Scream (2022) - Not bad... for a requel

I've been a fan of the 'Scream' franchise since the beginning.  Yes, we all know the original is the best and the follow-ups have basically steadily declined in quality, but I still think they're fun and a cut above the average 'slasher' movie.  So, how does 'part 5' compare?  Well... it's good.  Or does it just seem good because so many modern films are so bad?

Granted it offers nothing new.  If you've seen one 'Scream' film (or 'slasher' flick in general) there's nothing here that will blow you away.  A masked killer stalks and murders a selection of teenage victims until the final act where he's unmasked and ultimately defeated (until the next time, of course).

However, it seems that the original cast have been shelved and we're introduced to new protagonists called... I forget.  They're generic teenagers, but one does seem to have a link to an original cast member from 1997.  The initial characters may be a bit drab, but the writing saves them and there's some nice meta commentary on the genre and society.  Luckily, the story takes a dramatic up-turn when the film-makers realise that they can't really make a 'Scream' movie without the original line-up of Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Counteney Cox - and they save every scene they're in.

So the story is pretty well set-up for a solid sequel with a good cast, writing and tried and tested premise.  The problem for me was how some of the scenes just didn't make sense if you dared to think of the logic behind any of them.  For a start the kills were pretty mundane.  Yes, I guess there's a bit of blood and guts here and there, but nothing you haven't seen before and better/gorier.  The part I couldn't get over was how most of the kills take place in a location that should be packed with people.  It's like the killer has the superpower to teleport himself and his victim to an alternate dimension where only the two of them exist.

Maybe it's just nostalgia, or maybe it's because there are so many bad horror films on streaming services, but, despite it's many flaws, I enjoyed seeing the cast back for one last ride... before the obvious sequel arrives.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that