Inferior

Rating: Null/10 (15 August 2001)

I loved the first film and I was jazzed when this one came out. When I saw it, I liked it but it just wasn't as good as the first. Many of the elements that made the first so good were absent and the Craven/Williamson connection just couldn't click twice...
STORY: It was okay, but kind of weak. In the first film, the revelation of the killers was a great twist. Here the murderers are two side characters that you never gave a damn about in the first place. The F13 reference was nice, but could've been far better done. Also, the movie is bogged down by rather pointless scenes, a somewhat slow pace, and a disappointing final confrontation. On the plus side, I liked how the characters progressed from the first film and it's nice that they didn't rethread the first movie's plot. I also really dig it when a main character is unexpectantly killed halfway through the movie.
ACTING: Neve Campell is good as usual, though I liked her better in the first film. Courtney Cox gets to expand her character beyond just being a bitch. I actually liked David Arrquette in this movie. So sue me. Jerry O'Conell bored the hell out of me. Timmy Olyphant was good, but more of him would've been nice. Jada Pinkett is annoying. Scary Movie was able to capitalize on that when it parodied this movie's openner. Jamie Kennedy works well as the comic relief. The chick from Roseanne is just as annoying as she ever was and was completely unconvincing...funny at times though. I also loved seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar in a cameo. Can't ya tell I'm a Buffy fan?
DIRECTING: Wes makes a suspenseful, bloody movie here. I think the final confrontation was too action oriented, but other than that...Wes helps save this movie.
MUSIC: Both the score and the soundtrack are inferior. Beltrami is solid, but his darker, grimmer soundtrack didn't come off well. Why did he have to reuse the crud from Broken Arrow? The soundtrack has some okay tunes, but is less satisfying than the original's.
OTHER: People bleed a lot more when they die in this one, but the first was more violent. Nothing special here except for that cop who ended up on the wrong side of the windshield. I'll say no more...Don't ask about tit shots. More politically correct stuff....Did anyone else think that Ghostface looked drunk in this movie? He had more grace in the first installment.
Overall we have a decent, but inferior sequel. Luckily Scream 3 made up for everything and ended the series on a higher note. Now let's home the series stays ended...we don't want Miramax pulling a Friday the 13th: A new beginning on us.
**1/2 out of ****