‘Friday the 13th’ Makes Jason Scary Again
Entertaining remake may not improve on the original but doesn’t insult it either
written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift
directed by Marcus Nispel
In 1980, Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th took the world by storm. What began as a mere way to make some quick cash soon became bigger than anyone ever expected. The film, although borrowing many elements from the handful of slashers that came before it, essentially set a formula for the decade to come, paving the way for countless others of its ilk, including ten sequels. Despite its status as a genre classic, it was far from perfect. In this day when creativity is scarce and remakes rule the box office, it was only a matter of time until someone brought the infamous hockey mask back on the big screen. Nearly three decades after the original, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes did just that.
The film opens in 1980 with a credit sequence that holds true to the events of original film. We are then brought to the present, where a lengthy, action-packed prologue ensues. The Friday the 13th logo graces the screen nearly a half hour into the picture. We get to the meat of the picture with a group of friends heading up to a classy vacation cabin on Crystal Lake for a weekend of drinking, drugs, sex… and we all know what that means.
The group is made up of Trent (Travis Van Winkle), the rich douchebag who owns the house that the viewer loves to hate; Jenna (Danielle Panabaker, Mr. Brooks), his sweet girlfriend; Chewie (Aaron Yoo, virtually reprising his role from Disturbia), the comedic relief Asian; Lawrence (Arlen Escarpeta), the token black guy; Bree (Julianna Guill), the slut; and two other forgettable characters, Chelsea (singer-turned-actress Willa Ford) and Nolan (Ryan Hansen). Meanwhile, Clay (Jared Padalecki, House of Wax remake) is searching around the area for his sister, Whitney (Amanda Righetti), who went missing six weeks prior. Oh, and Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears, The Hills Have Eyes II) wants to crash the party and kill them all.
If you really hate remakes, go into the movie five minutes late to miss the opening back story scene and think of it as a sequel. The film takes elements from the first four films and melds them with new aspects, making it feel like a stylized sequel that sticks to the formula and still trumps most of the other campy entries in the series. It also gives appropriate nods to the movie that proceeded it. (Keep an eye out for a wheelchair and a bike in Jason’s lair.) Freddy Vs Jason scribes Damian Shannon and Mark Swift once again throw some humor into the mix, resulting in some laugh-out-loud moments amongst the chaos. With Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake) in the director’s chair, though, the movie maintains a sense of polished-yet-gritty realism, as opposed to the almost cartoonish violence of Freddy Vs Jason.
The acting is fair, although I wouldn’t expect another Kevin Bacon to come out of the movie. The death scenes don’t get too innovative — usually just some sort of sharp stabbing instrument — but there are a couple of unexpected ones that come out of nowhere, and there’s usually plenty of blood to accompany them. Oh, and let’s not forget the obligatory nudity; we get to see three different pairs of breasts. The film relies a bit too heavily on jump scares and there’s too much shakey camera work, but there are also some real tense moments. I must compliment the creators for being able to make Jason scary again. He’s a bit bigger, leaner, faster, and smarter than we’ve seen him in the past, although not to the point where he’s too different from the Voorhees we know and love.
Is Friday the 13th brilliant? No, far from it, but neither was the original. The remake doesn’t improve on much but doesn’t insult the past either. The cliches are still present; there’s minimal character development; the story offers nothing new; there are a couple of minor plot holes. It’s not much more than another modern slasher, but it’s a highly entertaining one. Like most remakes, this may have ultimately been made for the almighty dollar, but you can tell that there was a good amount of passion put into the project. Although it’s formulaic and predictable, fans of the series looking to see Jason slice and dice again shan’t be disappointed.
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Great review! I’ll be sure to check this one out.
Avoid this one is you are true horror afficinado. Michael Bay needs to stick to making action movies and leave our already well made horror movies alone. Doesn’t anyone in Hollywood have any fresh ideas??? At least Freddy Vs Jason was not a remake. I completely disagee with this review. Sounds like it was written by a 20-something year old who has no clue.
What exactly didn’t you like, Bflickchick? If you went into this expecting a masterpiece, there was no chance you wouldn’t be disappointed, but if you were just expecting some fun it delivered.
Fun?? I fell asleep. Fun=Freddy vs Jason. Again, Michael Bay should stick to stuff like Transformers. There was nothing creative or original. Watch Evil Bong or any other B-flick and I am sure it would be better than this. It was a butchered re-imagining just like Zombie’s Halloween. I found Gutterballs more entertaining and I’m a chick who usually passes on rape scenes. Bottom line: I will no longer spend my hard earned $$ on watching remakes because of this.
I, too, thought FvJ was fun, and much of that carried over thanks to Shannon and Swift (except, as I pointed out, this one wasn’t cartoony). Indeed there was nothing creative or original, but that’s how the series has always been. The original, as much as I love it, was little more than a cash-in on the slasher trend and a special effects showcase for Tom Savini. The sequels are even worse, mostly just following the same formula… but it worked because they were fun, and I think this remake was as well, which is why I pointed it out that was more like another sequel.
But to each their own. Thanks for reading the site. Hope you stick around. I know we don’t agree on this one, but we can definitely agree on Gutterballs being a blast.
I agree with the review, and I’m a 34-year old Friday the 13th fan who has seen each film in the series multiple times.
While it wasn’t perfect, it was certainly above and beyond what most remakes are. As a pure Jason film without all the silly trappings, I think it succeeds where parts 4-10 failed.
Good review, I mostly agree with it. It wasnt as good as 1-4 but better than the others, plus it made a lot of money so Im sure well see a sequel or 12
Good review, It was a fun film and that is all that I expected it to be. After Jason X it was good to see the Jason get back to what he does best.
[...] morning–with these figures, a sequel is guaranteed. You can read our review of the new Friday here, and a roundtable discussion of the weaknesses and strengths of the film will be posted in the next [...]
I would weigh in with my comments but Alex and me had a roundtable last night discussing the film in dept.. so stay tuned for that post.
I totally understand Bflickchick’s feelings, btw. The remakes are getting tired… but Hollywood studios know they can make a fast buck with a half-decent remake. This is the case here again.. If people were to stop going to the remakes, we could make some headway with original horror material.
Great review as always Alex. Despite my dislike of remakes in general, I had fun with this one. Sure, it was fomulaic and cliche’, but isn’t that what we have always loved about the Friday series?
[...] sure you watch the movie prior to reading it. Otherwise, be sure to read our review of the film here and our interview with Derek Mears, who plays Jason Voorhees, [...]
[...] New Line Home Entertainment will release Marcus Nispel’s Friday the 13th on DVD and Blu-ray June 16th. The cover art can be seen on DVDA. The DVD is will be available in both the theatrical and “killer cut” editions, the latter of which includes eight extra minutes of footage along with ‘The Rebirth of Jason Voorhees’ featurette and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray will include the same extras as the “killer cut” along with a ‘Terror Trivia Track,’ ‘The 7 Best Kills’ featurette, and a ‘Hacking Back/Slashing Forward’ featurette. Read our review of the successful slasher remake here. [...]
[...] Friday the 13th Part 2 in theaters on August 13, 2010. This years’ Friday the 13th remake (review) did great at the box office, so a sequel was inevitable. This was around the time Halloween 3D was [...]