Lightening strikes twice for Sidney (Scream 2 (DVD))

Member Name: Great_reviewer07

Product:	Scream 2 (DVD)
Date:	27/06/09 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unexpected ending, better than the first in many ways

Disadvantages: Not scary

Deeply troubled teen Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has managed to rebuild her life after the horrific events that occurred last year involving a masked serial killer perusing her until she killed him. She is now attending college with her other surviving friend Randy (Jamie Kennedy), unfortunately the nightmare for them isn't over just yet...

After two teens from the same college are brutally stabbed to death at the cinema it becomes apparent that there is a copycat killer on the loose and everyone's a suspect. Dewey Riley (David Arquette) is back to look after his dead sisters best friend Sidney along with the uptight news reporter Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox). Gail Weathers has since written a book about the Woodsboro murders and has played a big part in the production of a film entitled Stab which depicts the murders. Gail is now a media juggernaut and with Cotton Weary now on the loose and angry at Sidney for putting him in prison for a year the list of suspects just keeps increasing.

Most movie sequels try to carry on the story in some way and most of them fail, the way that Scream 2 manages to succeed is that it lives by the motto 'if it aint broke, don't fix it' and that's exactly what Wes Craven does. Instead of continuing the story by creating an entirely new plot he decides that the film will be much more effective if it's about a copycat killer that's determined to finish Sidney off like the first killer failed.

For all intents and purposes Scream 2 is actually a much more effective film. Granted it didn't quite have the impact that the legendary first film had with it's iconic opening and reveal at the end but Scream 2 manages to cram much more action into it. I've always felt that the party scene in Scream went on for a bit too long and in this film they've mixed it up a bit, you find the main characters in all different locations which makes it more exciting to watch.

Scream 2 has also managed to evoke a lot more emotion from it's characters, you feel sorry for Sidney for having to go through this nightmare again. You see Dewey with a limp as a result of the stab wound that he suffered in the first film, he's also been hurt by Gail in their on/off relationship and you see some real humanity from Gail Weathers which was nice to see because in the first film she's simply seen as a hard faced bitch that will do absolutely anything for a story but in this film her character definitely progresses.

What Scream 2 manages to do is create a much more intense atmosphere, after hearing a conversation between resident film buff Randy and his friends he describes your typical sequel circumstances and how the body count is always bigger and that everyone is a suspect, Wes Craven knows the basis of a good horror sequel and he's not afraid to make fun of the stereotypes just as he did in the first film.

As with the first Scream film there is again a lot of tongue-in-cheek comedy which breaks up the pace a bit in the film which is something that I've never seen in horror films before. Courtney Cox is again my favourite character as the arrogant Gail Weathers who you can't help but love. I think they've tried to replicate the first film but of course on a bigger scale in every area of this film and it's worked really well.

There are a lot more edge of your seat moments in this film and there are so many more suspects that it will have you guessing all the way until the end reveal. Unlike the first film where if you weren't 100% sure who the killer was you probably had some sort of inkling whereas Scream 2 doesn't give you anything to go on. It works on the premise that everybody is a suspect and when the reveal is made you will be shocked at just who the culprit(s) are just as I was.

The main suspect is of course Sidney's new 'perfect' boyfriend Derek for obvious reasons, when I first watched the film I thought that it may just be too obvious that he's the killer but thought that it could be a double bluff, I genuinely had no idea who the killer was and the unveiling although at one point is a little contrived in another it's completely ingenious and much better thought out than the first film. I like how the movie plays out almost like a game of Cluedo, gradually the characters try to piece together who the killer is which is of course to no resolve but you get completely captured by it and you're constantly racking your brains trying to guess who the killer is.

I love the way that in this film there's been a fictional movie made about the events of Woodsboro I thought this was an excellent addition to an already excellent film, however it does take away some of the brilliance of what the first film had... simplicity. The first film worked because it was so clever yet so simple, in this film of course they have to explore more plot and subplot options which make for an exciting watch but I was a bit disappointed that they tried so hard to better the first film.

One of the things that I love about this film is the irony in which the characters experience, there's just been a movie released which shows the events from last year. Everybody is obsessed with the film and is walking around with the masks on, just at that moment another blood-thirsty psychotic serial killer decides to strike. It almost seems to incomprehensible for the film yet with Wes Craven's brilliant direction it works amazingly well.

I'd highly recommend seeing this film, if you've seen the first and enjoyed it yet aren't keen on seeing this one I would suggest you give it a go. Don't let scepticism concerning sequels put your off this brilliant thought provoking film which in many ways is even better than the first.

The DVD is available from play.com for £3.99 which is too good to miss when it's so cheap.

The special features include:
Outtakes
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailer
Music Videos
Featurette
Audio Commentary from Director Wes Craven
Cast and Crew Biographies
Interactive Menus
Scene Access

Summary: Can you work it out?