Friday the 13th (2009)
What can I say? I couldn't resist not watching a new Friday the 13th movie on Friday the 13th. I don't necessarily hold the original series up on a pedestal (besides, I'm more of a Freddy guy.) The original movies... just weren't that good. Sure, they're memorable, but nothing remarkable. Just guilty pleasures I'd enjoy on a lazy day.
In my opinion, this remake/reboot wasn't treading on any sacred ground.
The first part of the film can be easily broken down. The first segment is from the first Friday the 13th as Jason's mother is decapitated. The scenes following is basically a remake of Part 2 with Jason sporting a burlap sack. The rest of the film are sporadic inspirations from the rest of the original series.
So the concept was simple: take the best parts of what made the original series memorable and mash them up. Almost like a Jason's Greatest Hits album... and it actually kind of works.
The opening scenes after the main credits (i.e. Part 2 "remake") was my favorite part of the film. Not only does it involve one of the most brutal deaths of the film (yes, it involves a sleeping bag) but it's pretty intense. There's nothing like seeing Jason SPRINT with a machete in the air.
Derek Mears is the most intense Jason. It's weird since I had the pleasure of meeting him last August and he was an extremely cheerful guy, yet he turns on a switch and becomes the most aggressive Jason incarnations. Jared Padalecki was very fitting in his role as a man looking for his sister who disappeared during a visit Crystal Lake Camp.
The direction, in my opinion, was surprisingly good since I hated Marcus Nispel's Pathfinder and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The writing held it's own as well. I appreciated all of the nods to the fans of the original series, also much of the film's humor was actually pretty funny.
This is just horror fluff. There's not much to gripe about considering this is pretty much what I expected if this movie turned out to be decent. All of my criticisms stem from the original series: the characters are not characters, just murder fodder. Also, after the midpoint of the film it starts to become a little redundant, especially with Jason popping out behind victims three times in a row.
Overall, it's worth a watch if you even remotely enjoyed the original series. If the originals weren't your cup of tea, then stay far, far away.
The Good: Jason taken seriously again and much more intense this time around. Oh, and BEWBS!
The Bad: A bit redundant after a while, not many unique death scenes.
The Ugly: The first pair of breasts that pop-up look like they were carved out of wood. A tad freaky looking.
In my opinion, this remake/reboot wasn't treading on any sacred ground.
The first part of the film can be easily broken down. The first segment is from the first Friday the 13th as Jason's mother is decapitated. The scenes following is basically a remake of Part 2 with Jason sporting a burlap sack. The rest of the film are sporadic inspirations from the rest of the original series.
So the concept was simple: take the best parts of what made the original series memorable and mash them up. Almost like a Jason's Greatest Hits album... and it actually kind of works.
The opening scenes after the main credits (i.e. Part 2 "remake") was my favorite part of the film. Not only does it involve one of the most brutal deaths of the film (yes, it involves a sleeping bag) but it's pretty intense. There's nothing like seeing Jason SPRINT with a machete in the air.
Derek Mears is the most intense Jason. It's weird since I had the pleasure of meeting him last August and he was an extremely cheerful guy, yet he turns on a switch and becomes the most aggressive Jason incarnations. Jared Padalecki was very fitting in his role as a man looking for his sister who disappeared during a visit Crystal Lake Camp.
The direction, in my opinion, was surprisingly good since I hated Marcus Nispel's Pathfinder and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The writing held it's own as well. I appreciated all of the nods to the fans of the original series, also much of the film's humor was actually pretty funny.
This is just horror fluff. There's not much to gripe about considering this is pretty much what I expected if this movie turned out to be decent. All of my criticisms stem from the original series: the characters are not characters, just murder fodder. Also, after the midpoint of the film it starts to become a little redundant, especially with Jason popping out behind victims three times in a row.
Overall, it's worth a watch if you even remotely enjoyed the original series. If the originals weren't your cup of tea, then stay far, far away.
The Good: Jason taken seriously again and much more intense this time around. Oh, and BEWBS!
The Bad: A bit redundant after a while, not many unique death scenes.
The Ugly: The first pair of breasts that pop-up look like they were carved out of wood. A tad freaky looking.
Overall Grade:
C+
C+
