While both belated sequels have clever messages about fan culture and the creative process, 2022’s The Matrix and Scream now have more in common than ever before. With the arrival of The Matrix Resurrections and 2022’s Scream reboot, the franchises both have a late addition that features a meta-message about sequels, reboots, and fandom expectations.
However, where The Matrix Resurrections left some fans feeling cold in its criticism of the movie industry, 2022’s Scream reboot has the chance to offer a better-grounded criticism of the contemporary state of movie-making. Since the Scream series has always been rooted in meta-commentary on the movie industry and its fans, the franchise is better equipped to critique the current cultural climate. While the Matrix movies made meta points about art, the series was never as pointed in its critique of Hollywood as the Scream franchise.
The Matrix Resurrections was very meta in its commentary on the process of making a fourth Matrix movie, never hiding the fact that its plot intended to critique a culture that constantly reboots, remixes, and spins off existing properties. However, 2022’s Scream reboot can offer a more incisive commentary on this phenomenon by focusing more explicitly on fandom and its role in the production process. Earlier movies in the Scream franchise already satirized the role of fan demand has in horror movie-making, with Nightmare On Elm Street sequel by decrying the Stab movie with time travel elements as “by far the worst one.” Now, the 2022 reboot can comment on the issue of toxic fandoms and their demands without necessarily alienating a portion of the audience in a way that The Matrix Resurrections risked.
Since The Matrix Resurrections came about because of a combination of fan demand and the corporate desire to make more money from an existing IP, the movie’s critique of soulless cash-ins rang somewhat hollow. Fans authentically wanted a fourth Matrix movie regardless of corporate greed’s role in its production, whereas Scream 4 mocked remakes as a cheap attempt to profit off more sincere originals.
As such, 2022’s Scream reboot is uniquely positioned to criticize reboot culture and make a meta point about fandom's role in driving Hollywood trends without inadvertently insulting its fanbase. Where the original Matrix trilogy was not (primarily) concerned with questions of originality, creativity, and the movie industry, the Scream movies have always centered around the relationships between viewers and movies. As such, 2022’s Scream reboot can deliver a more pointed critique of fan culture than The Matrix Resurrections thanks to the franchise’s history with the subject.
