Scarier and with a more dangerous Jason, but not as fun
I became a fan of the "Friday the 13th" series after seeing "Part V: A New Beginning" (1985) on TV in the late 90s and have subsequently digested all of the films in the series. This '09 reboot takes elements of the first four films, drops all campy elements seen in Part III (and V, VI, IX & X) and provides better scares with a more dangerous Jason, who runs, shoots arrows, uses traps and schemes. In the original series Jason was comparable to an unstoppable zombie-like force, particularly as the series progressed where Jason became more & more infernal and monstrous. Here he's more human, which makes sense since it's early in the timeline and Jason hasn't yet morphed into the hellish zombie he became in later segments.
The appeal of the series for is not the gore or kills but rather the plot of a group of youths gathering in the wilderness; the inclusion of a psycho killer on the loose adds a necessary element of threat & suspense, and Jason's a quality nemesis/monster. Simply put, "Friday the 13th" is an entertaining series with creepy elements, but I never found the flicks all that scary, not even the first two films, which are the most serious in tone, along with IV, VII, VIII and XI. Of course there are jump-scares galore, but that's not what I'm talking about. With the third installment, campiness was added, which made several of the installments even less scary. The good thing about this '09 reboot is that it throws out the campy aspects and opts for a more serious approach. In addition, it has a couple of sequences that produce actual frights, something I never experienced with the rest of the series, as well as scenes with genuine suspense, like when Jason chases the three protagonists through the tunnels, etc.
Speaking of the three protagonists, the cast is filled with youthful no-names, but the three main protagonists, a brother & sister and a brunette who takes a liking to the brother, are good and likable. It's always nice to have some people you can root for. Really, there are only two characters who are unlikable, a creepy redneck hick (and his "hot" mannequin, lol) and the arrogant alpha-male whose father owns the vacation house.
I found one aspect of the film highly unusual and unique. I'm referring to the 24-minute prologue before the opening credits. This has to be one of the longest prologues in film history. I have to give credit to the filmmakers for being creative and trying something different.
This reboot also just plain LOOKS better than all those older films; I'm referring mostly to the creepy woods at night. This is to be expected, of course, with the advancements in filming technology since 1980, not to mention the bigger budget.
The series is known for its excellent assortment of women in every entry, but this one's not quite as good as most of the films in the franchise. There's the excellent Amanda (America Olivo) in the first act and also Whitney (Amanda Righetti) and Jenna (Danielle Panabaker) as the two female protagonists. They're solid, but not in the same league as Pam in Part V, Agent Marcus in Part IX and Heather in Part XI (FvJ). I suppose it's all a matter of taste though.
The film was shot in the heart of Texas, mainly in regions relatively near Austin.
FINAL WORD: My biggest criteria for judging the worth of a film is whether or not it pulls me in and makes me forget about the passing of time. This '09 reboot succeeds in this respect. Although nothing can replace the initial 1980 film and its immediate sequel, this reboot should be given credit for generating a few genuine scares, which I rarely if ever experienced with the rest of the series; not to mention providing a worthy trio of protagonists, as well as scenes with genuine momentum.
Other than these factors, the reboot is just more of the same, but it's at least as good as the better sequels, although it's not as fun as several of them because it shoots for serious horror. This is good, but the first half is more effective than the second. And it fails to approach the greatness of the '09 remake of "The Last House on the Left," a veritable masterpiece that transcends the usual one-dimensional nature of most slasher flicks, not that I would expect (or necessarily want) that for "Friday the 13th."
I have the "Killer Cut" that runs 105 minutes, while the theatrical version runs 97 minutes. Needless to say, this is a heavy R-rated picture.
GRADE: B
