Scream 2


This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General
Extras
Category Slasher Theatrical Trailer(s) Yes, 1
Rating Other Trailer(s) None
Year Released 1997 Commentary Tracks None
Running Time 116 minutes Other Extras Cast Biographies
RSDL/Flipper No/No
Cast & Crew
Start Up Movie
Region 4 Director Wes Craven
Distributor

Roadshow Home Entertainment
 Starring David Arquette
Neve Campbell
Courtney Cox
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Jamie Kennedy
Laurie Metcalf
Jerry O'Connell
Jada Pinkett
Liev Schreiber
RRP $34.95 Music Marco Beltrami

 
Video
Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame No MPEG 2.0 
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Dolby Digital 5.1
16x9 Enhancement Yes Soundtrack Languages English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
English (MPEG 2.0 )
Theatrical Aspect Ratio 2.35:1    
Macrovision Yes    
Subtitles None    

Plot Synopsis

    Scream 2 is the sequel to Scream (duh!). I haven't seen Scream, but am told that it is one of the better pictures of the Slasher genre. Scream 2 is based around the fact that the events that occurred in Scream have been converted into a movie (Stab), and now an apparent copycat serial killer is killing off the survivors of the first Scream. This time, because it is a sequel, and quite cheekily self-referentially, we are told that there are going to be more bodies, more gore, and generally more scares.

    I personally found Scream 2 to be generally quite scary except for a few bits in the middle which tended to drag a little. Neve Campbell reprises the role of Sidney Prescott, and David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Liev Schreiber and some others all  reprise their respective roles from Scream. New to this movie is Jerry O'Connell as Derek (currently being seen in Sliders), who plays Sidney's new love interest, and a most unexpected Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne's sitcom sister) as a rookie news reporter.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The video transfer of this movie is excellent.

    The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, 16x9 enhanced. This 16x9 enhancement appears to be real rather than interpolated, as the resolution of the transfer is very good.

    The transfer was clear and sharp at all times. Shadow detail was excellent, and no low level noise marred the picture.

    The colours were nicely balanced and even throughout. If anything, they were marginally on the muted side.

    No MPEG artefacts were seen. Film-to-video artefacts consisted of some small amounts of aliasing and some slight moiré effects on some of the TV displays. This was hardly noticeable, and certainly quite acceptable. In fact, this aspect of the transfer was remarkably good given that a significant number of 2.35:1 aspect ratio DVD transfers have major problems with this artefact. Film artefacts were pretty much non-existent, except for a few which are apparent approximately half-way through the movie.

    The running time of this movie is 116 minutes, not 120 as incorrectly stated on the packaging.

Audio

    There are two audio tracks on this DVD. The default is English Dolby Digital 5.1. There is also an English MPEG 2.0, surround-encoded audio track. I listened to the English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. There is no MPEG 5.1 audio track on this disc.

    Dialogue was usually clear but words here and there were somewhat muffled and hard to make out. This is as much the actors' faults as anyone else's.

    There were no audio sync problems with the movie.

    The musical score was written by Marco Beltrami. It is suitably creepy and adds nicely to the atmosphere of the movie. The movie also contains copious amounts of contemporary music to give it an appropriately grungy feel.

     The surround channels were moderately heavily used to support the music, the special effect and to add some ambience. Overall, the effect was nicely enveloping, particularly with regards to the very effective use of ambient sound to draw you into the movie.

    The .1 channel was used moderately, just to add extra punch to some of the scenes.

    Extras

    There are only limited extras on this disc.

Menu

    The menu design is themed around the movie, straightforward to navigate, but is otherwise unremarkable. It is certainly streets ahead of the first lot of Roadshow Home Entertainment menu efforts.

Theatrical Trailer

    The theatrical trailer is present on this disc, with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack which sounded mono. It is presented at an aspect ratio of 4:3, 16x9 enhanced (windowboxed).

Cast Biographies

    A reasonable quantity of brief Cast Biographies round out the extras on this disc.

Summary

    Scream 2 was a reasonably enjoyable movie. It had its moments where it was genuinely scary, it had its moments where it was boring, and it had its moments where it was witty. Fortunately, it never took itself too seriously. I will say that I was quite pleased to watch this movie in the safety of my home theatre (grin).

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is good.

    The extras are limited.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Michael Demtschyna
14th April 1999

Review Equipment
DVD Pioneer DV-505, using S-Video output
Display Loewe Art-95 95cm direct view CRT in 16:9 mode, via the S-Video input. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Audio Decoder Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital AddOn Decoder, used as a standalone processor. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials.
Amplification 2 x EA Playmaster 100W per channel stereo amplifiers for Left, Right, Left Rear and Right Rear; Philips 360 50W per channel stereo amplifier for Centre and Subwoofer
Speakers Philips S2000 speakers for Left, Right; Polk Audio CS-100 Centre Speaker; Apex AS-123 speakers for Left Rear and Right Rear; Yamaha B100-115SE subwoofer