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Scream 4 Movie Review

Scream 4 is a 2011 meta slasher film directed by Wes Craven and starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox and Emma Roberts. It’s such a fun sequel.

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“You forgot the first rule of remakes, Jill.

Don’t fuck with the original!“

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At the end of her book tour, Sidney visits her home town after ten long years. As she catches up with old friends, her return not only brings back memories but also beckons the return of Ghostface. This entry is obviously a big improvement upon its weak predecessor that was the worst entry in the entire franchise. Although a bit too meta for its own sake, there is no denying that these subversive satiric elements gave the movie an entertaining, sophisticated edge.

It parodies remakes, reboots and just what people really want from a remake of an acclaimed original while also dealing with fandom and even with the role of social media in achieving instant fame. That last theme made the movie rather prescient as social media has become much worse during the 2010s decade.

The beginning of the film is such a ridiculously entertaining, crazy excursion in meta storytelling as it incorporates a movie within a movie within a movie. After that terrific initial stretch, the movie settles into a comfortable, though a bit straightforward killing spree that wasn’t all that scary, though some kills are memorable.

But then, we get to that third act twist, which I definitely did see coming, but I did not expect that the villain would be so crazy and so meticulous in her planning. That extended hospital sequence was such a wild ride that was certainly pretty silly at its core, but so incredibly fun to watch in its twists and turns. Just the idea of remaking the movie and filming it to use it for instant fame was very interesting.

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Emma Roberts of ‘American Horror Story’ fame is excellent in Scream 4. She is so much fun and one of the newly added highlights. The male characters are ultimately too forgettable and undercooked, but David Arquette and Courteney Cox are as fun as always with their banter now resembling the one of a bitter married couple. Neve Campbell is also reliably badass as Sidney.

Scream 4 was a major improvement upon its weak predecessor. It has a somewhat silly storyline, it’s not all that scary and its meta storytelling can become overbearing, but that movie within a movie within a movie opening sequence was so much fun while the final stretch was a wild ride full of terrific twists and turns. The main trio was back here and they were all reliably excellent while Emma Roberts was the standout among the new additions.

My Rating – 3.5