- Directed by Marcus Nispel
- February 9, 2009 (Mann’s Chinese Theater) / February 13, 2009 (US)
- Based on characters created by Victor Miller
A young man searches for his sister missing near Crystal Lake and crosses paths with the infamous Jason Vorhees.
I went into the 2009 Friday the 13th assuming it was either a reboot of the series or a remake of the original but have since read it was some kind of remake of the first three. Despite growing up when they were in their heyday, I almost completely missed out on them so how that claim stacks up to those films I do not exactly know. Not knowing that when watching made it feel like I was viewing something occurring in that same universe.
What I like is that this movie tries to emulate that magic of the 80s horror film. The gore or the kills that are just a little on the ridiculous side. And then the unnecessary level of topless women for the story they are telling. All trappings of the era that occurred to the point of being nostalgically referred to by fans. Yet it doesn’t have the same feel. It’s going through the motions, but not capturing that essential magic.
Director Marcus Nispel tries really hard, but this is the same guy that made that awful Conan the Barbarian movie. Much like that film he sees what made this series popular from the surface but doesn’t understand it beyond that. The gore was intended as ironic or darkly humorous. Somebody getting cleaved in half with a single blow is cartoonish thus inappropriately funny. People getting killed during sex? A running joke among all horror of the time.
This Friday the 13th tries for a mixture of heart and horror with a caring yet estranged brother searching for his sister. And speaking of the sister while she did have a passing resemblance to the woman in the locket, Jason (Derek Mears) seems to have gone out of his way to torment her as well. For the uninitiated the reasons why he did this are mysterious if not completely unknown. The implication is a personal attachment on his part but the torment runs counter to that.
I appreciate the heavy use of practical effects. The gore and splatter are more visceral when done with squibs and whatnot. Those cleaves and stabs look so much better WITHOUT modern fakery. Plus it fits with the aesthetic of the era in which this series was born. But I don’t appreciate all the unlikable characters and the superficial attempt at being like an old school slasher movie. You can still do it but you either need to understand it and not just emulate it or do some minor tweaks here and there to update. Not lose, but simply update it a little.
And is the ending an attempt to emulate the dream sequence from the original film? It felt like it but overall it was a cheap homage. One 80s homage-possibly-was the locals looking to know more than they should. Sheriff Bracke (Richard Burgi) and a local woman that Clay (Jared Padalecki) speaks with while canvasing the town in search of his sister both sound like they have all the answers but are not saying anything. Both went nowhere in any form.
The 2009 addition of Friday the 13th was entertaining but ultimately forgettable. While writing this I’m already starting to forget stuff. There are stock characters in a film that goes through the motions. You won’t be disappointed but you won’t be going back for more.
Warren Watched A Movie 