Post by Torgo on Jan 14, 2004 1:59:08 GMT -5
Movie rating *** 1/2 out of ****
Extras rating **** out of ****
Movie: I've never liked Friday the 13th movies. I'm not the biggest Nightmare on Elm Street fan, but at least I enjoyed Freddy's movies on some level. Whether a unique concept or just plain rediculous fun, I always found something to like about each of them. Yes even #5. Jason on the other hand, I could see how someone could like the character, but not the movies. I always felt dumber after watching one of them, even if I'm just there for a MST3K ribbing. Jason has a good back story, but if his movies actually went somewhere, then maybe I'd appreciate the series more. Until then I still claim them as the worst movies to appear on the silver screen. Worse than Manos, Hobgoblins, and yes even Vanilla Sky. Seeing my additude toward Jason, and the fact that I'm not a mojor Freddy fan, I walked into Freddy vs. Jason with dirt low expectations.
Freddy vs. Jason isn't a great movie. I would never say it could touch something like Raiders of the Lost Ark. Hell, I'd even go as far as saying that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom can easily be considered better. So why do I give this movie a high rating? It works. And it shouldn't work. New Line even considering the posibility of this movie is the most absurd thing in the history of film making. But what appears on screen actually works. These two horror icons should not be mixed together, yet it is pulled off near-flawlessly. Even King Kong vs. Godzilla had to change Kong's facts in order for it to work. For this alone, I feel this movie deserves the marks I give it. But there was more about the movie I liked other than this.
One of the movie's biggest assets is director Ronny Yu. Icluding Freddy vs. Jason, I've only seen three films from him, and I'm already a major fan (the other two being Bride of Chucky and Formula 51). I love his demented style and his dark sense of humor. He loves what he does and you can tell.
The acting is nothing to write home about, but it's miles better than what most previous installments had to offer (which really isn't that hard).
The cherry on top of this film is the final battle between Freddy and Jason. It is so very brutal! I loved every minute of it!!
I personally enjoyed Freddy vs. Jason. I probably gave it a higher rating than it deserves, but I can watch it again and still not feel cheated. That's pretty much all I ask for from movies. I'd rank it the best Friday the 13th movie by far (and I mean far) and second best Nightmare on Elm Street after #3.
In closing I say see Jason? Making a good movie wasn't that hard now was it?
Extras: I got my moneys worth. Weather I can watch them over again is a different story, but I'm pleased with them at this point.
The commentary is very much like my favorite movie commentary of all time, Evil Dead II. Ronny Yu, Robert Englund, and Ken Howeveryouspellhislastname are have a blast watching the movie, talking about how it was made, and just plain making fun of it. It's worth a few laughs, check it out.
If you're just plain bloodthirsty, check out the jump to a kill feature. It'll let you watch your favorite deaths over and over. There's even a Kill All feature if one kill aint enough.
The deleated scenes are all best left on the floor. Most of them are garbage. The one that I found worth anything at all was an exteded opening of the Real World battle. Well...everything after that ultra cheesy "Freddy vs. Jason! Place your bets!" line.
There's some fun to be had at a wrestling spoof feature. It's so stupid it's funny.
The trailer and some TV spots are here. I've always said that the trailer should be a required addition to any DVD.
There's also some advertising for other New Line movies: The Butterfly Effect, Texas Chaisaw Masacre, Jason Goes To Hell: the Final Friday, and Freddy's Dead: the Final Nightmare.
We get some nice documentarys on filming, special effects, and surviving Development Hell. Some of them are very interesting.
Overall, I feel the DVD's well worth getting for any horror, Ronny Yu, Freddy, or Jason fan. Anyone else might not have any interest in it, but if you do, rent first. You may be pleasantly surprised.
