Just as entertaining as the original, but maybe slightly better

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2004)

'Scream 2' is probably the only film in the trilogy that should not have gotten the bad reviews that it received.
**SPOILERS**
While attending the premiere of the new horror film 'Stab,' a young couple, (Omar Epps and Jada Painkett) are viciously murdered. The film is based on the events of the first 'Scream.' During a year off at college, Sidney (Neve Campbell) is tormenting her roommate, Hallie (Elise Neal) so she seeks out friend Randy (Jaime Kennedy) to shed some light on what happened in the theater. Due to the event, Gale (Courtney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette) arrive at the school to probe the relationship between what happened. The man who she accused of murdering her mother, Cotton Weary (Live Schrieber) also visits Sidney's college to get the truth from her about him. With Sidney at a party on campus, one of her friends, Cici (Sarah Michelle Geller) is killed. Sidney's boyfriend, Derek (Jerry O'Connell) is quick to dismiss the fact that the killer is after Sidney, but she knows better once she receives the same phone calls as before. He realizes it's true once the killer attacks Sid and Derek in a sorority house. Gale and Dewey begin to realize that a killer is trying to recreate the crimes of the original. Dewey turns to Randy to learn the rules of horror movie sequels. Sidney becomes more and more convinced that the killer is coming after her, but he instead kills one of her friends. Sidney believes that Cotton still is the killer, but the cops don't and release him. She now races to save her friends before the killer finds them and kills them.
The Good News: Truly original sequel in the trilogy that never really got the due credits it deserved. Personally, it's my favorite in the trilogy and I think it's better than the first one. The original was great, but part 2 has a certain charm that the first one didn't. The all-star cast isn't it, but I just enjoy watching this one. The gore is slightly toned down, but I don't mind that. It fit the tone of the film. The real reason why I enjoy this one is that the comedy is completely gone to the point of it being not even relevant to the film. As a hard-core horror film fan, I really hated that part about 'Scream' where it took itself too mockingly. It was a film that was being resentful of horror movies while being a horror movie, while maybe being the creative spark that re-ignited horror films, I thought was something that I thought never should've come from Wes Craven, who's made many of the films in my top 20. It was a breath of fresh air for this series, even after the mediocre part 3. The one other good thing for part 2 that the others didn't have was real suspense. Who couldn't forget the nerve-wrecking escape from the cop car? The other cool scene is the school dance, where Sid learns that she is dancing with the killer among a group of similar masked dancers. It could've been played out longer, but it was still really creepy. The other good part of this movie is that I noticed Craven going back to his roots with the movie, showing roving cameras and claustrophobic sets that remind viewers of his earlier masterpieces. The ending is a great example of this. A ten-minute sequence revolving around one place and time that kept you riveted to your seat and tied up loose ends at the same time is a great example of Craven at his best.
The Bad News: The killer(s) motive is rather hackneyed and almost unbelievable. Wanting to blame the killings for being inspired by the recent horror film that was itself inspired by the events in the first movie was almost nonsensical and completely moronic. Craven has always been a master of incorporating a great and original premise in his movies, even in his clunker movies. It has been a real trademark in his films, and here he really misses the mark. I know he wanted to compliment on the recent, or at the time recent, controversies involving the violence in horror movies, but it is really tacked on and almost an afterthought. It should've been reworked into a more believable reason for the killer(s).
The Final Verdict: This is one of the rare horror film sequels that nearly surpasses the original in popularity, but it deserves to be seen. It is really creepy, the body count is pretty big, and it keeps you riveted, as you never do guess the killer(s) in the film. It is highly recommended to slasher fans and to those who have been turned off of horror because of 'Scream's' success at lampooning their favorite genre.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language