Mild Spoilers.
Scream (2022) was good. Better than I expected it to be, honestly.
I was worried about the killers' motive this time around, as they got muddier and muddier as the films went on. I actually dig this one. It's the logical thing to do in a 2021/2022 world. The landscape of horror has changed, so should the satire on it. And I really enjoyed the mocking of toxic fandoms! Killer two was somewhat of a swerve and It caught me off guard. It's not particularly shocking or original, but because of how the character was developed, it was the person I least expected it to be. Just moments before, I was trying to narrow down the possibilities in my head and I thought, "Nah, it couldn't possibly be that person!" Again, it isn’t new to the franchise, but it got me there for a minute. If killer two was a fun twist (kind of), killer one was too predictable. I felt like I knew who it was pretty much right away and I was right.
One legacy character doesn’t make it to the end. As much as I personally would have liked a different character to be the one to die, giving the other one more motive to fight on, I get it. I understand that killing off the one that they did had more weight to it. Of course, it’s always great to see familiar faces! Having Sidney, Dewey and Gale back was perfect! And how could I not love seeing cameos from James and Chelsea from Dead Meat, where they pretty much just do their show within the movie!
The more horror films you watch, particularly Slashers, the easier it is to pick up on the troupes. Because of that, I knew that something from early on would play a key role later on in the film. A certain item that one of the main characters had. And it did, The characters ended up where they were at the end because of it. And that’s fine. I could just easily tell it would happen.
Let's talk about how Randy’s niece is kind of a little psycho in the making! How are you going to enjoy watching the movie about your uncle’s almost murder, and laugh about it? Especially knowing he later did meet that fate? His niece and nephew are kind of annoying characters to me, honestly. But then again, most of them are in this film. I found so many of the new characters hard to care about or connect with. The niece does at least take up the mantle of horror expert, though. It’s a nice nod to her uncle.
The last thing that bugged me about this film is really just a nitpicky thing. I think one of the returning characters needed to be de-aged. Or at least done so better, if they did in fact try to. The story with that character was kind of wonky, but I didn't mind it. I just wish I could see that character and believe that they were as they were when we last saw them. The age of the actor/actress showed so bad. The sort of “redemption” arc was nice, though!
Most of my gripes are really just personal preferences. Otherwise, I think all in all it is a fun slasher film. And a good entry in the Scream franchise. I have seen everything the franchise has to offer, even the tv show. There's not one Scream property that I hate. Even part 3, Which I still think is the weakest movie. This included everything you come to expect from Scream, and put in modern technology. I’d even go out on a limb and say this probably had the most horror references and nods in the franchise. I can never get enough of that! Being the first of the franchise to not be directed by Wes, I think they did him justice. It isn't perfect, and it isn’t bad. If you can look past its flaws and not be too bothered by them, you should have fun with this film.
Overall, I give Scream (2022) 3 out of 5 Stars.
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