Scream 4 Review

   I shouldn't have been surprised but I was.  In fact the surprise grew and was quickly followed by disbelief, confusion and downright anger.  When first told by a friend that there was to be a Scream 4 that was the series of emotions I went through after prematurely and erroneously telling him he was perhaps mistaken.

   But first, a trip down memory lane!

   In early 2001 I sat in a sold out movie theater in Burlington, NC.  I actually remember the date, February 4th, as it was a good friend's birthday.  I had an idea and being too timid to do it myself, turned to my friend Mario and said, "you should get all these people to sing 'Happy Birthday' to David.  He stood up and accomplished said feat.  Many of us had spent that afternoon (and previous evening I believe) watching the first b2 Scream movies on the 3rd floor of our dorm.  Then our small caravan ventured to the theater for Part 3. Even though one friend whispered me his theory on the killer which turned out to be true, I loved Scream 3.  It was smart, scary and effectively surprising in the way it concluded the trilogy.  It smartly went back to the beginning and tied the whole film series together, as opposed to simply adding another movie to the list (yes, I'm speaking to you, Saw people).  It was in a word, satisfying.  The fact that it wasn't written by Kevin Williamson was saved by the combination his own already conceived story lines that were then given over to screenwriter Ehren Kruger, who had recently wowed me with his debut script for "Arlington Road"
   Since I pride myself on writing no spoilers unless I proclaim at the start of an entry that I feel I must do so, I will not do so here.  Therefore, my review is thus.  What I liked:  The film kept the spirit of the original in its tone and sense of humor.  The film kept my guessing.  It also kept its climax a secret though I also admit I never really thought too much about it.  Most of all it seemed to me that the purpose of Scream 4 was to serve as a passing of the torch to the next chapter in the series.  We have Scream 1, 2 and 3 as Chapter One and Scream 4 as the start of Chapter Two. 
   What I didn't like:  Though it kept me guessing I wasn't as entertained as before nor did I care as much to see the story though.  The characters, both new and old, seemed under developed and thus less likable.  I felt less for Sydney and Dewey though I sort of liked Gayle's new arc.  I only hope that future entries will flesh out the characters better.
   Final Grade:  B.  Its my least favorite in the series thus far but its still better than most of the films in its genre.