I have been a fan of the Scream movies since I was a kid. Of course, I went in to see this movie, expecting it to be another brilliant Wes Craven kind of film. It wasn't. I know he's no longer alive, but I figured his Scream movie legacy would continue. Was the movie a BIG let down? No. It had its moments. To me, it was too drawn out. And the reasoning for the killings was the biggest let down of the whole film.

In the beginning, you have your typical first kill moment. The phone call was odd. At first, I was afraid it wasn't the original killer's voice like in the other films. He wasn't dark sounding. I don't know if it was for the character answering the phone or if it was just me. The kill part was good. It was interesting... intense, but when I heard she survived getting stabbed seven times while getting her leg/ankle stepped on, it shocked me. How can a girl that small survive getting stabbed that many times and survive? When you've got these much bigger people getting stabbed once or twice and die. It seemed odd to me.

It was a lot of going back and forth. A lot of unneeded scenes. It wasn't really short and sweet and to the point like the other four. I get it. It's not a Wes Craven film. In my opinion, if you want it to be like a Wes Craven film, you need to actually film it like a Wes Craven film.

The one main scene that got me was when Dewey was killed. I wasn't shocked. You kinda saw it coming. But to find out who the killer was that killed Dewey. That really ruined it for me. The girl is a tiny high schooler and you're telling me that it was possible for her to fight a man like Dewey? No way. Yeah. Dewey's much older and kinda crippled, but come on. No way she could have killed him the way she did. If it was the other killer then it'd be more believable. I get it's a movie and you shouldn't think to much of it, but come on. Try to be a little more realistic.

The action scenes were really good. A little better than the first four films. The ending was... okay. In the other movies just the three main characters survived. In this one, basically everyone survived except for the killers of course. You see them get stabbed. You think, "damn, well, they're dead." Nope! Not only does Sidney and Gale survive but most of the cast survives. Not a typical Scream movie. In the past movies, just the three main characters live to see the next killer. With as many as the remaining survivors, they could make another film and wouldn't have to cast anymore people.

And to put the icing on the cake, the point in the murders is the absolute dumbest reasoning of all. It had nothing to do with Sidney. It had nothing to do with anyone in the group. They just wanted a better ending than Stab 8 because they're such be fans of the Stab movies.

Honestly if Wes Craven was alive to witness this movie, he'd be disappointed. It was great seeing Sidney, Gale and Dewey again (hopefully for the last time) but it was a little bit of a let down. If you haven't seen it yet and are okay with the spoilers, don't expect too much going into seeing this movie. Your opinion may be different than mine.

Why "regrettably"? Because I really wanted to love this movie. I do not dislike this movie but it was not a very memorable movie experience. It was a very entertaining one, but with significantly less re-watch-ability than its predecessors. This is coming from someone who knows every shot of every Scream movie and the entire script of each, word-for-word! I did not enter the theater, expecting this one would outdo the original or be 'as good'. At the very least, I was expecting to be shocked, surprised, and dare I say even a little scared? Let me start by mentioning some of the good aspects of this movie before I briefly mention the not-so-good parts. The original trio have returned - a key ingredient for any Scream movie. The entire cast delivered great performances for the most part. The fact that they are back in Woodsboro also helps make it feel like a Scream movie. Tying the new characters' stories to the original was a great decision. There's a lot that Scream (2022) got right, but equally gets wrong as well.

The establishing shots in this movie lacked a certain cinematic quality (perhaps a shortage of wide-angle lenses?). We were previously treated to an array of wide angles and beautiful crane shots to give the audience a sense of the environment (location and scale). Before we entered Casey Becker's house in Scream (1996), we are shown the front and back yard with a low hanging, creeping mist. We know the house has a pool and a tire swing and that the house is fairly isolated. These kind of shots are sadly missed here. Instead you may ask yourself "where am I?" Showing the audience entries and exits (or lack of) could have added to a sense of dread and suspense. Scream (2022) needed to take a moment to breathe, paint a more complete picture, and allow its audience to absorb some ambience. The third act at the original Scream house felt rushed and each shot was very tightly cropped on the actor's faces. I would have loved to see more of the house in these shots (in the backgrounds) and I feel like the opportunity to do some interesting call-backs to the original set was missed here. This movie thinks it had its audience outsmarted with the 'big reveal', but it truly lacked the element of surprise here - it was more of a "I knew it" than a "I can't believe it".

Marco Beltrami's colourful and beautifully terrifying music cues were sorely missed in this movie. Instead we have to endure a cluster of strings in disarray, bunched up with out-of-place cymbal crashes (from a circus?). The score felt disjointed with no real theme carrying through. Almost as though someone was behind the curtain saying "okay, now give me sad strings".

I really wanted to like this movie more than I do. Would I recommend watching it? Absolutely, yes! In spite of its shortcomings, Scream (2022) is a fun ride. But if you are expecting to be left even a little scared, you will be disappointed. You might not even exceed your normal resting heart rate.

Would I watch it a second time? Yes, I would. A third time? Probably not. And I think that's where this sequel (or "requel") is fundamentally different. It is not the type of movie you would eagerly revisit each year around Halloween. The treats it serves are just not good enough to want a third helping.

After watching Scream 2022 (Scream 5), I'm confused as to how critics and fans are rating this film a 9 or 10 out of 10. The 1st and 2nd act worked well, the 3rd act ruined it. The conclusion felt random and unearned. Certain intentions made no sense. I also didn't appreciate the writers pretty much asking the viewers to suspend logic while watching. Whoever is placing this entry into the #2 or #3 spot of the franchise is living in La La Land.

That said, this movie opens itself up to an interesting 6th sequel if written well. Bring Kevin Williamson back to write the entire script. Bring in some more humor. Surprise me with something original.