Another Scream movie, sure why not! It’s been 25 years since the first one and in a lot of ways the screen franchise has come full circle. The best way I can describe this movie is that it feels like a 25-year high school reunion where the first hour is exciting and you want to catch up, but then it starts to feel way too familiar, like you’ve seen this movie before, and I can’t wait for it to end. And then you realize that nothing beats the original! Now I’m not saying this movie is bad, but it feels very familiar. I was a senior in high school when the first one came out and it does very much feel like a high school reunion for me, but as much as I like some aspects of Scream 5, the first one was better and always will be. It’s hard to recapture magic of the first one that started it all. But if there is one thing that this film has going for it, at least knows what it is and makes fun of reboots, sequels that come too late, or is they officially called re-quels… sequels that go back to the beginning.
Now I will refrain from spoilers, although I just dropped a hint about the overall plot. As you can guess, the movie starts out the same way, someone gets a phone call and someone gets stabbed. However, what makes this film a little bit different is it’s about bringing the characters to wear it all began and how the characters are connected to original victims. The plot twist with the main character and who she’s connected with is pretty interesting so I have to praise at least some original thought in the story. I do have to commend the young cast, everybody was great and there is somewhat of a connection to them the same way as you might have a connection to the original cast 25 years ago. Also there is a great deal of humor within this film so that it doesn’t take itself so seriously because like I said before Scream 5 knows what kind of film it is. Having Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox come back is obviously cool because it is like a reunion with our two favorite characters. The one performance that I do have to praise is that of David Arquette. To me he had the most standout performance because he was a blend of the typical goofy character that we’ve always remembered from the Scream movies to the hardened police officer who’s willing to step up and help the younger generation. He’s now the fatherly gunslinger character that steps up to do the right thing and is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. As I said this is truly a movie that goes back to the beginning with a story even to the point that the third act plays out in the original house and that’s pretty cool.
Unfortunately, I can’t say that the movie is a good movie because it feels way too familiar and as I look back 25 years ago when I watched the original I kept thinking to myself as I watched this Scream… I already saw this movie 25 years ago. Well I recognize that there’s a certain originality of a younger generation connecting to legacy characters and the fact that this movie can make fun of itself, it still doesn’t make it a very original movie that’s worth seeing. I remember being shocked at the original fell, but I haven’t been shocked again. In a day and age where Hollywood writer stories of a younger generation connecting to original characters I guess it’s only right that we would do this in the Scream franchise. But if this is the fifth movie that talks about rules to how to survive a slasher movie and why has nobody learned anything by the 5th film. The characters are stupid enough to get themselves trapped to where the killer can get them. They never use the buddy system when they’re supposed to. And for some reason nobody takes it seriously that a love interest might be the killer… No, I’m not spoiling anything for you! But we have a franchise that spells out the rules within the film and yet nobody follows them over and over and over. That’s not good entertainment. If this was more of a mockumentary or some horror- comedy spoof of the film, I could appreciate that more. I actually appreciate the Wayan Brothers doing the scary movie spoofs because in a lot of ways they’re more truthful and realistic. Sadly, there isn’t anything new to this movie haven’t seen in the rest of the Scream movies. If you’re going to take your story back to the original house where it all began then you know what would be original, if you made it like hey Amityville house movie where it’s the house that makes the killers do it. Yes, that plot may be stupid, but it would be original! The young cast is good and they’re entertaining, but Scream 5 is just continually recycled version of the original film.
I won’t say that this is the worst Scream, that’s the third one in the franchise. This one is somewhere in the middle, but again not nearly as good as the original one that came out 1996. There are some funny moments and it’s good this movie can make fun of its own story and the other films, but it isn’t enough to make this feel good. Honestly, it shouldn’t have been made, but at the same time it’s nice to bring the screen franchise full circle because if you’re finally going to end the franchise and going back to the beginning is a good story even if you’ve seen it all before. It’s definitely not the worst movie I’ve ever seen, nor the worst horror movie I’ve ever seen, but if I want to go back and watch a Scream movie then I will stick with the original, the one that I have a fond appreciation for.. the one film where West Craven was truly at his best in this genre. It’s not worth seeing in the theaters, wait and rent it at Redbox or watch it on the streaming service if you feel like going back and watching all of the Scream movies. In fact, they should have done what I did with the last Halloween movie, put it on a streaming channel the same day came out theaters so you don’t waste any money on kind of a terrible film. But I will end this review with one compliment… seeing Sidney Prescott and Gail Beavers with guns ready to take down the killer as if there’s some kind of La Femme Nikita Duo, well, that was awesome!
