Not quite a methodical re-make and far from a sequel to the “Friday The 13th” series, the new “Friday The 13th” is a re-creation of the 1980 classic horror film for a 21st century audience. Like many prior attempts at re-making a classic, this one falls short of the original.
While it has some new and excited slasher moments, the new film had an all-too replicated feel, with an overabundance of drug and alcohol usage, nudity and predictable scenarios.
The 15-minute-long opening scene sets the beginning new story for the movie. A group of 20-something year olds are camping near the infamous abandoned “Camp Crystal Lake,” where the original story took place. Only now, the gang is there using GPS navigators to find marijuana plants growing in the woods, so they can make money. That night, a scary story about Camp Crystal Lake told around their campfire comes to life; and quickly ceases theirs. Much like the original, one woman survives, but this one is chained up and kept as Jason Voorhees's (played by Derek Mears) pet throughout the film.
The story takes off six weeks later when Clay (played by Jared Padalecki) embarks on a quest for his missing sister and Jason's new pet, Whitney (played by Amanda Righetti).
During his search, Clay crosses paths with an SUV full of 20-something year olds going to spend a weekend at the group's ringleader, Trent's (played by Travis Van Winkle) vacation home. Trent's girlfriend, Jenna (played by Danielle Panabaker) shows sympathy to Clay, welcomes him into her boyfriend's home and after a disagreement with Trent, helps Clay search for his missing sister. It's quickly nighttime, and Clay and Jenna find Jason carrying one of Jenna's dead friends into his underground lair.
Characters are killed throughout the movie not only with Jason's trademark machete, but with an ax, a screwdriver, an arrow and even deer antlers. The movie lags when awkward, cliché race jokes are used as comic relief and the overabundance of nudity gets out of hand and instead of serving a purpose, becomes a means of keeping audience attention up. In a scene where Jason shows up at the group's vacation home, he finds and kills one of the men in the group outside and in the next scene before he breaks in, he miraculously got his 200+ pound self onto the roof. The one time a character is prepared with a weapon is when Trent gets his dad's gun, but he quickly empties the rounds out of fear, shooting blankly into a closet. As the group quickly thins out, Clay and Jenna find themselves battling Jason alone. Jenna's killed and in the end, Clay and his rescued sister Whitney they think they killed Jason.
But when Clay and Whitney toss Jason's body into the lake, something they didn't expect happens. Unfortunately for the audience, it was the most expected scene in the movie.
Rating: 3/5 stars
2 comments:
it seems like a common tread in horror movies nowadays, the inclusion of drugs and nudity, i was curious of seeing this new version but after reading the review it seems like a waste of time
Yeah, I mean it was really like every other attempt at remaking a classic - it falls short of the original. If you're into shock value and that Saw or Hostel shit, you'll dig it, but the actual fear, mystery and suspense that the original had is totally lacking in this one.
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