Scream 2:
Two years after the events of Scream, Gale Weathers has written a book, which has been adapted into a movie, based on the killings. A young black couple are brutally murdered at the premiere night of the film, called "Stab". At Windsor College, Sidney and Randy, along with Sidney's new boyfriend Derek, their new classmate Mickey, and Sidney's new best friend Hallie, are visited by Gale Weathers, looking for a new story, Cotton Weary (the man Sid wrongfully accused of murdering he rmother a year before the events of Scream), and Dewey Riley, who informs them that the murders are happening again. once again, everyone's in the wrong place at the wrong time, so no one can truly trust each other. As the rules of the "horror sequel" are set out by Randy, Gale and Dewey grow closer together, and Sidney begins to think she could actually die this time around, as in a horror sequel, anything goes... The writing is as good as ever. Kevin Williamson is at the top of his game here. he writes the characters as more mature and less sweet. Neve Campbell still plays Sidney as shy and scared, but she has become much more of a strong chaacter since the last movie. Jamie Kennedy is back as Randy, as good as ever. he plays the role of the geeky film buff perfectly, and the scene where he talks with Dewey about possible suspects and the rules of a sequel is brilliant. (I'll get to a little problem with his character a little later in a rant at the bottom of the review.) David Arquette is once again fantastic as Dewey, now walking with a limp due to the fact his nerve was severed when he was stabbed in the back at the end of the last film. You want him to succeed in his investigation after his slight failure at the end of the last film. Courtney Cox is back as Gale Weathers, being even more btichy and irritated. But, Cox understands her character and lets her have lighter moments with Dewey, and moents where she's genuinely terrified for her and Dewey's safety in this set-up. Duane Martin shows up as comedy relief as Gale's new cameraman Joel, who is scared because what Ghostface did to Kenny, Gale's previous cameraman, at the end of the last film is a little graphic. Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps plays a couple at the beginnign of the film, Maureen Evans and Phil Stevens, who play as the Drew Barrymore for the film, as they were heavily involved in the marketing, only to be killed off early on, in the first ten minutes. Timothy Olyphant and Sarah Michelle Gellar (pre-Buffy) plays Mickey and Cici, Randy's classmates in film class, who are very cleverly casted. The casting group decided to cast (as Welshy of bliptv puts it) "big time actors in small time roles to make them more memorable". This is true, as if they were some underground actors, no-one would give a shit about their characters, but since they're played by popular stars, they're instantly memorable characters, even if their screen time is little. Elise Neal plays Hallie, Sidney's roommate and best friend. She plays a smart, sassy girl, and there's really not that much more to her than that. Jerry O'Connell plays Derek, Sidney's likeable, jocky boyfriend, who truly loves Sidney, and Sidney loves him back. Of course, it's hinted that Randy is jealous about this. Liev Shreiber (pre-Sabertooth) closes out the cast as Cotton Weary, brought in by Gale, who just wants attention and to clear his muddied name. He hints at an unstable side when he is rejected by Sidney for an interview on Diane Sawyer's program. He is mostly likeable though, and just wantsa fame and attention after beign accused of a heinous crime and doing a year of jail time. With great actors to work with, Williamson and Wes Craven really work the scares well. In a scene between Randy and Ghostface (which I'll touch upon later), the tension is built up so well, you'll stake shaking for Randy to win. Also, the climax in the drama auditorium is fantastic. The music is done well, especially in the thrilling sequences, especially the previously mentioned audiotirum finale. In many ways, Scream 2 tops the original, making it my favorite film in the series. 5/5 stars.
(Although, there is something I want to touch upon before I go.)
Rant:
(SPOILERS!!! DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU SEE FILM): The one major problem with this film is: Why the fuck did they kill off Randy? Okay, that scene between Randy and the killer I talked about, remember? Well, how it plays out is that Gale keeps recieving phone calls, and Randy answers one, which turns out to be the killer. Gale and Dewey search for anyone on a phone, and Randy engages the killer in conversation, eventually being attacked and brutally killed. The scene is played brilliantly, and the shock moment is great, but, Randy really is the heart and soul of the Scream series. He's the film geek and the expert. Now, without Randy, the filmmakers have tried to recreate his character, realizing the mistake they had made. In the thrid film, he makes a post-death cameo, in the fourth, two new characters try to take his place, to no avail. Jamie Kennedy's career died after he died in the film. In fact, Craven and Ehren Krueger, writer of the third film, almost brought him back, thinking maybe he was just wounded. They abandoned the idea, thinking it too unrealistic. Bullshit! Many othe runrealistic things happen in the first three films that are far more unrealistic than Randy's survival. Also, Ghostface taunts Randy by saying he'll never be the leading man and never get the girl. That's my problem: I thought Randy and Sidney would eventually get together, but with Randy dead, there's no-one for Sidney to have as a love interest. I'm not saying every female in a movie should have a boyfriend, but just saying. Another SPOILER: At the end of the film it's revealed Billy Loomis' mother killed Randy, well, Randy couldn't fight off a middle-aged woman when Sidney could at the end of the film. Sure, fighting in a news van is more difficult, but Randy's pretty fit, he could do it. If I could go back in time and convince Williamson and Craven this was a bad idea, and just to have Randy badly wounded, I would do it. This is the one major flaw in the Scream films, and most people felt that Scream 2 was the weakest in the series for this one major flaw. Randy is killed half-way through the film, but was rarely featured prior to that. This, to many Scream fans, is the one unforgiveable choice the writers made. It was a cool and ballsy move, but one that came at the cost of not only a great character, and not only my personal favorite, but also at the cost of a character that made the series great....
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