and jumping at every corner. It even stops to let us know that the original Stab was directed by Robert Rodriguez.
That being said, it's worth mentioning that I'm totally biased towards this series. The movie is 100% nonsense but I was shamelessly enjoyed by it. If you just want to have a fun time with a slasher, I'd recommend it warmly, but if you never cared for the Scream movies to begin with - and never really liked its geeky humor (I admit, I'd even call these movies dorky) - than you are to be warned because Scream 4 takes the whole Scream concept into massive overdrive.
But there also seems to be a few Scream fans out there who are disappointed. I don't know why. Maybe some of them are younger than me and were toddlers when the original movie came out. This might seem like an arrogant line of thinking, but I'm really just thinking out loud.
See, I too grew up with the original Scream, to me it's a classic. I like Scream 2 as well, in fact seeing it for the first time happens to be a great movie memory for me. I can even say I enjoyed Scream 3, though it was flawed. The way I see it, Scream 4 has got the same edge and idea that the original Scream movie had. What was so great about the first one was the fact that it was a genuine post-modern satire. It wasn't just that the characters knew a lot of horror trivia - The point was that they almost knew they were characters in a movie themselves. I always saw the movie as big fourth wall-joke. As I said before, Scream 2 and 3 seemed to put its weight on the plot as if it took place in the real world. To me, the original Scream always took place in a half-real world where one minute you could buy the characters as "real" (Neve Campbell's presence did a lot of the work automatically) and the next you we're laughing at lines like "Behind you, Jamie, behind you!"
Basically, Scream was in on its own joke. That was what made it special. Scream 2 and 3 were pretty entertaining, and jokey, but they didn't have that same hardcore self-awareness. Thankfully, Scream 4 goes back home to Woodsboro once and for all. I think I felt the first REAL vibe of this delight when Gale early on quotes Randy by reminding Sid that "everybody is a suspect". Now, Mr Smartypants will say, how could she know that line? Why is she using it? Randy was saying it to the killers in the video store in the first movie, right?
Well, she's saying it because she kinda knows that this is Scream 4, not real life. Just like the first movie it's kinda real, kinda movie. "This isn't a movie!" Sid says to the killer but to me, Billy Loomis line "It's all a big movie, Sid" is the essential quote of the series (or at least the first one, and this one). Of course, in 1996 it was creative enough to just make a horror film that knew it was a horror film. Scream 4 naturally has got to be a horror film that knows its a horror franchise. It doubles, triples... completely "scr4ms" the fun.
Finally, Scream 4 was a nostalgic experience. I'm not referring to the movie itself. I'm referring to going to the movies, to see a horror film, and have some FUN again. After ten years of pretentious and depressing butcher house sadism (no, Saw isn't any good; not the first one either) its such a relief to see a slasher where one of the cheap shocks involves a dangling flower pot. It definitely falls under the Only-bad-if-you're-dumb-enough-to-take-it-seriously-category.
Wow. Slasher evolution. My head just exploded. I think those choice of words are so unintentionally amusing that it should have been in the... wait, it is. Only they call it "slasher innovation". That did make me giggle a little too, as I recall. Slasher innovation? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no such thing. The height of slasher "innovation" was probably reached when they called Friday the 13th part V "A New Beginning" after calling part IV "The Final Chapter". In fact, I'd say, the very reason a lot of people who liked the original Scream didn't fall for Scream 2 or Scream 3 is due to the fact that there is no innovation to be had in this genre; and that's the point of it. Making a satirical meta-slasher works, because its fun. But the sequels, though amusing to a lot of people (me included), indeed forced the audience to feel more sympathy with the characters than I think the audience really wanted to. The whole soap opera concerning Sidney Prescott wasn't really why the original Scream became such a hit. At all. And around Scream 3 the series really did start to run on fumes.
Its truly delightful to see that Scream 4 goes back to the first movie's core concept; it lets you know instantly that it's a complete Meta Movie. From the very get-go the pacing of Scream 4 is almost at a Mel Brooks level, and the various layers of referencing are so many that you'd think Kevin Williamson wrote the script on a constant caffeine overdose. I liked it, I friggin loved it. This movie had me laughing and jumping at every corner. It even stops to let us know that the original Stab was directed by Robert Rodriguez.
That being said, it's worth mentioning that I'm totally biased towards this series. The movie is 100% nonsense but I was shamelessly enjoyed by it. If you just want to have a fun time with a slasher, I'd recommend it warmly, but if you never cared for the Scream movies to begin with - and never really liked its geeky humor (I admit, I'd even call these movies dorky) - than you are to be warned because Scream 4 takes the whole Scream concept into massive overdrive.
But there also seems to be a few Scream fans out there who are disappointed. I don't know why. Maybe some of them are younger than me and were toddlers when the original movie came out. This might seem like an arrogant line of thinking, but I'm really just thinking out loud.
See, I too grew up with the original Scream, to me it's a classic. I like Scream 2 as well, in fact seeing it for the first time happens to be a great movie memory for me. I can even say I enjoyed Scream 3, though it was flawed. The way I see it, Scream 4 has got the same edge and idea that the original Scream movie had. What was so great about the first one was the fact that it was a genuine post-modern satire. It wasn't just that the characters knew a lot of horror trivia - The point was that they almost knew they were characters in a movie themselves. I always saw the movie as big fourth wall-joke. As I said before, Scream 2 and 3 seemed to put its weight on the plot as if it took place in the real world. To me, the original Scream always took place in a half-real world where one minute you could buy the characters as "real" (Neve Campbell's presence did a lot of the work automatically) and the next you we're laughing at lines like "Behind you, Jamie, behind you!"
Basically, Scream was in on its own joke. That was what made it special. Scream 2 and 3 were pretty entertaining, and jokey, but they didn't have that same hardcore self-awareness. Thankfully, Scream 4 goes back home to Woodsboro once and for all. I think I felt the first REAL vibe of this delight when Gale early on quotes Randy by reminding Sid that "everybody is a suspect". Now, Mr Smartypants will say, how could she know that line? Why is she using it? Randy was saying it to the killers in the video store in the first movie, right?
Well, she's saying it because she kinda knows that this is Scream 4, not real life. Just like the first movie it's kinda real, kinda movie. "This isn't a movie!" Sid says to the killer but to me, Billy Loomis line "It's all a big movie, Sid" is the essential quote of the series (or at least the first one, and this one). Of course, in 1996 it was creative enough to just make a horror film that knew it was a horror film. Scream 4 naturally has got to be a horror film that knows its a horror franchise. It doubles, triples... completely "scr4ms" the fun.
Finally, Scream 4 was a nostalgic experience. I'm not referring to the movie itself. I'm referring to going to the movies, to see a horror film, and have some FUN again. After ten years of pretentious and depressing butcher house sadism (no, Saw isn't any good; not the first one either) its such a relief to see a slasher where one of the cheap shocks involves a dangling flower pot. It definitely falls under the Only-bad-if-you're-dumb-enough-to-take-it-seriously-category.