The trailers for Scream 3 go out of their way to tell you that this movie is the final installment of a trilogy. The filmmakers want you to think that, since there is no chance of the story continuing in more films, anything can happen. In reality, however, Scream 3 never strays too far from the status quo.
The original film’s legacy of intelligence and humor in the face of fear spawned numerous rip-off films from schlock writers, trying to cash in on the resurgence Scream had caused within the horror genre. None of the imitations, however, were as inventive or as satirical as Scream, and it showed.
But in the process of becoming the film that redefined the genre, Scream lost sight of what drove it to the top, its awareness of the genre and its willingness to laugh at itself sometimes. In the three years that have passed since the original film was released, Scream has changed into what it once was making fun of--the prototypical slasher film. Scream 3 does not feel like a spoof; it suffers because it takes itself a little too seriously.
The film’s plot almost loses sight of the main character of the previous two films, Sydney (played by Neve Campbell). In the beginning of the movie, she has secluded herself, working as a counselor on a women’s crisis hotline while living in the woods,
away from everything that she thinks might harm her. So, for the entire first half of the film, its main character plays only a peripheral role, letting the focus shift onto the other members of the ensemble cast. But the rest of the cast can't survive on its own; they can't carry the film because we don't know them nor do we care to. For much of the film then, Scream 3's heart is missing.
But when a murderer strikes on the set of Stab 3, the third movie based on Sydney's experiences as a slasher victim, she rushes to the set to investigate. She is met there by the other two survivors of the carnage in the previous films, tabloid journalist Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox) and the lovable but dim-witted deputy Dewey (David Arquette), and the three work together to try to stop the killings.
The film lapses into horror film cliches at times, and in that way it can be predictable. Early in the film you learn that the mysterious killer might have some strange relationship to Sydney, and it quickly becomes pretty obvious what that revelation will be, even if you’re not quite sure who the killer is yet. There are also quite a few times early in the film that a character’s imminent death is pretty telegraphed.
But despite this fact the movie is still enjoyable. There are a few surprises in store for you as you watch the movie, and the scares are genuine. The opening scenes of the previous Scream movies have set the standard early on, kicking off the carnage before the credits even roll. Scream 3 raises this concept to a whole new level, with its opening scene serving to grab hold of the audience and let us know that we are in for an intense experience with this movie. Also, during a scene towards the end in which all the cast members of Stab 3 are having a party, the killer arrives and starts picking them off one by one. This section is honestly frightening; I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wondering who would be the next to die.
The laughs too are still there, albeit a little more sporadically than in the first film. Most of the comedy is tied to the fact that Cox and Arquette are married in real life, and many in-jokes are made in direct relation to that fact. There is a little bit of parody included about the nature of the moviemaking business and horror films in particular, but these jokes are not as fresh as they once were. That a complaint about gratuitous nudity in horror films comes from a former Playmate of the Year, Jenny MCarthy, is an example of how the film's humor can be subtle and dead on the mark. But that dry wit is eradicated by the character's "dumb-blonde-actress" stereotyped personality, when she then states that a shower scene death is too much of a horror movie cliche, citing VERTIGO as the paragon of this type. Her ignorance of movie history is supposed to be funny; instead it just kills the mood. Even the cameo appearance of Randy the film geek (Jamie Kennedy) from beyond the grave can not recapture this movie's satirical edge. In essence, the magic is gone.
In the end, the best indication of your interest in this film will be the degree to which you enjoyed the previous two. If you are a Scream fan, you will be satisfied with the way this saga ends. But if horror movies are not your cup of tea, then this movie will not be to your liking.
