"I ain't payin' 7.50 to see no Sandra Bullock S*it." Entertaining sequel.

Rating: 7/10 (25 July 2005)

Scream 2 starts with the premiere of the horror film 'Stab'. Stab is a film based upon the events of the first Scream (1996), a young couple named Maureen Evans (Jada Pinkett Smith as Jada Pinkett) & Phil Stevens (Omar Epps) attend the showing where both are brutally murdered by an unknown masked assailant. The murders are widely reported & it's not long before Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) becomes aware of the fatalities. Chief Lewis Hartly (Lewis Arquette) tries to calm the press who include Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) complete with new cameraman Joel Jones (Duane Martin) once again back trying to break a huge story & thus find fame & fortune. Dwight 'Dewey' Riley (David Arquette) also shows up out of concern for Sidney, Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) who survived the events of the original Scream is still around & to make things even more like old times Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber) turns up who just happens to have spent the last year of his life in jail after he was wrongly accused by Sidney. Sidney's roommate Hallie McDaniel (Elise Neal) tries to cheer her up by taking Sidney to a party that very night, unfortunately Cici Cooper (Sarah Michelle Gellar) has to stay behind on her own & becomes the next victim. As the bodies pile up so do the suspects & once again Sidney must unmask the killer or pay the ultimate price...
Directed by Wes Craven like the original who also has a small blink & you'll miss him cameo I thought Scream 2 was good solid entertaining fun & a worthy sequel. The script again by Kevin Williamson who also has a small cameo doesn't stray too far from the original's roots in terms of tone & feel, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Everything you expect is here, the self parody, the witty one liners, making fun of the slasher clichés & genre all done with a nice affection & considerable humour, there is a nice running gag about film sequels, their rules & the fact that their always inferior. Scream 2 moves along at a nice pace even if it could have done with a couple more murders & a few scenes maybe should have been cut or shortened because at 2 hours my interest started to wain towards the end. On the negative side it's not a big departure from the original & the ending which felt very familiar if you know what I mean was a bit of a let down, an anti-climax as it were. But then we all know that it wasn't the end was it? Yet another sequel & the last to date Scream 3 (2000) made an appearance 3 years later. Having said that I doubt you will guess the killers identity. The kills are surprising not very graphic apart from one slit throat which was a bit of a disappointment as one character rightly points out the death scenes in sequels should be bigger & bloodier, Wes Craven I hope your listening! The characters are all very likable & the cast, many of whom return from the original, do a good job. Any film with Courtney Cox, Neve Campbel & Sarah Michelle Gellar can't be all bad can it, eh lads? Technically scream 2 is very polished & well made with nice production values but with a budget of $24,000,000 that's the least I expect. One curious thing about Scream 2 was the fact that I found it a very bright film, a lot of it takes place during the day & in brightly lit rooms for which Scream 2 probably loses some atmosphere. Overall I liked Scream 2 a lot, it's great entertainment, it's not too gory & it's funny especially if your a horror fan because you'll understand & appreciate the jokes & swipes at the genre. Definitely worth a watch.