Scream 3 - 7 stars out of 10

Scream 3 - 7 stars out of 10

"Scream 3" matches the wit of the first two without falling into the typical slasher-sequel-flop.  One of the great things about this franchise is that each film is totally unique.  Where the second film focused on the things that typically happen in sequels (and included those elements in the film), this one took a new direction by killing off the characters in the same order that they die in the fictitious "Stab 3."  I think that it's clever how Liev Schreiber makes a cameo as the character Cotton Weary who, in context, just made a cameo in "Stab 3."  The parallels throughout this film (and this series) are very creative.  Campbell, Cox, and Arquette develop further and Patrick Dempsey is great, but the rest of the cast is pretty stale.  The real highlight is the script, in which the writers are incredibly effective at making multiple characters look guilty.  I love how each of these films has the "Scooby Doo effect," where you are truly clueless about who the murderer is until the mask is removed at the end.  Although it cannot match the original Scream, this third installment is fresh and finds new ways for Ghostface to murder his numerous victims - if you saw the first two, you must see this one.