Richard Hardbattle
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Wes Craven’s “SCREAM 3”
Buena Vista (Region 1)
Review:
If only everything in life was as reliable as Wes Craven. Sure, over his 30 years of
directing he may have made 2 or 3 clunckers(Swamp Thing, Hills Have Eyes 2 and
Vampire in Brooklyn spring to mind), but when he is at top speed and in full control,
his list of movies reads like a top ten list of some of the best, and most influential
horror movies ever made: Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, Deadly
Blessing, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Shocker, The People Under The Stairs, The
Serpent and The Rainbow, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and, oh yeah.... Scream 1, 2
and 3.
Although Neve Campbell (Sidney), Courtney Cox Arquette (Gale), and David
Arquette (Dewey) all return for the final part, the original writer of the first two,
Kevin Williamson, hasn’t. Instead we have Ehren Kruger, fresh off the excellent
Arlington Road. Ironically, Scream 3 seems to follow the formula that the other
Scream movies have built up - and tried their damnedest to knock down.
Aside from the main three characters, we also have another group of fresh (and not so
fresh) faces for Wes to do away with: Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Parker Posey and
Jenny McCarthy are all either victims or killers. None are as appealing as the original
films characters. Realising this, the film is peppered with genre favourites: Lance
Henriksen, Carrie Fisher and even Jay and Silent Bob make entertaining cameos. Even
somebody who died in a previous Scream makes an appearance.....
What the film lacks is good scares and good set-pieces. For example, in the first movie
we have the classic first scene with Drew Barrymore, the garage door sequence, and
the whole of the last reel. In Scream 2 you have the classic moment in the crashed
police car, and the fantastic sequence with Gale and Dewey in the school. In Scream 3
- well - I’m afraid that I cannot think of one scene which creates the tension in the
same was as we know Wes is capable of. I believe this to be the fault of the script
which removes the horror and replaces it with humour.
Compared to the first movie, which is available in an unrated format, complete with
blood and gore by the gallon, Scream 3 is anaemic. Barely a drop of gore throughout.
The first two movies are intense - Scream 3 just isn’t. This is just speculation, but I
think Wes may have been under pressure to make a more sanitised product after all the
recent school shootings in the US. Of course, by lowering the gore, you open up your
viewing audience (especially if the film is humorous), and you should get bigger
audiences.
By reading this, you may get the impression that I didn’t like the film - this is not the
case. By its very nature it is a hugely entertaining, well made movie - but for me, unless
the sequel is as going to be as good as, or better than the original - don’t bother.
This is not a Craven classic, but at least Wes took a good stab at it.
Image:
SCREAM 3 is the first of the trilogy to be given an anamorphic widescreen transfer,
but, for a recent release, this print doesn’t quite hit the spot. The Image quality is
generally fine, but I did notice a couple of problems. The colour appears to be
oversatuated and far too pinkish - this can be remedied by turning down the colour on
you TV by a couple of licks. Also, small digital artefacts can be seen shimmering in a
few scenes.
Sound:
Well, your systems should get a good workout here. A great 5.1 mix that is quite
aggressive. Split surrounds are frequently used to good effect (the cliff scene with
Dewey hearing both ladies screaming for help from different direction is fun - who is
he gonna help?). Your subs will rumble at all the right places. Very impressive.
Extras:
A good selection of extras - watch the alternate gorier start sequence involving a knife
through a shin - far better than the start in the actual film!
- English 5.1 Surround
- French 5.1 Surround
- English Captions
- Spanish Subtitles
- Screen-specific audio commentary with Director Wes Craven, Producer Marianne
Maddelena and Editor Patrick Lussier
- Deleted scenes and alternate ending with optional commentary
- Outtakes
- Behind-The-Scenes Montage of the 3 SCREAM films
- Creed's "What If" music video
- Cast and Crew bios
- 2 Theatrical Trailers
- 14 TV Spots
Overall:
Whilst the film is a disappointment, it’s not a complete failure. The ante was raised so
high by the other two films, that this one just fell a bit too short of the high standards
which were previously set.
If you enjoyed the movie at the cinema, chances are you’ll like the disc.
Wes Craven’s “SCREAM 3”
Buena Vista (Region 1)
Review:
If only everything in life was as reliable as Wes Craven. Sure, over his 30 years of
directing he may have made 2 or 3 clunckers(Swamp Thing, Hills Have Eyes 2 and
Vampire in Brooklyn spring to mind), but when he is at top speed and in full control,
his list of movies reads like a top ten list of some of the best, and most influential
horror movies ever made: Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, Deadly
Blessing, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Shocker, The People Under The Stairs, The
Serpent and The Rainbow, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and, oh yeah.... Scream 1, 2
and 3.
Although Neve Campbell (Sidney), Courtney Cox Arquette (Gale), and David
Arquette (Dewey) all return for the final part, the original writer of the first two,
Kevin Williamson, hasn’t. Instead we have Ehren Kruger, fresh off the excellent
Arlington Road. Ironically, Scream 3 seems to follow the formula that the other
Scream movies have built up - and tried their damnedest to knock down.
Aside from the main three characters, we also have another group of fresh (and not so
fresh) faces for Wes to do away with: Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Parker Posey and
Jenny McCarthy are all either victims or killers. None are as appealing as the original
films characters. Realising this, the film is peppered with genre favourites: Lance
Henriksen, Carrie Fisher and even Jay and Silent Bob make entertaining cameos. Even
somebody who died in a previous Scream makes an appearance.....
What the film lacks is good scares and good set-pieces. For example, in the first movie
we have the classic first scene with Drew Barrymore, the garage door sequence, and
the whole of the last reel. In Scream 2 you have the classic moment in the crashed
police car, and the fantastic sequence with Gale and Dewey in the school. In Scream 3
- well - I’m afraid that I cannot think of one scene which creates the tension in the
same was as we know Wes is capable of. I believe this to be the fault of the script
which removes the horror and replaces it with humour.
Compared to the first movie, which is available in an unrated format, complete with
blood and gore by the gallon, Scream 3 is anaemic. Barely a drop of gore throughout.
The first two movies are intense - Scream 3 just isn’t. This is just speculation, but I
think Wes may have been under pressure to make a more sanitised product after all the
recent school shootings in the US. Of course, by lowering the gore, you open up your
viewing audience (especially if the film is humorous), and you should get bigger
audiences.
By reading this, you may get the impression that I didn’t like the film - this is not the
case. By its very nature it is a hugely entertaining, well made movie - but for me, unless
the sequel is as going to be as good as, or better than the original - don’t bother.
This is not a Craven classic, but at least Wes took a good stab at it.
Image:
SCREAM 3 is the first of the trilogy to be given an anamorphic widescreen transfer,
but, for a recent release, this print doesn’t quite hit the spot. The Image quality is
generally fine, but I did notice a couple of problems. The colour appears to be
oversatuated and far too pinkish - this can be remedied by turning down the colour on
you TV by a couple of licks. Also, small digital artefacts can be seen shimmering in a
few scenes.
Sound:
Well, your systems should get a good workout here. A great 5.1 mix that is quite
aggressive. Split surrounds are frequently used to good effect (the cliff scene with
Dewey hearing both ladies screaming for help from different direction is fun - who is
he gonna help?). Your subs will rumble at all the right places. Very impressive.
Extras:
A good selection of extras - watch the alternate gorier start sequence involving a knife
through a shin - far better than the start in the actual film!
- English 5.1 Surround
- French 5.1 Surround
- English Captions
- Spanish Subtitles
- Screen-specific audio commentary with Director Wes Craven, Producer Marianne
Maddelena and Editor Patrick Lussier
- Deleted scenes and alternate ending with optional commentary
- Outtakes
- Behind-The-Scenes Montage of the 3 SCREAM films
- Creed's "What If" music video
- Cast and Crew bios
- 2 Theatrical Trailers
- 14 TV Spots
Overall:
Whilst the film is a disappointment, it’s not a complete failure. The ante was raised so
high by the other two films, that this one just fell a bit too short of the high standards
which were previously set.
If you enjoyed the movie at the cinema, chances are you’ll like the disc.