What is the difference between sequels and trilogies? According to Randy (Jamie Kennedy), the movie geek in the "Scream" series, a sequel follows the same formula as its predecessor, whereas the third installment of a trilogy veers off in its own direction. There's no telling what can happen - without another sequel guaranteed to follow, no character is safe.
In "Scream 3," the final chapter of the popular teen horror-comedy trilogy, the main characters have aged a few years and moved on in separate directions. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), the trilogy's heroine, has started a new life for herself, living alone on an isolated ranch and working privately as a crisis hotline representative.
At the same time in Hollywood, "Stab 3," a movie-within-a-movie, is under production. "Stab 3" is itself the third fictional installment of the trilogy based on the events of the original "Scream." This device offers many opportunities to spoof the very genre to which the "Scream" series belongs. But the movie does not always take advantage of such opportunities.
Things go awry as life mirrors art. Murder victims pop up in direct correlation with the order in which characters die in the "Stab 3" script. The murders force original cast members Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox Arquette) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) to once again join forces with Sidney and the rest of the cast of "Scream 3" in Los Angeles to try to end the murders that originated years earlier in the small town of Woodsboro.
At this point, it might seem easy to predict the identity of the new Mr. Ghostface. However, screenwriter Ehren Kruger complicates the deduction of the killer's identity with many false leads and red herrings, some of which are more contrived than others.
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Horror master Wes Craven, who directed the two previous "Scream" movies, keeps the film focused and the audience drawn into the action. Craven's only major mistake is a critically misplaced jump cut that occurs about two-thirds of the way through the film. The cut disrupts the flow of the action so much that it does not let the film properly build to a climax.
Kruger clearly tries to emulate Williamson's satirical wit but the results too often are pop-culture jokes that, while definitely funny, lack the edge of a true spoof. The film suffers from two additional faults that did not plague either of its predecessors nearly as much. The first stems from the fact that characters this time commit nonsensical actions, such as voluntarily venturing into poorly lit terrain, without offering any mockery of the formulaic action.
The second flaw comes from the misuse of locations during the more intense scenes of the film. Kruger was brilliant to recreate Sidney's Woodsboro house on the set of "Stab 3," meshing reality and illusion in a mesmerizing fashion. That same intensity, however, is lacking during the final quarter of the film. As a result, the climax feels a little stale.
"Scream 3" excels, however, due to the charisma of its actors and actresses who make the ride a very enjoyable one to experience. Parker Posey, who plays Gale in the "Stab 3" movie, often steals the show and exudes the perfect counterpart personality to Cox's character.
Campbell gives her Sidney more depth than in previous films of the series by not allowing her character's anger and frustration to consume her acting style. This works because it allows the audience to feel more compassion for her.
The biggest problem that "Scream 3" must face is the high expectations caused by the success of its predecessors. One should not go into "Scream 3" expecting the satirical edge which encapsulated the first two films of the series. The film delivers plenty of thrills and laughs on its own, so one should just sit back and enjoy the comical yet suspenseful ride.
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