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New on DVD: 'Friday the 13th' (2009)
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Photo: New Line Cinema and Paramount Pictures
The remake of the 1980 hit 'Friday the 13th' arrived in stores this past Tuesday. Although it's not all that satisfying to watch, it may still do the trick for avid fans of the genre or viewers who are loyal to Jason in spite of his numerous flaws.
This rendition is entertaining, but does not have the impact that slasher movies once had. Maybe the viewing audience has become desensitized thanks to the limb-chopping series 'Saw' or maybe it was the ultra-disgusting 'gut like a fish' style of the 'Texas Chainsaw' remakes and updates. It's anyone's guess.
The remake stars Jared Padalecki of 'Supernatural' fame and Danielle Panabaker, as well as several others who become a victim of Jason's revenge. The story has not changed any. Jason Voorhees is back with his hockey mask all shined up to settle the score after a scuffle with a camp counselor ended in his crazy axe-weilding mother getting decapitated. Now Jason blames all camp counselors and anyone who even comes near Camp Crystal Lake. Padalecki's character Clay finds himself searching for his missing sister Whitney (Amanda Righetti) who has disappeared following a trip to Crystal Lake with friends. She resembles a younger version of Mrs. Voorhees and instead of killing her, Jason keeps her prisoner instead. Here the predictable cycle begins, the body count rises, but for some reason, not a lot of tension builds. With Jason showing his face here in 2009, we'd expect his level of cleverness to be a bit higher. True, he may be worn down, but at least give the viewer what they came to see: clever uses for all types of weapons and machinery. Instead, what we get feels lazy. Jason takes the easy way out on a good portion of his rampage.
The 1980 original still packs a punch seeing Mrs. Voorhees remorseless manner of murdering countless camp dwellers, and even all the sequels that followed were a lot of fun. 'Freddy vs. Jason' was a bloodbath of a good time. 'Jason X' was an impossible mess with a ridiculous premise, but it was still entertaining. Could it be that this series has lost it's steam? Even if it has, there is sure to be even more sequels to come. Jason will not die. Neither will this franchise.
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