Reviews

My expectations weren't that high, but Scream 2022 would have to be my least favourite of the franchise.

What I liked: Some of the humour, though some fell flat for me. A few of the newbies gave decent performances and likeable characters. Wes & the twins being the standout.

What I didn't like: .The motive of the killers was stupid and surface level. The killers themselves I picked from the beginning, but even so, their characters weren't very fleshed out so the reveal/betrayal didn't hold any emotional weight.

.Every reference/easter egg felt very on the nose and shoved down your throat. It just seemed as though they grabbed every opportunity to paint in red bold letters "REMEMBER THIS FROM THE FIRST MOVIE?!" and "GET IT? THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SEQUELS, REBOOTS, & REQUELS BECAUSE THIS IS A REQUEL?! CLEVER RIGHT?!". I'm surprised they didn't break the fourth wall tbh.

.There was no tension whatsoever. I forgot this was meant to be a horror/thriller movie and I think the makers of the movie did to.

.In the trailer, I actually got excited because it looked as if Dewey and Ghostface were going to have an all out 1 v 1 face off sort of thing. But no, they did not. I'm fine with killing off Dewey because one of the "legacy" trio had to go eventually, but his death was pretty pathetic. They really could have made that a violent, tension-fueled fight/chase/whatever.

.The main character's (Sam) acting was bad. The whole Billy's daughter thing had potential, but the visions of Billy and her acting really took me out of it. I wasn't believing any of it for a second.

Final Thoughts: Though the first Scream was obviously the GOAT, I'm comparing Scream 2022 with the franchise as a whole. Scream 2, 3, and 4 had their flaws but managed to find that balance between comedy, horror and thriller. There was tension, emotional weight, and twists and turns. Scream 2022 didn't have any of these elements that make the Scream movies as entertaining as they are. It was a pretty predictable and forgettable addition to the franchise.

The movie can be a little jarring in spots, as it constantly flips between 3 or 4 different time periods that the same story is taking place without any warning. However, I found myself on the literal edge of my seat through some scenes, which doesn't happen often. The way the story all eventually comes together is quite clever. I was never bored.

I wonder however, if the story had been portrayed through a linear format, would it have made a difference? I just felt like all the time jumping was unnecessary to the plot, and was more of a distraction. Speaking of, there were a few minor plot holes, like how the girl was taken in a matter of two minutes in broad daylight without being seen by anyone or leaving any tyre tracks in the snow? Or how the detectives treated Ryan Reynold's character (the father). I get they have to investigate all possible suspects but I just can't imagine a real investigation being handled the way that they did in the movie in regards to the father.

But aside from a few minor issues like that, overall it was quite an enjoyable film with a satisfying conclusion, and had high tension with gripping moments. Pretty good thriller.

THIS IS NOT A HORROR OR THRILLER, so I can see why people might be disappointed by the film if they were expecting that. It's more of a psychological drama if anything. As strange as the film was, I was never bored. I give major props to the lead actress as she made every scene gripping. You really come to understand her motivations and why she does what she does. I found the ending perfect, but I can see why it could polarize a lot of viewers. Overall, I adored the acting, story, and cinematography. A little strange but enchanting.

Pros:

-Loved the opening scene, the homophobic threat of real people combined with the supernatural threat of Pennywise was really effective.

-The adult cast were well selected, resembled their child counterparts and were (for the most part) believable as the grown versions of their characters.

-Bill Skarsgard did a magnificent job as Pennywise, (duh)

-Liked the added information of Pennywise's/It's origins.

Cons: -This movie is not only looooong but you can feel it. It tended to drag, to the point I found myself bored in certain parts. Particularly when the group split up and did their own thing in the middle. I found myself most entertained when the characters were actually interacting, particularly with Ritchie and Eddie.

-There were lots of jokes that fell flat and broke up the tension. A few were well timed and gave me a giggle, but more often than not they weren't effective.

-It's true form was a bit disappointing (a clown head on a spider body?), at least with the mini series they committed to the alien arachnid creature.

-Lots of jump scares, yet not a scary movie. I think it failed to create the tension that the first movie and even the mini series managed to achieve.

-Henry Bowers, completely wasted. Might aswell not have been included. Again, could have used the character to create more tension, instead didn't really achieve anything.

-Probably a very unpopular opinion, but I found Jessice Chastain and James McAvoy a little dull (and I actually believe they're magnificent actors), maybe it was just the way they portrayed the characters or the characters themselves, but I actually found these two the least believable out of all of the Losers.

-Not much growth or character development, to the point I almost didn't care about the Losers fate in the end. (other than Ritchie and Eddie who were the most believable and I think really stole their scenes with the others).

As a whole, it wasn't a bad movie, but wasn't anything to brag about it. I found myself bored in parts, entertained by others, a bit fatigued by the end of it. I've heard rumours of a Pennywise origin story movie with Bill Skarsgard returning, which I think has the potential to be fantastic.

I literally made an account just to review this episode. I've never jumped that suddenly before from terror. THAT scene was so well placed, unlike the constant cheap jump scares you get with most horror movies/tv shows lately. This one was actually integral to the story. But damn, that got my heart going.