After “Freddy VS. Jason” came out in 2003, a sequel to Freddy Krueger & Jason Voorhees duking it out with Ash Williams from “The Evil Dead” series was scrapped, due to creative differences with Bruce Campbell. The closest thing for a sequel is a comic book limited series titled, “Freddy VS. Jason VS. Ash.” Six Years Later, Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes known for botched remakes of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “The Amityville Horror” & “A Nightmare on Elm Street produced a remake set in modern times with (you guessed it) Jason hunting down campers in Camp Crystal Lake.
Released in 2009, (same year Coraline came out) the remake received negative reviews from critics. It became the second highest grossing film in the series after Freddy VS. Jason. Although a financial success, plans for a sequel never came into fruition. On Halloween 2022, independent production company A24 announced they’re developing a television prequel titled, “Crystal Lake” streaming exclusively on Peacock. As of January 2023, no release date has been announced.
This review contains no crucial SPOILERS. Feel free to check out my non-spoiler article.
Safe & Danger Qualities
Safe: Jared Padalecki did a solid job for his performance.
Steve Jablonsky (Transformers, Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Say what you will about him, Michael Bay produced the remake.
Death Scenes are brutal and gory showcasing Jason’s fatalities.
Visual and Practical Effects brought Jason’s kill scenes to life.
Prosthetic Makeup and Costume Designs transformed veteran stuntman Derek Mears into Jason.
Jason’s bag mask from “Friday the 13th Part II” and his iconic hockey mask introduced in “Friday the 13th Part III” are retained.
Scare Factor didn’t rely on numerous Jump Scares nor uses meta humor like “Scream.” Meaning, the series is going back to basics as a throwback to slasher films from the ’80s set in modern times.
Pacing didn’t drag too long. It gets you into the horror immediately.
Jason’s origin is inspired by “Batman Begins.” Don’t worry, Jason isn’t a tragic villain. He remains as a bloodthirsty psychopath.
Unlike past movies, Jason’s smarter and deadlier. Mark Swift & Damian Shannon stated his skills are based on Rambo & Abominable Snowman from “Looney Tunes.” The duo stated they learned their lesson not to make a villain too sympatric. They made a big boo boo for making Leatherface a tragic villain, rather than a bloodthirsty cannibal. Rob Zombie failed to make a good remake of “Halloween” turning almost everybody an inconsiderate jerk inadvertently making Michael Myers a hero the audience want to care about, instead of Laurie Strode and her friends.
I’m surprised the campers are not carbon copies of previous characters from the original movies. They didn’t cater to the spotlight. Chewie is probably the only character who represents a horny drugged up moron in horror movies.
Two characters are named, Nolan & Chewie. It’s funny because Christopher Nolan rebooted Batman. “The Dark Knight” & “Batman the Brave and the Bold” came out in 2008. Plus, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” film and show were also out in the same year.
Danger: Cinematography suffers from Shaky Cam. It gave me Rob Zombie’s Halloween flashbacks.
The movie abruptly ends with no legit resolution. UGH! I hate it when a movie doesn’t end on a logical conclusion!
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BREATHTAKING!
It’s gonna sound controversial, Friday the 13th remake is the best movie of the series better than the original films altogether. To this day, I really don’t get why critics hated this legit remake. It’s not horrendously bad like A Nightmare on Elm Street or Rob Zombie’s Halloween. If you’re curious to see the 2009 remake, give it a shot.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 