Young Clay Miller arrives at Crystal Lake on his motorcycle in search of his sister Whitney, who disappeared along with her friends six weeks earlier. He joins a group of young people intent on spending a fun weekend by the lake. The young people are unaware of the nightmare that looms over them: they will have to deal with the legendary and bloody Jason Voorhees...
The last few years have been marked, to the immense joy of many horror fans, by the grand return of modern boogeymen. First Leatherface, then Michael Myers, today Jason Voorhees, and soon it will be Freddy Krueger's turn. Characters who have rightfully entered the history of the genre, becoming immortal myths on par with the glorious sacred monsters of the past like Dracula, the Wolf Man, or Frankenstein. Having entered the collective imagination, the "new" villains lend themselves easily to reimaginings, reworkings, and the like for the happiness of those who want to see them in action again, just as happened with the Classic Monsters of Universal, which lived a second golden age thanks to the English Hammer in the 1950s/1960s. The same is happening now with Platinum Dunes - in almost all cases - and Dimension Films - as far as "Halloween" is concerned - who have had the merit of bringing back into the spotlight the great horror icons of the last 30 years.
This time we are witnessing the grand return of Jason Voorhees, the mythical mass murderer of Crystal Lake, back in vogue thanks to German director Marcus Nispel, who with his "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" of 2003 - a Platinum Dunes production in both cases - probably unwittingly gave the green light to this welcome "reworked" strand, capable of distinguishing itself positively from the much broader one concerning a worrying, albeit unstoppable, remake mania that is sweeping everything and everyone.
The new "Friday the 13th" serves as a restart for a saga born in 1980 - at the hands of Sean S. Cunningham, who here appears as executive producer - which had found its epilogue in the distant future, from which it was clearly impossible to continue or go back, of the fun tenth chapter "Jason X", of 2001, despite having then had the pleasure of seeing Jason again in the succulent crossover "Freddy vs Jason", of 2003, in which he had a fierce fight with the illustrious colleague with the clawed glove.
We are in the presence of a reboot in every sense of the word, the film takes inspiration from more than one chapter - from the prologue with mom Pamela to the emotional transition from the burlap sack to the iconic hockey mask - without remaking any one in particular but carving out a path of its own, capable of being, at the same time, both faithful to the unwritten rules of the saga, paid homage to on multiple occasions, and original and even innovative.
And it is precisely this path, staged optimally, that makes the film more than successful. Moreover, if it is true that films should be judged also taking into account the intentions of their makers and the expectations of the fans, it is here that "Friday the 13th" does not disappoint at all. No "engaged" plot, of course, but, in full tradition of the franchise, a script - signed by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, already authors of the aforementioned "Freddy vs Jason", together with Mark Wheaton ("The Messengers") - at the service of a spectacular body count in which an annoying pack of stupid and spoiled kids and beautiful girls ready to undress at the first opportunity, overly excited and with the sole purpose of having fun and making love, serve as meat for the undisputed star of the story, Jason Voorhees naturally.
The underlying story is really simple but essential, the story of the boy in desperate search of his sister as well as the interesting human aspect provided to Jason who recognizes his mother in the features of the poor unfortunate one provide a logical thread to the events as well as further points of interest to add to the appetizing sequence of killings.
The origin of Jason, as well as the events related to his, at this point presumed, drowning and his mother Pamela are intelligently only hinted at - in the tasty double prologue of 1980 and the present day, with the story of the boys around the fire - in such a way as to clear the field of the risk of dangerous questions and/or inconsistencies and/or contradictions.
A return, therefore, with great pomp for Jason Voorhees, here in one of the best versions ever seen in absolute terms. Huge, dirty, indestructible, very mean. An infallible, unstoppable, lethal death machine, perfected by the abilities of a perfect hunter capable of setting traps, shooting arrows, moving quickly through the tunnels of a Camp Crystal Lake never so cramped. New abilities that will join those already known that see him master of an incredible brute force and the use of the most disparate weapons, with a clear preference for the beloved machete, even more threatening than usual. A Jason therefore enriched with interesting psychological as well as physical abilities, capable of hurling himself at his victims with impressive brutality and a speed of execution that leaves no one of the unfortunate ones who come his way unscathed. And, as in every film in the series, we see him appear always at the right moment - sometimes even a bit illogically, a characteristic that does not appear as a lightness in the script phase but as a certainly sought-after aspect, interpretable therefore as another of the many tributes to the original series.
Great credit goes to having focused a lot - rightly - on his "presence" - in the broadest and most complete sense of the term, every single one of his entrances is effective, all skillfully crafted by shooting times, framing, lighting and perfect close-ups that demonstrate the full awareness on the part of the makers of what the public wants to see: their own favorite at the top of his form, akin to a true and proper "hero". We will see Jason in poses designed to add further fuel to the fire of his legend, images that remain imprinted in the viewer's mind like, just to name a few, the shot on the shore of Crystal Lake, from the girl's perspective in the water, or the one on the roof of the cabin by moonlight, towards the end of the film.
A character brilliantly portrayed by the talented and gigantic Derek Mears, the Chameleon of "The Hills Have Eyes 2" 2007 version, worthy of the best Kane Hodder.
The rest of the cast therefore only serves as a sparring partner to the boogeyman absolute protagonist, the dialogues do not require interpretations worthy of Oscars and all in all the young actors do their part well.. in short they all die in the best way! Emerging from this quite numerous group is Jared Padalecki who seems to have put aside the immaculate settings of "Gilmore Girls" to feel perfectly at ease in the horrifying territories - after "The Wax Mask", "Scream 4" and the TV series "Supernatural" - and Amanda Righetti (the TV series "The O.C."), in the role of the Miller siblings, a surname that pays homage to Victor Miller, the screenwriter of the very first "Friday the 13th". Small roles for Nana Visitor (the TV series "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"), who plays the beloved and historic character of Pamela Voorhees, and for Richard Burgi in the role of Sheriff Bracke, another homage that this time goes to Peter M. Bracke, author of the book "Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th".
Earlier we talked about body count, the jewel in the film's crown with as many as 13 (random number?) victims credited to an infallible Jason. We will witness a vast array of killings, from machete blows to axe blows, and still traps, people burned alive, slit throats and various impalements. We are not in the realm of the most extreme splatter but violence and blood abound anyway, the result of excellent effects, the territories are those of the classic slasher, in perfect "Friday the 13th" style.
Nispel does his job admirably, the fear of a clone of his "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is immediately dispelled, the German director seems to have the guidelines of the saga very clear to which he skillfully provides his contribution. Classic shots will be intelligently alternated with frantic handheld shots, perfect the sense of rhythm and tension. Photography and locations appear extremely functional to the context and the creation of the right atmosphere; Jason's lair, the campsite and its underground tunnels prove to be really suggestive. Not missing - and how could it! - the iconic musical theme created in 1980 by Harry Manfredini, the sound of whose first notes will certainly send a nostalgic shiver down the spines of old-time fans.
In short, a grand return for one of the greatest myths in the history of horror, a film that by dusting off and revitalizing the old "Friday the 13th" formula, providing a new, grand, "one-man show" signed Jason Voorhees, proves capable of satisfying both old fans of the saga and those who are approaching it for the first time. One of the best chapters - the best? - of the entire series.
Welcome back to Crystal Lake. Welcome back Jason!
Comments
Comments (0)
Comments