Assuming that you have not been sequestered on the slopes of Mount Athos for the past twenty-nine years the general premise of the "Friday the 13th" series is probably at least somewhat familiar, to wit: Jason Voorhees, understandably upset at having been allowed to drown by a bunch of feckless camp counselors, seeks revenge on anyone in the vicinity. Since Mr. Voorhees first stalked the woods around Camp Crystal Lake way back in 1980 [note to purists: poetic license is being invoked], he has returned from the dead no fewer than 10 times, bringing his special brand of murder and mayhem to such far-flung locations as Manhattan, Elm Street, and low-Earth orbit.
This most recent outing, simply called "Friday the 13th", is billed as a "re-imagining" of the original of the same name, but shows very few signs of any imagination at all. Instead, screenwriting duo Damian Shannon & Mark Swift ("
Freddy vs. Jason") tread reverentially in the deep groves cut by such luminaries as Victor Miller and Run Kurtz, and this is necessarily a bad thing. The story, as always, centers around a handful of partying youths and a trip to Crystal Lake which, inexplicably, has yet to be exorcised from the Michelin Guide. Through a series of woefully misguided decisions ("Hey, isn't that the old camp where all of those kids were killed? Let's check it out!") someone manages to run afoul with the killer and nearly everyone pays the ultimate price. This formula has proven effective throughout the franchise, so it does make sense to stick with it.
What creativity the writers did exercise is effectively channeled in furtherance of the series' commitment to finding new ways for Voorhees' kills to remain engaging without betraying his slashing/stabbing methodology. In large part this involves machetes, knives, axes, and antlers being applied to various body parts in unexpected ways and from unexpected locations. In the one case where they try to break new ground they go a little too far, setting up a bit involving fire, a bear trap, and a sleeping bag (not necessarily in that order). To be sure, this nod to the new standards set by the "Saw" films is both clever and unnerving, but it actually feels like a betrayal of the otherwise brute-force nature of the character.
Director Marcus Nispel ("Pathfinder", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre") shows that he knows his way around the genre, setting the atmosphere nicely and delivering shocks aplenty. However, the bombardment of sound used to intensify the scares is extremely grating and becomes distracting by the second half of the movie, which lags in general, the climax coming a little sooner than should. The final chase sequence, which should have been claustrophobic and urgent instead feels a little rushed, not living up to the slow builds delivered in, particularly, the opening sequence.
It could easily be argued that we needed another Friday the 13th movie like we needed another machete in the head. Still, fans of the franchise will probably agree that its better than many of the other entries. It doesn't aspire to be a great film, just a good slasher pic, and that is exactly what it is.
