Friday the 13th Review [3]

Posted by J.D. Dunn on 02.16.2009

He *is* just that into you.



Friday the 13th (2009)
Director: Marcus Nispel
Writer: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Starring: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Reghetti and Willa Ford.
MPAA: [R]
Runtime: 97m.

Platinum Dunes has garnered a rather controversial reputation over the past decade for having the audacity remake "classic" horror films, a few of which have are more classic for their reputations than for the films themselves.

And so it goes with Friday the 13th , perhaps the Holy Grail of teen slasher flicks. Produced by the living embodiment of Hollywood excess, Michael Bay, and directed by Marcus Nispel, the man behind 2003's "reimagining" of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the latest Friday film reinvents the franchise in the mold of the new millennium. That's both to its credit and detriment.

We open with a brief, Cliff's Notes revision of the climactic battle between Alice and Mrs. Voorhees ("Star Trek's" Nana Visitor), and Jason's subsequent emerging from his box seat to claim his mother's locket.

Fast-forward twenty years to a few months ago. A gaggle of late teens show up at Crystal Lake to search for the pot they've been growing. Whitney (Amanda Reghetti) is the only one you need to worry about, though. Jason (the hulking Derek Mears), in a hood that makes him look even more like the Texarkana killer on which his original look was based, stalks the group and kills them in the usual sadistic ways. This is after one guy helpfully explains a compressed version of the original mythology.

Jump ahead again to a few months later. A new group of kids arrives at the lake for sex, sun, and surf. It's just the usual group of cardboard cutouts, only they seem to be selected specifically for diversity. Pop singer Willa Ford is probably the only name you know, and yes, she does get naked, and yes, it is spectacular.

Also along for the ride is Clay (Padalecki), Whitney's brother who is desperately searching for his missing sister. Of course, Clay starts a flirtation with the lead girl Jenna (Pannebaker) and immediately gets on her boyfriend's bad side.

Said boyfriend, Trent (Travis Van Winkle), shows absolutely no redeeming characteristics outside of some pretty epic hair and a nice cabin, so you know he's in for a bad time. He also channels Christian Bale through much of the movie. We get a couple of stoners, a sexpot couple (one of whom I thought was Owen Wilson for a second), a kind-but-in-denial sheriff, and a nod to Ethel and Junior.

You know the formula for the rest, or at least the film assumes you do. One problem with the film is that it both ignores and relies on the original mythology. We don't really get a sense of Mrs. Voorhees' insanity, or the extent of Jason's pre-drowning problems, but if you've already seen the first two films of the original franchise, you know the score. If not... well, you'll just have to settle for the quick campfire recap.

Many debate whether this is a sequel or a remake or the nebulous "reimagining." I'll go with the third option. This is closer to Marvel Comics' Ultimate line where they take the original idea, update it with today's sensibilities, and revise the history to make it fit. It's not a bad idea, and it beats shot-for-shot remakes like Psycho. So, while comparisons are inevitable, they're also irrelevant.

The Friday the 13th franchise was never great when it came to continuity. We had "Long Night at Camp Blood," where mom killed because her boy drowned. We had "Friday the 13th Part 2: Jason's Revenge" where boy killed because mom got killed. Then we had Friday the 13th Part 3: Cognitive Dissonance where boy came back looking completely different than he did earlier that day.

So, if you're already a fan of Friday the 13th, then you won't have a problem with this. You've already accepted and/or ignored the problems with the mythology and shoved them aside for the reward of boobies and kills. Boy, does this one have them both! If you're coming in cold, the film's lip service to the original mythology will probably have you zoning out until things pick up at the midpoint.

While newbies catch up, let's look at some of the things us veterans of the series can appreciate. 1) The revision of the original history neatly compresses the first two films into the first act and ignores all the stuff that doesn't work. 2) Doggy-style sex debuts in a Friday film (although, who knows what's on the cutting room floor of Part 5). 3) Naked Willa Ford. 4) Naked, grinding Julianna Guill. 5) Nods to many of the original films – Trent acts an awful like Susan Jennifer Sullivan's character, the romance is a gender reversal from Part 7, we have a guy looking for his sister as in Part 4, we have a crazy old lady (a nod to Part 5's Ethel!) and a pervy kid (a possible reference to Junior, also from Part 5).

What's not to love?

The new Jason is quite a bit different. He's far more brutal. Only one of the kills was really "funny," and none of them are overtly gory for the sake of gory. Not only that, but Jason's far more cunning than he's ever been, closer to a malformed Ted Kaczynski than Frankenstein. "Purists" might object, but it certainly makes him a more interesting character.

The 411: In the end, this latest Friday incarnation will probably appeal to fans of the original series. The filmmakers clearly have an affinity for the originals, and it plays like high-gloss fan fiction, which isn't a bad thing. Non-fans will probably just see your average, stereotypical slasher, though, and wonder what all the fuss was about.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]