It's been 7 years since Scary Movie 4 hit theaters to a pretty impressive box office run, and Scary Movie 5 brings the series back in a big fun way. If you loved the other four films (especially part 3) you will definitely get a kick out of Scary Movie 5. This is a spoof done right, written by David Zucker, the master of slapstick humor. Sure, like any spoof movie there are tons and tons of jokes and some miss the mark. However, Scary Movie 5 succeeds by sticking to its roots and rebooting the entire series for new audiences and old fans alike.
The first thing you will probably notice is the rather unfortunate and upsetting lack of Anna Farris. Farris rose to stardom almost exclusively through the Scary Movie films at first, building her comedic repertoire along the way. At the time of filming, Farris was pregnant, so Ashley Tisdale fills Anna's shoes in a surprisingly fulfilling turn. Sure, she's no Cindy Campbell, but Jody is a character you can root for and Tisdale really does prove she has good comic timing. Unfortunately, there is also no Brenda (Regina Hall) or any of the other great characters to be found in the other sequels. For this film, it actually works this circumstance to its advantage, bringing back both Charlie Sheen and Simon Rex as relatives (again) but playing completely different character than their counterparts from the third and fourth installments. Some of the side characters bring the most laughs, from Molly Shannon as Heather to Tyler Posey as a hardcore Christian chilling at a cabin in the woods (long story.) The opening scene rivals the best ones in this series, and the scene fully concludes after the credits roll so stick around for a fun moment and obvious ode to the other four movies. Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen were absolutely perfect choices for the opening and I really missed them once they were gone. Also, I could watch Simon Rex do his awkward comedy schtick for hours and never get bored. Rock on, Dirt Nasty!
There are some really nitpicky issues to be found within this feature, but when you are watching a spoof film you really need to switch your brain off to have any fun. There are some odd dubbing issues as far as sound goes where it looks like the actor was saying something else, which most likely was a product of the numerous reshoots this movie underwent to remain more relevant. The Inception and 50 Shades of Grey spoofs kind of fall flat on their faces and bring the movie to a bit of a halt, but they are mere bumps in the road compared to the laughs to be found in the rest of the movie. I'm anxious to see an unrated version of this on DVD to see what was cut out or what footage/spoofs were excised completely from the final product.
If spoofs are your thing, there is plenty of hysterical moments to be found within Scary Movie 5, which actually takes chances and doesn't rehash the same material over and over again. This isn't your typical throwaway spoof. Though the ending could have used a bit of polishing (come to think of it, I've never been fully satisfied with an ending apart from the first), the final product is very watchable and has some decidedly off-the-wall moments. I can honestly say I loved Scary Movie 5, and if you're a fan of spoofs you will probably love it too.
The first thing you will probably notice is the rather unfortunate and upsetting lack of Anna Farris. Farris rose to stardom almost exclusively through the Scary Movie films at first, building her comedic repertoire along the way. At the time of filming, Farris was pregnant, so Ashley Tisdale fills Anna's shoes in a surprisingly fulfilling turn. Sure, she's no Cindy Campbell, but Jody is a character you can root for and Tisdale really does prove she has good comic timing. Unfortunately, there is also no Brenda (Regina Hall) or any of the other great characters to be found in the other sequels. For this film, it actually works this circumstance to its advantage, bringing back both Charlie Sheen and Simon Rex as relatives (again) but playing completely different character than their counterparts from the third and fourth installments. Some of the side characters bring the most laughs, from Molly Shannon as Heather to Tyler Posey as a hardcore Christian chilling at a cabin in the woods (long story.) The opening scene rivals the best ones in this series, and the scene fully concludes after the credits roll so stick around for a fun moment and obvious ode to the other four movies. Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen were absolutely perfect choices for the opening and I really missed them once they were gone. Also, I could watch Simon Rex do his awkward comedy schtick for hours and never get bored. Rock on, Dirt Nasty!
There are some really nitpicky issues to be found within this feature, but when you are watching a spoof film you really need to switch your brain off to have any fun. There are some odd dubbing issues as far as sound goes where it looks like the actor was saying something else, which most likely was a product of the numerous reshoots this movie underwent to remain more relevant. The Inception and 50 Shades of Grey spoofs kind of fall flat on their faces and bring the movie to a bit of a halt, but they are mere bumps in the road compared to the laughs to be found in the rest of the movie. I'm anxious to see an unrated version of this on DVD to see what was cut out or what footage/spoofs were excised completely from the final product.
If spoofs are your thing, there is plenty of hysterical moments to be found within Scary Movie 5, which actually takes chances and doesn't rehash the same material over and over again. This isn't your typical throwaway spoof. Though the ending could have used a bit of polishing (come to think of it, I've never been fully satisfied with an ending apart from the first), the final product is very watchable and has some decidedly off-the-wall moments. I can honestly say I loved Scary Movie 5, and if you're a fan of spoofs you will probably love it too.