Scream 3

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeglar, Jenny McCarthy, Parker Posey, Jamie Kennedy (cameo), Liev Schreiber, Emily Mortimer
Directed by: Wes Craven
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A killer has emerged on the set of Stab 3, the concluding chapter in the trilogy based on the Woodsboro murders. As the body count starts to rise, Dewey (David Arquette) and Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox) begin to investigate. They soon realize that Sidney (Neve Campbell) must return from hiding to face the killer once and for all.

Review:

Tim: This is a fitting conclusion to the popluar horror trilogy. It is much better than Scream 2, but not quite as good as the amazing original. I actually go back and forth with this film. The first time I saw it, I liked it very much. On subsequent viewings, however, the film's flaws become more and more prevalent.

Part of the problem is that the story is overly complex. The original Scream was so great because it was a straight-forward story. This one has back stories, side stories, and isn't as clean and cut as the first film. I understand the need to go all out for the final chapter of the trilogy, but this one just felt like too much was crammed into it.

I was surprised that this film really shifted the focus away from Neve Campbell and onto David Arquette and Courtney Cox's characters. While Sidney plays an important role in the film, this movie is really about Dewey and Gail. They have significant more screen time than Campbell. In fact, Sidney doesn't really even make an impact on the film until 50 minutes in. This is a departure from the previous films and not necessarily a positive one.

The best of the movie (as always for me) is the commentary on horror movies. This time, trilogies are explained by Jamie Kennedy (watch to really understand). This was the highlight of the film for me, which I suppose is a bit sad. I love this franchise when it proves that it is smarter than the average horror movie. This one did that in a few situations. I also liked the meta-quality of the film, where Gail teamed up with the actress playing her in "Stab 3" for example.

The murders also become a little more elaborate and far-fetched. For example, I thought the explosion was completely unnecessary and ridiculous. How could anyone have planned for that to happen? This movie had far too many gaps in logic. For the most part, however, it sticks to the slasher premise of the original. Unfortunately, when it strays away from that, the film suffers as a consequence.

I also found this film a little too predictable. The original Scream was so great because you had no idea who would live or who would die. With each subsequent sequel, who the victims are and who the survivors are becomes more and more predictable. I admit I did not see the killer(s) coming, which was a nice surprise.

Scream 3 is obviously worth seeing to understand how this horror trilogy ends. It is also a decently creepy and entertaining film. While not up to par with the original, it is an improvement over the first sequel.

* Update- upon watching this movie again, I fear I may have overstated its quality the first time around. The movie is pretty flawed. If I was rating it again today, I'd probably give it a generous 7. However, I don't like to rewrite the past unless absolutely necessary. I recognize why I liked the movie more the first time around. I am going to keep the rating the same for now, though, although it's probably a bit too generous.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Scream, Scream 2, Scream 4, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2