REVIEW: Scream 4

Scream is back. After 15 years since the first one, Ghost Face is back and trying to kill Sidney Prescott all over again.


Wes Craven's original rehash of the 70s slasher film is very strange. Scream itself was a post-modern take on the genre that Craven helped invent and now, with Scream 4, it's coming after a huge horror remake episode that has taken over cinema since, something they discuss during the film. So then is Scream 4 a post-post-modern take on the horror film? The opening sequence would suggest so but people are really just going to go for the fun, and so they should.

The Scream series, similar to some other slasher films, is a more horrific 'whodunnit' that could fit into any pulp crime novel. The only difference here is that it's taken different conventions that make horror interesting, but essentially it's keeping you guessing throughout the whole film and that's what makes it so damn watchable.

The story is about how Sidney is returning to her hometown to promote her new successful self-help book and the killings start again. I always had a problem with how it's always about Sidney as she is the most boring character of the whole ensemble. She portrays the strong, feminine victim that becomes the Final Girl that is often discussed in horror analysis, but she lacks the key element needed for me to will her to survive like other horrors. Maybe it's just her smarmy face? Well, it hasn't got any better with age. In fact, no-one has, apart from maybe Dewey. Courtney Cox looks dreadful to the point where it's actually offputting as she has had a lot of work done and seeing as this is her most popular role apart from in Friends (maybe Cougar Town), she might as well enjoy what's left of her awful cinema career by having a more plastic face than the killer. Anyway, Sidney is staying with her extended family and we follow her daughter and her hot friends as they seem to become the focus of the killings.

The idea behind this film is that there are no longer any rules as it's a 'new decade' - that you shouldn't expect anything anymore. But really, it makes no difference. There are some good shocks, some great bloody bits and I enjoyed it more than I thought I did. I even thought the ending was okay, which is an issue I've had with previous Screams and it's purposefully mirroring the original but I left satisfied. There were some bits I had issues with, mainly the inclusion of Anthony Anderson who is in all the Scary Movies - a homage to a homage perhaps - but really, it's a stupid piece of fun that Craven is comfortable with doing. It hasn't fared as well at the box office as previous Screams but there is a lot of worse fodder out there and you'll be walking in knowing exactly what you're going to get - and by hell are you going to get it. It's nothing new, it's nothing amazing, it's nothing even that scary - it's just some good ol' fashioned slashing.

Rating: 6/10

The Shield Season 4

The fact that I'm running through the entire lot of The Shield is proof enough that this series has a lot to offer, but by this season the characters are well worn-in, so what can be done to mix it up a bit?

Well firstly, your best bet is to get some kudos by drafting in some established acting talent such as Glenn Close. Her new captain is astoundingly well formed and you can tell Close has a point to prove. She brings a lot of weight and depth to the entire series and proves that American TV is overtaking Hollywood in risks and overall quality. The Shield would only work on TV and though there are many good films dealing with the same subject, by getting to season 4 this set shows that characters need time to fully develop in front of your eyes, and it's quite a sight to see.

Vic almost takes a bit of a back seat in this series to let some others breathe a bit more. After his problems with promotion, there are signs that he's close to packing it all in - that he's ready to self-destruct, but when bigger problems come into play, then he gets his priorities straight. Close's Captain is fantastic and a great counterpart to Vic, she understands him but doesn't necessarily agree with him, which is probably the best way to deal with him. She also knows you have to break some eggs to make an omelet and usually those eggs are someones balls. Hey yo!

But this really doesn't live up to the last series. The main issue being is that the main bad guy is 'that funny black man' from the Scary Movie films but you might know him as Anthony Anderson. His character becomes anything but intimidating. How the hell does anyone take orders from this guy? He ruins it all and make the whole thing seem like we just needed a friendly black face rather than someone who would believably be a bad-ass cop killer. You're just waiting for him to crack a joke any second and it feels like he's trying to prove his acting chops. Which isn't right for The Shield. There must have been better talent out there. He's not exactly Stringer Bell.

Shane also comes into his own again. His character gets better and better and when watching the behind-the-scenes footage, you can see why. This guy takes his character seriously. Dutch also earns himself some respect from the department, even when taking the risky move of going out with Vic's ex. But the overall narrative is Close's character seizing assets belonging to criminals to auction them, and then hand the money back into the police and the community. But this causes more problems than you think. Aceveda is also going off the rails a bit and his power trip goes through the roof. So there's enough parallel storylines to keep the short-term viewer interested as well as revealing new secrets about characters we thought we knew well.

Overall, this doesn't shock as much as the last series but Glenn Close takes centre stage and chews up everything around her. However, Anderson's Antwon character just buggers it all up really. Not exactly a let down, but could have been better.

Rating: 7/10