Okay, so this is going to be a hard article to write. Just the title alone was difficult to type because I was so excited to see this new movie. The Wayans Bros. returning to the “Scary Movie” Franchise? Sign me up! But if this new installment is a testament to what they have to offer for the return to the series? Then, the film scares me for all the wrong reasons.
I fear the film greatly falls short in what many films unfortunately fall victim to: revealing everything in the trailer. And by everything, I mean everything. Whenever a joke was being teased or set up, I found it difficult to laugh due to the fact that every joke was already revealed in the trailer. And if you think that only snippets of the jokes were placed in the trailer and that there would be more to laugh at when watching the final film, then you are sure to be disappointed, as I was. Because the complete jokes are seen in the trailer. If I see every joke coming, then the shock value and edginess that once defined the “Scary Movie” films fall flat.
This then moves me into my next point of concern and criticism. The film has been greatly watered down. Despite being advertised as offending everyone and crossing every line today, the film was rather tame in its jokes and visuals. While this can be a direct effect of revealing every joke in the trailer, taking away the shock value, the film did not have a bite like the previous ones. This is a direct reflection of poor writing.
The returning characters that we have grown to love, like Cindy, Brenda, Ray, and Shorty, appear to be smoothed out and really held back from who they once were. The original charm, personality, and, of course, edge from the characters seem lost in the new film. No longer funny and raunchy, the characters are now tamed and simple in their humor, which rarely sparks laughter.
And while I understand this is a Wayans Bros. film, it is still a film. A film that personally failed to make me laugh or remember it after leaving the theater.
