Having Jason
killing off teenagers in space was a good decision. This Friday the
13th pokes fun at its own genre conventions and is probably the best
of all the numerous instalments.
The original films
were cheap and nasty, a bit like a venereal disease I suppose. After more than
twenty years of having the hockey-masked serial killer Jason killing off
an estimated 200 plus horny teenagers, the franchise was however more than
just tired: it was pretty much dead. However, just like its protagonist
that never seems to die, along came this entry in 2001. (For some reason
it took about a year after completion before it got a theatrical release
in the States.)
It's all very
ridiculous and over the top, but the movie is in on the joke. Okay, the
acting, special effects and costumes are all bad, and some of the attempts
at humour will make you groan, but the movie clips along at a brisk pace
to clock in less than 90 minutes.
Better than
one
thought it would be.
THE DISC: Surprisingly the features are quite good for such an el
cheapo movie. My favourite is a documentary titled The Many Lives of
Jason Voorhees. It clocks in at almost half-an-hour and is like attending
a convention of some sort! Lots of Internet critics getting their
fifteen minutes here . . .
By the way: is it
just me, but isn't Moriarity (the regular "informant"
on Harry Knowles'
Ain't It Cool web site) a dead ringer for the comic book storeowner in
The Simpsons?
The widescreen
anamorphic transfer is flawless and so is the Harry Manfredini score.
Manfredini apparently did the music for all the Friday the 13th
movies through the years - practically guaranteed lifetime employment
that!
WORTH IT?
The movie is better than I expected it to be and so is the treatment it
got on disc.
RECOMMENDATION:
I can't seriously recommend that you rent a Friday the 13th movie ?
I'll never live it down - so you'll just have to read between the lines
here . . .
