I told a friend on Saturday that I was excited to be going to the theaters to see Scream and his response was that Hollywood has run out of good ideas. While normally I would agree because by now you all know how I feel about reboots and remakes, in this case I did not feel like it was a fair judgment. This latest Scream film is not a reboot nor a direct sequel, but something called a “requel,” which is explained very well in the movie.
I went into the theater with an open mind and no expectations. While I was hoping to be thrilled, I was mostly just happy to be eating movie theater popcorn. I was also eager to see Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley again. I left the theater with a smile on my face and was happy that I had decided to give this latest Scream installment a chance.
The film introduces new characters (some of whom are connected to characters from the very first Scream) yet relies on the original ones to remind us of the past and the rules that the previous films declared and mostly proved) to be true. While the storyline traces events and iconic scenes (like the opening) from the previous installments, it also holds its own when it comes to moving the story along. The kill scenes, also, are a mix of homages to the past while inventing new ways for Ghostface to off their victims.
Despite the fact that I figured out the identity of the killer (or killers) much like I had when I watched the first Scream back in 1996, I still thoroughly enjoyed the film. The group of friends were fun to watch as they tried to learn the rules of their new reality and seeing Sidney, Gale, and Dewey on screen was like catching up with an old friend. And that’s what this film felt like—a meetup with an old friend I haven’t seen in some time; we talked about the past, we focused on the present, and we laughed and had lots of fun together. It was a great blend of the old for fans of the original but had enough new to keep any new fan’s interest and still be entertaining to old fans as well.
Scream is now playing in theaters. Once you check it out, be sure to come back here and tell us in the comments what you thought about it.
