First of all, I'm sorry for the few updates, but hey... I'm working like never before and I rarely have energy to just watch a movie and then review it. I hope it will calm down a bit sooner or later. This morning - in one hour - I will be on my way to the (slightly) north of Sweden to do a short stint as a reporter on a big reality show. I did it a lot earlier this summer and now they want me back for two more days. Fun fun fun, but that means even less time to watch movie.
I've been trying to watch more radical, less mainstream flicks - but my brain can't handle it. Remember that I wrote a long and pretty enthusastic review of Texas Chainsaw 3D? That's the form of movies I can watch right now and I might continue, just for the hell of it. I like to revisit good reboots, remakes and glossy sequels to old horror movies. True story. Most of them are actually damn fine and gives a lot of new energy to the old story, and some of them sucks - like the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Not good, even I can agree on that!
First of all, I think Marcus Nispel and Platinum Dunes did a stellar work with this sequel/reboot of the Friday the 13th franchise. Really. I'm totally honest. It's not a remake, like some people still continue to claim, even if the movie actually starts with the ending for the first movie (shot with new actors) and then establishes that there's been a lot of disapperances in this area since then - even including a corny pre-credits story with stupid, horny youths looking for a marijuana farm out in the woods near Camp Crystal Lake. That sequence is violent, silly and colorful - and when that's over they go over to the main storyline, which is a brother looking for his sister and gets involved with some partying city kids in a nearby luxury cottage.
It's a simple frame from drama, nothing special really, but what the hell - that's what Friday the 13th is! It's really back to basic, it's back to where the original story somehow started - at least with the four first movies. I camp, a forest, a crazy fucking killer chopping his way through over-grown teenagers. I like that. A lot. It's unpretentious and gritty, violent (way more violent and gory than the first two movies, which some people seem to forget in their constant whining) and with some decent acting. The highlight there is the chemistry between goofballs Aaron Yoo and Arlen Escarpeta, far from the main characters but stealing the scenes without any hesitation. And they're both cute, which kinda makes it easier for the eyes also.
Derek Mears as Jason is a nice touch also. He reminds me of Richard Brooker in part III, big and hulking, like a dirty old man lurking around in the woods. Far from the absurdity and crappiness of Kane Hodder, the most overrated Jason-actor EVER. Derek also takes a different path from Ken Kirzinger (Freddy vs Jason), who did his Jason more spooky, like a ghoul wandering around looking down at people and then kill them off with a nice, clean machete chop. Kirzinger was great to, but very different. He really had is own, original take on the legend himself.
Another fine thing with this film is the splendid cinematography by Daniel Pearl, where he manages both to channel the old-school slashers AND the new glossier look. It's not as saturated and arty as the stuff he did for the 2003 version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, for example. This is more classic style - but like Jason himself in this movie, dark and brooding.
It's a fun movie, it delivers what it's suppose to deliver. It became a huge success... so I honstly hope there will be more adventures from Jason Voorhees and his "friends" in the future.
"First of all, I'm sorry for the few updates, but hey... I'm working like never before and I rarely have energy to just watch a movie and then review it."
It doesn´t matter.....as long as you write a review once in a while, like I said before....you shouldn´t feel any pressure, it takes the fun out of it.
"That's the form of movies I can watch right now and I might continue, just for the hell of it. I like to revisit good reboots, remakes and glossy sequels to old horror movies. True story. Most of them are actually damn fine and gives a lot of new energy to the old story, and some of them sucks"
If that´s case, the I hope you will review Assault on Precinct 13(2005), always like that reamke but most critics hated it.
"It's a simple frame from drama, nothing special really, but what the hell - that's what Friday the 13th is! It's really back to basic, it's back to where the original story somehow started - at least with the four first movies."
Never try to reinvent the wheel...hahhahahahhah
"It's a fun movie, it delivers what it's suppose to deliver. It became a huge success... so I honstly hope there will be more adventures from Jason Voorhees and his "friends" in the future."
Never seen this one, I will someday, good review and thanks.
Posted by: Megatron | September 04, 2013 at 18:29