Scream (2022): Am I the ONLY one who found it...meh?

Okay, so I finally caved and watched the new Scream. Everyone's been raving about it, calling it a "return to form" and all that jazz. Honestly? I'm just not seeing it. Maybe I'm too cynical, but the whole thing felt...forced. Like they were trying TOO hard to be meta, to be clever. The original Scream worked because it was genuinely surprising; this just felt like a paint-by-numbers sequel designed to milk the nostalgia cow. And speaking of nostalgia, can we talk about the legacy characters? Gale Weathers is reduced to a boozing cliché, and Dewey...well, let's just say his death felt less impactful and more like they needed a "big" moment for the trailer. I didn't feel anything! Maybe it's because I knew it was coming? I mean, did anyone really think they'd let all the OG's live? Also, the new cast? Bland, cookie-cutter archetypes. Sam Carpenter's "legacy" reveal felt incredibly contrived, and the 'who's the killer' mystery wasn't even that intriguing. Look, I get it. Scream is supposed to be self-aware. But there's a difference between being self-aware and being self-indulgent. The constant winks to the audience just felt lazy. The whole Ritchie kirsch reveal to be Randy's nephew felt a little too on the nose. Anyone else agree, or am I just yelling into the void here? I'm not saying it's the WORST movie ever made, but the hype is undeserved. It's fine. Passable. Ultimately forgettable. I'd rather rewatch the original (or even Scream 4, which I still maintain is underrated) than sit through this again. So, yeah, sue me for not jumping on the bandwagon. What'd you think? Anyone?