This is my review of Friday The 13th Franchise which is my favorite slasher franchise overall .
Note : While I'm writing this review I'm listening to First Jason Ari Lehman's band (Young Jason in Friday The 13th)
Steve Christy has been working for two years trying to get the camp ready to reopen when his fresh group of workers / councilors arrive to help with the final prep before the camp opens in two weeks .
Alice Hardy (played by Adrienne King) is a shy, quiet girl who seems very out of place at the camp but stays to help Steve because he badly needs the help. the other kids are Annie, Marcie, Jack, Bill, Ned and Brenda who are as Steve puts "babes in the woods in every sense of the word."
One by one the kids are killed by an unknown killer until it's down to Alice and the killer revealed to be Misses Voorhees . She reveals to the audience that Jason was her son and today was his birthday and a fight / chase ensues until Alice cuts Misses Voorhees' head off on the shores of Crystal Lake and then goes out onto the lake in a canoe, there in the early morning light she is dragged into the lake by the returning Jason .
Everything about this movie worked, sure the blood was alittle over the top in some spots but it all worked to create a scary film, the idea to keep the killer a secret until the end of the movie was brilliant and the real was amazing as well but overall this was a masterpiece in the early slasher genre . I think Tom Savini who did the makeup effects created a great monster in Jason with the power of suggestion the entire audience thought that Jason was the killer the entire time who of course would come back in Friday The 13th Part 2 .
This movie sees Jason now an adult living in the woods in a make shift cabin near Camp Crystal Lake which is his hunting ground a group of camp councilors arrive at a taining facility near the camp which is shut down and deemed "Off limits" to the councilors who are at the training center .
Paul is the Trainer of the group along with his assistant Ginny Fields (played by Amy Steel) the first night at the camp the councilors are all sitting around the fire when Paul tells them about the legend of Jason and how his mother killed a bunch pf people years later and that legend has it that Jason saw his mother's beheading that fateful night and he wonders the woods around the lake . one of the councilors jumps out of the near by bushes dressed as a wildman (who is supposed to be Jason) and Paul ends the scene by saying it's all out of their system now and Camp Crystal Lake is off limits .
The next day a couple of the councilors Jeff and Sandra decide to go take a look around Camp Crystal Lake only to be busted by the local sheriff before they could reach the camp .
Later that night is when the chaos starts as most of the group goes to town for one last night on the town leaving a handful back at he camp and ultimately leading to their deaths. Which I think all the deaths in this movie were spot on and really brought something interesting to the movie, I love the double kill of Sandra and Jeff as well as the Mark kill with the machete sending him down the stairs that was very well done!
While at the bar Ginny is attempting to have a serious conversation about Jason and the story Paul told Paul dismisses everything she says saying that Jason is a legend. Ginny and Paul leave the bar together leaving Ted and a bunch of the kids there.
Once the return to camp they see everyone else has left upon finding the blood soaked bed sheets in Jeff and Sandra's room the lights go out (perfect timing on this effect) they go down stairs and Ginny feels there is a third person in the room and says my favorite line in the movie "There's someone in this fuckin' room!" Paul is attacked Ginny runs but Jason finds her she manages to get a Chainsaw and fight off Jason, she runs to her cabin and hides under the bed and she pees in fear (that's my belief anyway) people say the mouse pee'd but I think it was Ginny. Jason attacks her again and she runs away after the chair Jason was standing on breaks before he can deliver the death blow with a pitchfork she finds his cabin and locks herself in the back room discovering the head of his mother along with the bodies of her friends (and presumably Alice Hardy) Jason is working his way through the door with a pick ax when he gets through GInny is wearing his mother's sweater and talking to him like she's his mother back from the dead. This plan almost works but Jason figures it out intime to block the machete and slashes her leg with the pick ax, Paul rides in on his white horse and saves Ginny and she "kills" Jason with a Machete to the shoulder.
Then they go back to Ginny's cabin where Muffin comes back to the cabin (she had been missing for most of the movie) then Jason jumps through the window and grabs Ginny (Flash to White) Ginny is being carried out of the cabin on a stretcher asking "Paul? Where's Paul?" she is loaded into the ambulance .
Note : I think Paul fought off Jason and was killed in the process and Ginny passed out and simply doesn't remember any of that part of it .
Of course fans know this is the movie in which Jason gets his iconic hockey mask after killing Shelley and taking it. They also explain alittle bit of back story between Jason and Chris Higgins.
Some of the 3d effects were awful but cool at the same time, the harpoon to the eye was my favorite and I have to say the eyeball was the worst (in my opinion) .
Jason does a great job once again of using different weapons to kill people I love the poker to the girls belly that was a hot one LOL I also like the death with Jason splitting Andy in half. Jason has a real knack for impaling his victims, it's almost like he takes his machete and he fucks you with it!
Chris and Jason have their final battle in the barn where she smacks him in the head with an ax and mush like the original film she escapes onto a canoe into the lake or I guess a stream and she wakes up in the morning and thinks she sees Jason alive and coming for her again so she starts to paddle away only to turn around and there is no one there, a lady in the lake(supposedly Mrs. Voorhees) pulls her into the lake. (Flash to White)
Police are looking over the scene when an officer is brings a broken Chris outside and placing her into a police car and driving away .
This movie for me had alot of upside and not alot of downside except I didn't like them using the girl being pulled into the lake again so quickly in the series. I also thought the bikers were out of place in this movie for some reason .
This movie brings Tom Savini back into the fold which I think is very fitting as he created the Monster known as Jason he should be the man to ultimately kill him once and for all, right?
This movie has alot of amazing things happening in it the skinny dipping scene was cool as well as the connection between Sandra ([part 2) and Rob Dyer which I have to say the kill of Rob was funny (in a good way) and cool as Jason is beating him to death Rob is screaming "He's killing me!! Trish run, run trisha he's killing me !" On the other side of the coin there are some things that are highly questionable such as the scene where Gordon (the dog) jumps out the window I think he was thrown by Jason it seems like something that he would do but who knows, I didn't like watching the 30 years of Friday The 13th DVD and learning that Corey Feldman's Mom wouldn't allow him to cut his hair even though the script called for it because "pilot season" was coming up. Now this just might be me but as an actor I do what the script calls for, my character had a crew cut in Sins of Man : Rise of Mortis and I did all my own stunts in the film also so when it came time to shoot my scenes for Sins of Man II : Vengeance this year even though I had been growing my hair out for a year I bit the bullet and shaved my head once again for the role and will do it again next year for Sins of Man III : Tribulation because that is what the script calls for. the point is don't be a bitch and do your job OR go on the Today show and sing your weird songs and have the entire world make fun of you for it, whatever you want to do Corey .
I enjoyed the kills in this movie but I wish they would have shown the murder of Mrs. Jarvis or added in the cut scene where Trisha finds her body in the bathtub.
I like that Tommy Jarvis is the one who kills Jason at the end of this movie and they make it appear that Tommy will become the next Jason but then they swerve us in Part V : A New Beginning.. or do they??
Corey Feldman played Tommy at the beginning of this movie which I could've done with out and I think the movie would've been better served to have John Shapard who played adult Tommy do the opening scene because I think it would have worked better to confuse the audience so they would have to pay attention to see who this man was .
The movie overall was very good but the people behind the movie made the same mistake that the people behind Halloween III : Season of the Witch made and it was a grave mistake in the eyes of many fans over time I have become more excepting of this movie but the first few times I watched it I didn't like it.
I will say I enjoyed Reggie "The Reckless" alot as well as some of the other kids in the movie. I have to say that I enjoy the revenge aspect of the movie with Roy wanting to punish the people at the house for the death of his son.
I really enjoyed the long drawn out chase see that set up the end of the movie and Reggie and Tommy working together to save Pam. the final scene we all thought Tommy was going to kill Pam because why else woiuld he have the Mask and knife that Roy used, instead he smashes out the window and escapes to maybe become the next Jason ...
I really loved the scenes1986 brought us what I think is a shining light in the series in Jason Lives. Thom Mathews plays Tommy Jarvis in this one and does an awesome job, I love that they kep the character around this long and made him the main protagonist in the movies.
Tommy reanimates Jason after a fence rod Tommy is using as a spear is struck by lightning and Jason kills Hawes who has tagged along with Tommy on this crazy adventure to burn the body of Jason . Jason leaves the graveyard quickly after Tommy escapes to the Sheriff's office where he meets and pisses off Forest Green Sheriff Garris who tosses him in a cell for the night to cool off.
Note : I thought the name change of Crystal Lake to Forest Green was weird at first but now I see what the point was in terms of changing the public opinion of the area.
Jason kills Darren and Lizbeth who are on the road this scene was funny because of the American Expres card gimmick they did and I still think it's funny when I rewatch this movie and I say "Never leave home without it" every single time during that scene.
The next morning we meet Megan Garris the Sheriff's daughter and a few of her friends who are working at the camp one of those friends named Cort is played by Tom Fridley is the nephew of John Travolta. I really like the Cort character and wish he could have lasted longer in the movie but absolutely love his death scene at the same time.
I really loved the scenes with the paint ball group I thought that was very well done on all levels except how the ratings board of the MPAA said they couldn't do the amazing Triple decapitation on screen because that would've been cool!
I really love the fact that for the first time in the series they actually have kids at the camp Camp Forest Green which is the rebuild and renamed Camp Crystal Lake. I like that Jason actually goes into the cabin with the little girls in it yet he doesn't kill any of them for some reason.
the final battle in this movie has an incredible pace and takes a long time to develop in that Jason kills Sheriff Garris and a few of his men before he attempts to kill Tommy and he is saved by Megan. Jason is finally laid to rest at the bottom of Crystal Lake and we can all live happily ever after, right??
Tina Shepard (played by Lar Park Lincoln) is a telekinetic who has returned to their family lake house with her mother Mrs. Shepard and her therapist Dr. Crews to deal with her guilt of an accident that claimed the life of her father when she was a little girl and after a fight with Dr. Crews she goes to the dock and she senses her father so she tries to bring him back to life from the bottom of the lake while trying to bring her father up from the bottom of the lake instead frees Jason from his watery grave.
Mrs. Shepard and Dr. Crews don't believe she saw what she claims she saw. Jason now free goes back to killing people in cool ways. This time around Jason's pray are a group of friend who have come to the lake to celebrate a friend's birthday with a surprise party well folks Surprise!! You're all gonna die!! (Where's Crazy Ralph when you need him?)
I was overjoyed when Dr. Crews met up with Jason and was killed he was a major dick to Tina and in a way to Mrs. Shepard also he need to find himself on the business end of a weapon in the hands of Jason for sure .
This movie for me was another late entry into the series that gave us something fresh and new while still keeping the classic Friday feel at the same time, right?
The end comes after the house explosion Tina's father John jumps up through the dock and pulls Jason back to the bottom of Crystal Lake where he belongs. Tina and Nick are the sole survivors, this bugged me alittle I mean since when does the love interest get to survive these movies along with the final girl??
The director of this movie John Carl Buechler has stated that the movie should have been alot different and the MPAA basically forced them to change the things they didn't like as good as this movie was I would LOVE to see the original uncut version of this film .
This movie does something that no other film in the series did up to this point, it takes the story AWAY from Crystal Lake early in the movie. I think this movie is amazing for many reasons, the cast was great the story was awesome, the fight scenes were spot on, come on what fan didn'ty like seeing Jason knock Julius' head clean off his shoulders with a single punch!
Were there issues with the movie of course there were but it's still a good movie. How did the boat Susie and Jim get from Crystal Lake to the Ocean? Who cares it's a slasher movie folks stop over thinking it and enjoy Jason hacking teenagers up for Christ's sake!
The kill of JJ is one of my favorites in the film as well as the series as well as Julius boxing with Jason on the rooftop that's classic in my opinion. I like the sort of nude scene in this movie with the snobby blonde Tamara in the shower Kelly Hu was pretty cool in the movie too.
The Manhattan part of the movie was a bit of a letdown I will say that but overall I think the movie worked on more levels then most fans give it credit for. The end of the movie was very anti climactic but they can't always be touchdowns, right??
Well that is what fans will tell you every chance they get with statements like "WTF was New Line thinking when they made this piece of shit!" or "Adam Marcus is a complete fucking moron for this crap he put out!" and my favorite "killing off Jason in the opening scenes of the movie, really?"
Then comes the body swapping and the lines only a Voorhees can bring him back and only a Voorhees can kill him it's through this bit of exposition that the writers of the movie answer a question we have all ben asking since the beginning see they explain why Jason kept coming back all these years.. Just like that I changed my thoughts on this movie (sort of) I started to understand what this movie was all about and at the end it became clear to me.
Sure there were things in this movie that had fans scratching their heads like what is this shit like the body swapping and the creation of Crayton Duke (who the fuck is this guy) but there were good moments in the movie too the sex scene in the tent when the girl is coming as she's going was brilliant and hands down my favorite kill in the movie, I think some of the scenes that were the best were the body swapping scenes I loved the scene where we finally see Kane Hodder in a Friday film but not as Jason.
So fans who are harsh on this movie try this watch Friday The 13th, Friday The 13th Part 2 and then Jason Goes to Hell and see if it makes a complete story (much like Halloween, Halloween II and H20 make) You may be surprised with what you see and find by watching the movies this way.
The end of the movie sees Jason finally dragged to hell after being stabbed by his niece with a mythical dagger (WTF) and then Freddy's glove coming up from hell and grabs the mask and drags it to hell and FINALLY we're gonna get Freddy VS Jason !!! Wait... Hold on a minute not so fast :(
This movie has a cool plot line and the characters were well written I really enjoyed the chemistry of Monica Kenner and Jason Ritter and thought their storyline while it was alittle daytime soapish was again something different in a slasher movie.
Kelly Rowland was another person who surprised me in this movie she did very well on screen as well as well as the amazing Katherine Isabelle (who didn't do the nude scene (Body Double) but still a great scene I love the overhead shower scene shot.
I like that the kids had to figure out how to stop Freddy and that Jason was the key. I thought is was funny as hell when Jason killed Gibb just as Freddy was about to do it and he scream "She was mine!!" that was just funny :)
The final battle did feel flat in some spots but overall I thought it worked. as to the big reveal at the end that the battle may all be a dream well Us Jason fans say he chopped of that bitch Krueger's head and it's sitting on the shelf next to our beloved Pamela.
This movie even more then JGTH gives us something completely different then ANYTHING we have seen in the series and I for one love this movie if not for the even more amazing kills that came out of no where then for the original setting, that bullshit with the gold obsessed guy dressed in all green doesn't count because that sucked worse the JGTH!
Jason in space was brilliant but like I have said with most of these things sure there are places where it could've been better but lets not become overly picky little bitches over this. I loved the opening of this movie because it shows that Jason is looking around figuring out how he can escape the look Kane give the camera was freakin' awesome I pop for it every time I watch the movie.
I like the soldiers who think they can simply kill Jason and are very quickly shown that they don't have a Blue's CLue who or what they are dealing with! The fight between Kay-em 14 and Jason is awesome and one of the bets fights in the entire series in my opinion I LOVE Uber Jason! evil gets an upgrade baby!!
My favorite death has to be Janessa when Jason breaches the space ships wall and she's holding on for dear life and just before she's sucked out of the grate into space she says "This is gonna suck on so many levels" I love it!!
The end when Brodski saves Kay-Em, Rowen and Tsunaron and pushes himself and Jason into Earth 2 was awesome I would love to see a sequel with Jason unleashed on a whole new world that has no idea who he is and what he does, that's a movie that should be made, can you imagine Jason Voorhees coming face to face with an alien species for the first time in the woods on Earth 2??
2009 saw the reboot of the classic 1980's film and while I'm a fan of remakes when they are done right I don't think every classic slasher needs a reboot or in the case of Texas Chainsaw Massacre a bunch of rebbots. With that said I really enjoyed the Friday remake for many reasons the actors cast were amazing I nbelieve this was my first experience with seeing the amazingly talented Danielle Panabaker who was amazing in this movie and I wish she was the final girl and I really thought she was going to be, I thought they would kill off the sister at the last minute. The kills in the movie were awesome across the board. I liked the way Jason gets the Hockey mask in this telling (maybe) alittle better then in Friday Part 3(D) I think the best kill in the movie was either Chelsea getting the machete through the top of her head or Bree getting impaled on the deer horns in the bathroom . I really couldn't wait for Trent to get killed off but I wish it would've been alittle more then being impaled on the tow truck. The final fight scenes with Clay and Jason are amazingly shot and worked out Derek Mears is an AMAZING actor and I like him as Jason in this movie. The end of the movie was alittle weird for me too when Jason comes back to life and pulls Whitney into the lake, I get that it was supposed to mimic the ending of the original film but it just felt flat to me. my first thought was how the fuck are you gonna make a sequel with an ending like that?? |
STAY HUMBLE, STAY HUNGRY MY FRIENDS :)