My oldest son is going hard into horror movies although I still dont allow him to watch the really gory ones because he is only 13 but I though the Scream franchise was ok since for the most part is just some dumb jump scares to be honest and this one was no difference, in fact to be honest after watching it I find it totally unncesessary and for some reason I have always compare Scream movies with Final Destination and always choose Final Destination as a better franchise even when they already have done a bunch of movies about the same damn thing over the decades. Im not saying this is the worst horror movie out there and after all the crazy drama with the cast changes and the studio mess I was not expecting this movie to actually work, it didnt fully but it delivered that classic vibe some of us have been missing since the nineties, bringing Kevin Williamson back to be the one behind the camera was the smartest move they could have made because it felt like Wes Craven was reaching out from the grave to guide every single shot, and the way they handled the tension made me remember back in the day when I saw some of the franchise movies at the theather when Wednesdays was only $3 the entry, anyways. It is one of those rare times where the next chapter actually lives up to the noise people are making online, even though I went in with some doubts because of how things looked a few months ago, the opening scene alone told me that they were serious about making this a legit entry in the slasher game although has its clear flaws. The atmosphere was just right and there were certain moments during the movie that felt like a slasher that actually knows how to be scary without trying to be too smart for its own good, so if you are a fan of the franchise then you are going to be so damn hyped for what they did here.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27047903/
- Platform: PRIME VIDEO
Rottentomatoes Rating
Nev Campbell is back as Sidney and I wont say she is better than ever but still have that aura from the franchise that makes her shine here, showing us a version of the character that actually feels like she has something to lose now that she has kids and a whole life away from the mask, it is probably one of the best performance of her career because she does not feel like she is just playing a part and instead she is Sidney Prescott just another regular person, almost like the meme "Im too old for this shit...". The way they built her character story this time around was solid because you can see the weight of the past in her eyes but she still has that badass energy that makes you want to cheer every time she picks up a weapon to defend her family, she is basically an antihero here but a retire one just trying to survive to put it in some words, the chemistry she has with the rest of the cast is just as strong as it was in the first three movies. Then we have the absolute banger of a reveal with Matthew Lillard coming back as Stu Macher and I bet not many actually thought they would pull the trigger on that theory after all these years you can tell from a few articles publish after the movie went out that talk just about it, for some reason it looks like critics online didnt like the movie much as it took some hits on movies like RTT with only 31% from critics and a 5.7/10 on IMDB, imo a 7/10 is more of a fair rating. Across most of the dialogue the movie does have that over the top fealing and it is that kind of franchise that use shocking kills to keep you interested instead of really smart ways to sneak out on the victims so this is not your big brain slacher movie, if thats what you expecting just leave your brain at the door so you can enjoy it a bit. Matthew had that wide eye stare and the voice that cracks when he gets too excited, it was such a dope way to pay respect to the roots of the story while giving us something fresh to chew on.
The kills in this one are fkn gnarly, well not every single one cant be perfect but for the most part they are and without being just about the blood, it is more about how they treat the human body in ways that make you cringe and I am telling you there is one scene in a kitchen that most likely you are going to remember for a long time without spoiling things that much because it is just so creative and mean. They used the environment in such a badass way to create these chase scenes that actually lasted well enough to satisfy your dopamine rush and it reminded me why I the first movie was such a hit because the cat and mouse game is where the real fun is at. I loved how the movie builds the story of the new survivors alongside the legacy characters without it feeling like the old guard was just there to pass a torch that nobody wanted to hold and what really saves this movie from been below average is the production quality been so high that you could see every drop of sweat and every bit of fear on their faces during the long shots. It is a solid reminder that when you have a director who actually loves the source material you get something that hits hard instead of just some cheap trash thrown together to make a quick buck at the box office. Even the new kids in the cast held their own against the legends, and I was surprised by how much I actually cared when some of them started getting picked off one by one in those dark hallways, which is a testament to the writing being much better than the last few installments we got.
Here comes the "but", I have to be honest with you because as much as I loved the nostalgia and the big moments, the last part of the movie felt a bit rushed and the big reveal did not quite hit the heights of the first two movies in the series, this is where this movie just falls away from been an 8 and drops drastically one step down. It felt clunky at the end but the cast still made it watchable, and I noticed a few moments where the pacing was all over the place during the final confrontation at the house, which was a bit of a letdown after such a strong buildup in the first half of the movie. There were some slip ups with the logic of how Ghostface was moving around so fast and at times it felt like they were trying to add deeper moments that did not really have enough time to breathe before the next person got stabbed, which is a common problem when you are trying to fit so much history into a two hour movie. I am telling you the whole story is simple enough to follow but when they tried to explain the motive behind the new accomplice it felt a bit thin to say the least and I wish they had spent more time making that part of the mystery feel as earned as the Stu reveal. This I bet happen to many viers because when thinking back on this episode of the Scream saga I feel like the pros definitely outweigh the cons, even if the ending felt a bit messy and some of the side characters were not really trying as hard as Nev and Matthew were.
At the end of the day this I wouldnt call a massive win but a nice addition after so many years for the franchise and Im not necesarly hyped neither about whatever they do with the next one because they proved that there is still plenty of life left in the Ghostface mask when it is handled with some respect so there is room for imprevement and thats good. I am giving this a solid 7 out of 10 and I will probably watch it again down the year just to make sure I did not miss any of those small details or easter eggs they tucked away in the background for the people online to find. It is a movie that actually hooks you from the start and stays with you because of some of the kills, I was even smiling as the movie will get you to remember certain movies from back in the day because it felt like my childhood, the times I went alone to the theater to watch a movie, I was that time of kid. If you are looking for a movie that has some good drama and some solid kills here and there, that does not feel like a complete waste of your time on a Saturday night then you need to watch Scream 7 and I have read online that most likely around late April is going to release on Paramount and then drop into other streaming services. It was a refreshing change to see a sequel that actually understands what the audience want without being a total letdown, I am just glad they did not go for some cheap ending that would have ruined the legacy, and instead they gave us a story that actually matters and makes the whole franchise feel important again.
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