Plot: What’s it about?
The rules of sequel aren’t exactly carved in stone, but to the cast of the “Scream” movies they might as well be. After the unprecedented success of 1996’s “Scream” a sequel wasn’t only being discussed, it was inevitable. And consider that this exact scenario is made fun of in the movie and, well, there you have it. By the characters’ own admission, a sequel has to have a higher body count, be bigger, have a larger cast and a “new and improved” villain. And suffice it to say that “Scream 2” has everything that we knew it would and has it in spades. The entire cast is back for this next installment (well the ones that made it out of the first film alive, that is) and we get some new faces to boot. The budget was bigger and “Scream 2” was the powerhouse at the box office that everyone thought it would be. My lord, was that really thirteen years ago?
It’s been just over two years since the killings in Woodsboro and everyone has now matriculated to college. Windsor College to be exact. Cotton Weary (Live Schrieber) is out of prison and is trying to make a few bucks from his newfound fame. Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox-Arquette) has written a best-selling novel aptly-entitled “The Woodsboro Murders” which is being turned into a movie also aptly-titled “Stab.” However as the premiere date comes closer and closer, a new rash of killings start to occur. Dewey (David Arquette) starts to piece together the puzzle and believes that it’s not merely a “copycat” killing, but something much more sinister. He along with Sidney (Neve Campbell) try once again to track down the killer without being iced themselves. Who among the cast will survive the murders?
“Scream 2” was the epitome of what a sequel should have been (and by no coincidence, either). It was timely enough to still cash in on the success of the original (coming out only a year later after the original) and everything was bigger. The movie had plenty of then fresh faces as well with the likes of Timothy Olyphant, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Joshua Jackson, Jerry O’Connell, Omar Epps and Jada Pinkett Smith to name just a few. Fans of “Scream” got everything they wanted and more with this and it obviously was successful enough to inspire a third entry in the trilogy (with “Scream 4” coming out in 2011). The filmmakers followed all the rules, did everything right and the result was, of course, box office success. Enjoy!
Video: How does it look?
I’d mentioned above that it had been over thirteen years since this movie first came out and by the way this movie looks, it shows. One might tend to think that just because something is on “Blu-ray” that it will look crystal clear. This is true of a lot of newer films, but for those that came around before the advent of the HD format, there’s always work to be done. The 2.35:1 AVC HD transfer looks a bit aged, with some dirt and grit on the grain. Contrast seemed a bit off as well. Granted the image does look a bit sharper than I remember the standard DVD, but it looks almost too sharp in places. By no means does this look “bad” per se, but it looks bad in comparison to some of the newer films out there. I doubt this will stop hard core fans from picking up this now cult classic, but set your expectations on the low side.
Audio: How does it sound?
As for the audio, well it’s better than the video. Like the other installments in the “Scream” trilogy, the sequel has been given a DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack that was re-mastered from the original mix. Dialogue is sharp and crisp, the soundtrack is little more robust than the first movie and the surrounds are a little more active. There are a few instances in which the track becomes very engaged, but by and large the focus is on the front stage (which handles most of the action). Sonics seems improved, but still on the shrill side. It’s not a bad mix at all and sounded better than I remember.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Again, just like “Scream” and “Scream 3”, this Blu-ray has the exact same features that were present on the original standard DVD. We get the same audio commentary with Craven, Maddelena and editor Patrick Lussier which is more on the technical side. There’s a short featurette with stars of the film talking about how good the sequel will be and so forth. We get some deleted scenes and outtakes as well as two music videos: Master P’s “Scream” and Kottonmouth Kings’ “Surburban Life.” Finally we get the trailer along with a slew of teaser trailers.
