Scary Movie V Review

Does this unashamed parody top Movie 43 as the worst film of 2013?
It's a common trope among film reviewers these days, myself included, to award shameless parodies such as Scary Movie V a quick-fire 1* or 1.5* rating out of sheer hopelessness. In this case, though, the situation isn't nearly so simple as awarding Movie 43 1.5* was back in January. Undoubtedly, if you're looking for genuinely strong and accolade-worthy cinema from your latest trip to the box office, then you'd be well advised to steer clear. Nevertheless, that does not necessarily mean that this reviewer would advise a 100% avoidance policy.

This time around, the shallow storyline of a parody nature focuses on a couple who take three mysterious children to a new home, only to find that mysterious and paranormal horrors surround them and their 'imaginary' friend. Sound familiar? Fans of recent horrors will instantly recognize that as the premise for Mama, and indeed, the parodies by no means end there- there are scenes spoofing The Cabin The Woods, Paranormal Activity, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Inception, Black Swan, Monsters, Evil Dead and plenty more films from the last few years within this production. It's actually quite an impressive list, and while of course many of these parodies don't reach any meaningful substance, there's a fair degree of humor to be had from how the 'adaptations' fit together.

It's arguable in this reviewer's opinion that the cast are one of the film's finest assets, simply because they seem to know how crass the level of comedy and how shallow a narrative they're dealing with here. That wasn't even meant as a profound criticism of the film as a whole on my part, rather that Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Tisdale, Mike Tyson, Modern Family's Sarah Hyland, Snoop Dogg and the rest of the ensemble were clearly having a ball and a laugh shooting this one, and the audience can empathize with the laughs far more than they could in Movie 43. Naturally, this results in none of the cast performances having any kind of emotional or resonant depth whatsoever, but it's fair to say that such depth really isn't going to be what the viewer comes for in a movie whose plot is about as meaningful as an episode of Waterloo Road.

Of course, it would be impossible to conduct a review of a new instalment in the Movie franchise without picking up on numerous flaws in its armor. As I've already mentioned, the storyline is at times close to non-existent here, its writers regularly more concerned with spoofing every film known to man from the last five years than they are with any plot developments. On top of that, the direction and soundtrack are pretty dismal in every respect, failing to impress in any manner bar the rather hilariously-shot Benny Hill-style sequence featuring Sheen and Lohan as the film opens. It wouldn't be a Movie entry without a decent number of jokes that outstay their welcome, either, so be prepared for those in good measure throughout the experience.

Where does that leave us with Scary Movie V, then? To be brutally honest, it appears this time around if many film reviewers have simply got on the bandwagon of absolutely penalizing this fourth sequel without any hope of enthusing about its regular moments of slapstick-yet-effective comedy. Perhaps it was this reviewer's lack of subjection to the past entries in the franchise, or perhaps that we had an audience that was genuinely open to have a laugh during their Easter break helped, yet on the whole it just seems that the idea of this being the 'worst film of 2013' has been vastly over-dramatized. You'll see a lot better in 2013 than Scary Movie V, but judging by the likes of Movie 43, you could do oh-so-much worse in the comedy department- parody fans, trust me, you may well find yourselves surprised this time at how many laughs are on offer here.
3/5