Scream (2022) Dir: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
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On my latest trip to the cinema , I ventured to see this reboot of a now-tired and tropes out franchise. Why? Because honestly this looked pretty fun. That's what slashers are supposed to be at the end of the day; fun. And I would say this one is just that. It's silly, it's over the top and really fun.
However, there were a few things that irked me quite a bit. Chief among them being just how meta it was. I don't mind some meta commentary in films, but this one took it to the extreme - even more so than 'The Matrix: Resurrections'.
It's becoming a bit of an annoying trope of sequels and reboots to try and seem cool by making fun of and referencing the original films.
Another issue I had was the clunky dialogue, which was ponderous and unwieldy. This critism can be especially levied towards the heavy amount of exposition in the opening act.
The second act was a little better, if still a bit mediocre, but the third was really enjoyable. It was so ludicrous and extravagant, and picked up the pace very satisfyingly.
The overarching story was nothing special, though honestly it didn't need to be. I think every fan new what to expect and most won't have been bothered by it.
Jenna Ortega doesn't do too badly to be fair to her, the script definitely doesn't help though. Neve Campbell returns to the franchise as Sidney - it was nice to see a familiar face.
Mikey Madison kind of comes in and out of this a bit too much, although I think she did well enough with what she had. Dylan Minnette is someone people will likely recognise from '13 Reasons Why' - being honest, I don't really rate him as an actor.
Courtney Cox gives what is probably the best performance of the whole film, again as a returning face. Melissa Barerra has one of the more prominent roles here and I think deservedly so.
David Arquette and Skeet Ulrich both return to the franchise in varying degrees and give adequate performances. Jack Quaid, who some of you will know from 'The Boys' doesn't give as good as he can in this, but he isn't outright terrible.
Finally, Mason Gooding and Jasmin Savoy Brown appear in supporting roles, each giving middling performances.
Overall, I think it's important to recognise that this film was never trying to be a world beater. It very clearly knew what it was and leaned full tilt into it.
If you can forgive a little excess meta commentary and leave your critical brain at the door, you'll have fun watching this. I certainly did.
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