Scary Movie 4

Stars : Anna Faris, Craig Bierko, Regina Hall, Carmen Electra, Dr. Phil, Shaquille O'Neal, James Earl Jones, Bill Pullman, Leslie Nielsen, Charlie Sheen, Michael Madsen and Chingy
Directed By: David Zucker
Distributed by: Buena Vista International, Dimension

The fourth instalment of the trilogy, is the tagline for Scary Movie 4. A joke that's amusing at first, but that rapidly becomes less funny every time you hear it. If you've seen the preview of Scary Movie 4, its a feeling you'll need to become accustomed to. Carmen Electra will run into a tree, Anna Faris will have her underarm shaved by a mysterious hand, and four rappers will be zapped and leave only their bling behind. Aside from that, there's not much to laugh at in Scary Movie 4, which is a shame beacuse all of those scenes have been shown to death in every cinema, on every tv screen, and in every newspaper for weeks. It is a perfect example of how saturation coverage can sometimes ruin a comedy. There's nothing worse than knowing what people are going to say before they say it in a movie, especially if it's funny. Scary Movie 4 isn't all that bad, but if perhaps some of the gags had been more of a surprise, I could have enjoyed it more. Whilst the format is becoming a little tired, the makers of this instalment have given this franchise legs few thought it would have, and for this they should be commended. But as for the advertising campaign, well, you get the idea...

A plethora of recent hits take a pounding in the spoof-fest that is the foundation of these films. The Village, War of the Worlds, The Grudge, Saw (I and II), Million Dollar Baby and Brokeback Mountain as well as the Oprah Winfrey Show. The storyline can't really be explained, since the movie is basically focused on taking us from one rip off to another. There are a few good cameos, and the usual toilet humour. The basic premise sees Anna Faris's Cindy Campell looking after an elderly lady, and trying to save the world from the TriPods that have invaded the Earth, destroying humanity to a Culture Club/Karma Chameleon soundtrack. In the midst of all this, Tom Ryan (Craig Bierko, from Cinderella Man and Dickie Roberts) is trying to keep his family together in the midst of the alien invasion. Here the much lauded "family tensions" of War of the Worlds, are given the treatment they deserve.

Anna Faris is once again very solid in a tough gig, she really is a very talented comedic actress. Her scene stealing role in Lost in Translation convinced many of her abilities, so it can only be hoped she will continue to break the shackles of the franchise (Waiting, Just Friends). Her next film, Super Ex Girlfriend, with Uma Thurman, could be a sleeper hit. Craig Bierko does a perfect job of parodying the Tom Cruise role in War of the Worlds, he manages to capture the basic thread of Cruise's role, then skew it completely. The rest of the players only have minor or cameo roles. Scary Movie regular Regina Hall is up to her usual tricks, and is serviceable enough. Other than that, the performances aren't Laurence Olivier, but they more than serve their purpose.

The Scary Movie franchise has shown a durability that even Austin Powers failed to achieve, and that Indian Jones may yet fail to reach, a fourth instalment. For a comedy this is very rare, and, although not a triumph of modern cinema, it is a good effort considering the limited horizons for such a movie. Scary Movie 4 is a further improvement on number 3, which was once more an improvement on the franchise weakest number 2. With the movies in very different hands to the Wayans that started it all, it has allowed for a freshness that is both unexpected and pleasing. For what it is, Scary Movie 4 is sufficent fare for a Saturday Night.

out of ten

Reviewed by Nick Bailey

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