Scream 4

They've finally done it!  Just like all famous horror franchises before it, Scream 4 has successfully become a fantastic comedy.

Alternative tagline:  Can a movie be too meta for its own good?

I went into Scream 4 with high expectations.  That is, I actually had expectations.  I loved the crap out of the original Scream, and Scream 2 was one of those rare horror sequels that managed to be almost as good as the original.  Scream 3 never happened.
Here is the problem:  When the original movie in your franchise is best remembered as being a groundbreaking film that not only managed to be scary and suspenseful in its own right, but also cleverly commented on the predictability and laughable plots of your own genre, how do you up the ante?
Scream 4's answer?  Comment on the genre even more!  This could even have been called Scream: The Next Generation, because all the original character types were brought back in the form of a younger generation.  The horror nerd, the douchebag (ex)boyfriend, the rookie cop(s), the hot chick....all new victims for the Scream grinder.
I will give Wes Craven credit. He managed to keep the dialog sharp and witty, if not overly ridiculous.  The characters were at least interesting, in the 'yeah I hope that one doesn't die too soon because I don't hate them as much as this other character' kind of way.  It's just the amount of effort that he went to in order to try and stay relevant.  Case in point:  The Scream movie does not actually start until 15 minutes in.  Yeah, I'm not going to ruin it except to say that they spend so much time- both verbally and visually- discussing the state of horror movies, that the main plot will often grind to a halt for five minutes at a pop.
Also, the damn thing pulls an AI and has too many endings.
Check it out if you like laughter with your slasher flicks.  I especially liked how they snuck in Robert Rodriguez's name, and a comment about Bruce Willis got the whole theater laughing.  However, if you want tension, go climb your roof and then stare at the ground.  It will probably be more frightening.
Scream 4 is better than Scream 3, but nowhere near as fun or original as Scream 1.  Yeah, using the other movies in a franchise is cheap, but so was half the dialog.