From Deseret News archives:
Scream 2
Film review
You almost find yourself rooting for "Scream 2" to fail at the box office so that scripter Kevin Williamson will write something outside the horror genre. But the chances of that happening are about as slim as the odds that they won't make another "Scream" sequel.
It's not as if Williamson couldn't break out. He clearly has a talent for witty dialogue which is much more obvious here than it was in the original. But for someone so intent on subverting horror conventions, he falls prey to a lot of the genre's cliches (especially the "killer-who-will-not-die").
And he still hasn't learned to write clever death scenes (those that are scarier than they are gory) and even more disappointingly, he wastes some situations in this film that could have led to better comedy sequences instead, eschewing them in favor of scenes that up the body count.
Returning with Williamson and director Wes Craven are the last film's survivors heroine Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), career-obsessed reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), the slightly dim Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and horror film buff Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy).
In the two years since the Woodsboro killings, they've all seemingly moved on both Sidney and Randy are students at Windsor College in the Midwest, while Gale has written a bestseller that's been turned into a movie, and she's helped win the acquittal of Cotton Weary (Liev Schrieber), the man falsely accused of murdering Sidney's mother.
But that film, "Stab," has also seemingly inspired a copycat killer or killers who whack unsuspecting Jada Pinkett during one of the fictional film's sneak previews. And soon enough the murders start spreading to the Windsor campus.
Suspicion naturally falls on Sidney's boyfriend, frat boy Derek (Jerry O'Connell) and his friend Mickey (Timothy Olyphant). And then it shifts to Cotton, who's been making perceived threats directed at Sidney. And then
Williamson and Craven do a good job spoofing the first film (having Tori Spelling play the Sidney role in "Stab," a direct reference to "Scream," is a very funny idea), but they continue to drive some of the same points home over and over again. And frankly, the filmmakers don't even follow their own rule about sequels the killings are more gruesome but less scary than those in the original.
Still, the cast does have a lot of fun, especially Arquette, Kennedy, Schrieber and Laurie Metcalf, who plays a competing television reporter. But Sarah Michelle Gellar (from TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") is wasted in what amounts to little more than a cameo.
"Scream 2" is rated R for violence and gore, both up considerably from the first film, profanity and some vulgar references.
Recent comments
Scream 2 was better than the first. I don't see how some
people...
Mark | Aug. 13, 2000 at 6:29 p.m.
It really disappoints me that Vice should have to make his
rating...
Avi Green | Aug. 1, 2000 at 9:52 a.m.
This was good, but the ending was very dissapointing.
There is...
E-Dawg | Feb. 5, 2000 at 11:26 a.m.
Cast: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jerry O'Connell, Jamie Kennedy, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Find a Movie Theater
- U.N. official to step down 11:01 p.m.
- Troop reductions in Iraq on track 11:00 p.m.
- Oil-field auction in Iraq 11:00 p.m.
- Pope will write letter to Irish 11:00 p.m.
- Man, care company fued over film 10:59 p.m.
- BYU panel calls for morals in movies 10:55 p.m.
- SLCC rides hot first half 10:55 p.m.
- Family's close brush with death 10:54 p.m.
- Dr. explains Mitchell review change 10:51 p.m.
- Snow hampers missing mom search 10:50 p.m.
- Letters: Global warming a lie
277 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
195 - Palin signs books, chats with fans
169 - Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
143 - Nude bathers cited for lewdness
138 - Max Hall wants to look ahead
130 - Jazz fall apart late at L.A.
110 - LDS to emphasize helping needy
107 - Revive full food tax?
106 - Panel passes BCS playoff bill
105
Historically, Christmas Day was but one of 365 days in the Christian...
I am a die-hard Utah fan. I hate absolutely everything abou BYU. But i will...
I agree with The Truth....Having been around Coach Cleveland in Provo and...
Ask the Utah Food Bank what % of the donations and volunteers are from the...
The Jazz are a good team and will play some good games. Right now that is the...
It was incredible, the sound was phenomenal, and Natalie's story about...
Again, you're wrong. BYU was the only undefeated team left in 1984. At the...
Selective memory | 4:50 a.m. Speaking of "Selective Memory"!!!!...
Sounds impressive, there is a good chance I will show up there sometime with...
And the IRS will audit the tax funded cell phones to make sure they are only...



