Scream 2 (1997) Dir: Wes Craven
Instagram post:
This slasher sequel takes a rather meta approach to following up on its iconic predecessor. I actually quite liked that the film seemed to be reasonably self aware and recognised the comedic aspects of its own existence and tropes.
The narrative is solid enough, although it admittedly is not as good as the original - particularly due to the inevitable twist being a little too far out of left field. My one other major critism is that this one seemed to try too hard to make its climax as grandiose and dramatic as possible - it was just too much.
Neve Campbell returns to star here, providing a relatively decent account of herself, though she was weaker than in the first film.
Courtney Cox also returns, but I think she actually gave a better performance here. Her character growth was much needed and well delivered.
Another returning actor is David Arquette, who gave a bit of a weird performance in my view; he felt like he was playing a parody of himself.
Liev Schrieber gets exponentially more screentime here, and justifies that with one of the better performances of the film, despite his character's slightly strange persona.
Elsie Neal has some good, albeit brief moments, although it's hard to see her character as anything more than a sidekick.
Laurie Metcalf plays a bit of a bizarre character, and her performance honestly reflects that. It's just strange to watch any and all of her scenes.
Finally, I'll mention some of the noteworthy supporting cast members in Jamie Kennedy, Jerry O'Connal, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Sarah Michelle Gellar - each having varying levels of screentime, but all deserved a mention I felt.
Overall, director Wes Craven delivers a fun, if not overly amazing sequel to an iconic 90s slasher. He manages to make the film feel relatively unique, but fails to match the genuine entertainment value of its predecessor.
Comments