9 Reasons Why Scream 3 Is Not QUITE As Bad As You Remember It
2. The Killers Motive Still Makes Sense
Back in the '90s, the subject of cinema violence and its effects on generation-consuming movies such as Pulp Fiction, Natural Born Killers and Scream hung heavy in the air. The debate would rage for most of the decade until, as is often the case, the conversation changed. New problems had arisen, as well as new targets that the moral majority could blame for society’s ills.
The problem is that Scream 2's Mickey Altieri is entrenched in that debate, leaving the character trapped in a moment that has long passed. For the generation born after 1999 to fully understand the characters actions and some of his legal references, it will require at least a passing knowledge of the zeitgeist at the time. While we lie in an era of easy access to limitless information, films of any kind should not require cliff notes to get a basic understanding of the resolution.
Scream 3's killer, Roman Bridger, has a motive that is more straightforward and will, sadly, perennially resonate with audiences. Hatred towards a sister who got the life and love that he felt he deserved. While it might not hold water when you ask, "Why not just kill Sidney then?", it is still far more accessible to grasp than Mickey's motive and, even to a lesser extent, the killers in the original film.