Year: 1997
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Kevin Williamson
Starring:
Neve Campbell
David Arquette
Courteney Cox
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Jamie Kennedy
…
I really enjoyed the first “Scream”. Thanks to sharp writing, effective direction and a cool cast, itwas one of the coolest horror flicks of the ’90s, both a critic favorite and a blockbuster. And of course, they made a sequel. But was that such a good idea? Well, yeah, since Kevin Williamson proved he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
The film opens at a sneak preview of “Stab”, a movie based on the book by Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), the bitchy reporter who survived the first film and made a bundle selling her story. Jada Pinkett and her dude are in the theater, but they’re not aware that the horror might not be just on the big screen… So here it is. Someone obviously inspired by the slice-and-dice that took place last year is decided to do some more slashing, right at the yuppie university where Sidney (Neve Campbell ) studies. She’s still all apple pie sweet, even after the insane bloody hell she went through last time. Remember, her boyfriend killed her mommy and half a dozen of her friends? She built herself a new life, made new buddies and even got herself a new guy, Derek (Jerry O’Connell). She still bonds with Randy ( the always enjoyable Jamie Kennedy ), one of the coolest characters there is. He’s a movie buff/film school student, hence I relate a lot to him. He’s got tons of funny lines and his thoughts about sequels almost achieve to make the film as cool as the original. Yet for some reason, Williamson thought it was a good idea to… well, you’ll see.
So Ghostface comes back to haunt the pair and their new pals, and so does Gale, always looking for a scoop, as well as dufus former cop Dewey (David Arquette). And we’re back where “Scream” left us, with more killing and more intrigue. Williamson cooked up another very good script, filled with irony and shocks, and though it doesn’t feel as fresh as the first time, this is still a highly entertaining flick. Wes Craven is back in the director’s chair, and he does a good job, even though he ain’t no Sam Raimi. I also dug the cameos by Tori Spelling and Heather Graham, who reprise the roles of Neve Campbell and Drew Barrymore in the film-within-a-film “Stab”, as well as Joshua Jackson’s all too short turn as a cynical film student. I have only one complaint: if this film is so hip and unconventional, why do all main characters look like movie stars? Why can’t geek Randy be the hero? Anyhow, I still got a kick out of “Scream 2”, and I’m curious to see what Williamson has concocted for the last film of the trilogy.