THEY AXED FOR IT: A bunch of doped up, sex-saturated collegians (teens?) run into master surgeon Jason in the remake of Friday the 13th.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEW LINE CINEMA
SEBRING, Feb. 17, 2009 – One has to scratch one’s head at the remake of a 1980 film that has, by virtue of its sequels, been remade nine times already, not to mention a classic encounter with competing villain Freddy.
Oh, sure, the circumstances are different. The guy with the hockey mask who keeps the local cutlery store in business has been in summer camps, Manhattan, outer space, and even Hell. But his work and his ethos remain the same.
So Jason came to town again (at the Regal Eagle Ridge and at the Carmike) with a stale script and trademark moves and lured audiences back to the theater anyway. For those of us well-acquainted with the Friday the 13th series, however, there is just nothing new here, and the usual worn out pratfalls – walking into a stranger’s darkened house, flashlight battery failure, a “let’s get out of here” sentiment contravened by a “spirit of adventure”, and turnaround – he’s there, all conspired to give this movie the fascination of a used tire.
If you approach the Friday the 13th remake from a different, lighthearted angle, however, it can be enjoyed. Namely, you have to support Jason.
That’s what a friend and I did when we went to see the film, and my friend was particularly adept at squeezing the laughter out of this rehash with shouts of, “Get her, Jason!” and “Look under the dock!” The commentary and approach helped turned an otherwise boring retread of a movie into a humorous experience.
Pull for Jason. He’ll feel vindicated, and no one will want to make the same movie a gazillionth time.
Friday the 13th is rated R for sex, nudity, filthy language, and bloody, body rendering violence.
Our SEBRING CINEMA AND SPORTS rating on a scale of one to five reels, five being a classic:
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