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Though technically well-constructed, Friday the 13th is a series rehash that features little to distinguish it from its predecessors.Read critic reviews
Watch Friday the 13th with a subscription on Max, rent on Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy on Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV.
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Julianna Guill as Bree and Derek Mears as Jason in "Friday the 13th."Willa Ford as Chelsea in "Friday the 13th."(L-R) Julianna Guill as Bree, Danielle Panabaker as Jenna and Jared Padalecki as Clay in "Friday the 13th."(L-R) Producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form on the set of "Friday the 13th."(L-R) Arlen Escapeta as Lawrence and Aaron Yoo as Chewie in "Friday the 13th."Jared Padalecki as Clay in "Friday the 13th."Jared Padalecki as Clay and Danielle Panabaker as Jenna in "Friday the 13th."Travis Van Winkle as Trent in "Friday the 13th."(L-R) Danielle Panabaker, director Marcus Nispel and Jared Padalecki on the set of "Friday the 13th."Jared Padalecki as Clay in "Friday the 13th."(L-R) Jared Padalecki as Clay and Derek Mears as Jason in "Friday the 13th."(L-R) Willa Ford as Chelsea, Julianna Guill as Bree, Arlen Escarpeta as Lawrence, Aaron Yoo as Chewie and Ryan Hansen as Nolan in "Friday the 13th."Amanda Righetti as Whitney and Jared Padalecki as Clay in "Friday the 13th."(Left) Derek Mears as Jason in "Friday the 13th."Amanda Righetti as Whitney in "Friday the 13th."Derek Mears as Jason in "Friday the 13th."Amanda Righetti as Whitney and Jared Padalecki as Clay in "Friday the 13th."Amanda Righetti as Whitney in "Friday the 13th."Danielle Panabaker as Jenna in "Friday the 13th."Derek Mears as Jason in "Friday the 13th."
Against the advice of locals and police, Clay (Jared Padalecki) scours the eerie woods surrounding Crystal Lake for his missing sister. But the rotting cabins of an abandoned summer camp are not the only things he finds. Hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees lies in wait for a chance to use his razor-sharp machete on Clay and the group of college students who have come to the forest to party.
Rating:R (Graphic Sexual Content|Drug Material|Language|Strong Bloody Violence)
As a die-hard Friday the 13th fan, I got to admit, this movie surprised the hell out of me. This is a perfectly efficient and wildly enjoyable entry in Jason's catalogue. The civilian characters are likable where they need to be and unlikable where they need to as well, Jason is well understood, there's all the gratuity the franchise needs, even a decent story to pull you through. My one critique, and it is a big one, I wish the kills were more memorable. The kills are good, solid, fun for a Friday movie. However, there are frequent Checkov's Gun moments hinting towards what could be an even better kill, and it's ignored. Like setting up a running buzzsaw and doing nothing with it, it's frustrating. Still, it's way better than any Friday the 13th remake has any right to be, and I found myself really enjoying it.
The following is a long-form review that I originally wrote in 2009.
Friday the 13th, originally released in 1980 began one of the most successful film franchises of all time. Now, 31 years later, the newest incarnation of Friday the 13th has just been released on Special Edition DVD. It seems unlikely that the director of the first film Sean S. Cunningham (who is also the producer of the 2009 version) could ever have seen just where the monster he had helped to create would go. So now, with the series being given one of those oh-so-popular of late "reboots", it's important to take a look at what Jason Voorhees has been up to, what has changed, and just as importantly, what hasn't.
The film loosely follows the progression of the first four Friday the 13th films, the opening credit sequence has mother dearest Pamela Voorhees on June 13, 1980 confronting one of the Camp Crystal Lake counsellors , she is promptly decapitated with a machete, as per the original story. This is a powerful intro to the rest of the movie, as a reboot, you have to show Mrs. Voorhees at some point in time, but it can't take up too many of those valuable 90 minutes. At this point the film begins to deviate from the original, we get some of Harry Manfredini's musical score (Ki-ki-ki-ma-ma-ma) but this time round Jason is very much alive, sees his mother beheaded and picks up his iconic machete and some very bad habits from here on in. After the credits there is a new bunch of kids, looking to score some pot, have a little pre-marital sex, get wasted, go places they're not allowed, and just generally set themselves up to die. But something is missing... that would be... Oh yes, the cast! Only a single member of the "media-hyped" actors portrays a character in this group, so we already know that these guys are going nowhere. Only after their demise are we given the "FRIDAY THE 13TH" movie title, and the film begins. Unfortunately, by the time this happens, we have already been through a good set of characters, and it feels like watching a sequel after you're 23 minutes in.
The new group of rowdy teenagers have much the same plans in store as the last, but they are much less believable characters when compared to the ones we had just minutes ago. They are somewhat saved by the performances of Travis Van Winkle (from Accepted) as Trent, the "rich asshole" of the movie, and Aaron Yoo as Chewie, the lovable little stoner. Jared Padalecki's character Clay (a reboot of Rob from Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter) is wholly out of place, maybe it's his Supernatural fame or maybe it's his deliberate intention to not have a good time. Either way the protagonist of the entire film really doesn't seem like he belongs in the movie at all. Sort of a down point when you think about it.
While the film didn't seem to have plot holes per se, it very much seems as though they tried to fit the creation of the film in before it was due to be released on Friday, February 13th. Now don't get me wrong, I love novelty and a good theatrical gimmick as much as anyone can, but know what I care about even more? The end product (especially when it comes to Friday the 13th)! The time could have been much better spent on filling in all the little bits where the movie just seemed to be missing something. You're not quite sure what it is, but that's their job to figure out.
The hype over the film's sexual content seems to have been grossly over-exaggerated. Supposedly Michael Bay walked out of the first screening due to the sex scenes. After having watched the film, I find this very difficult to believe. Although the sex does seem to have been thrown in for the Hell of it (isn't it always), there really isn't all that much. But, after all of the problems the film goes through, they get the most important thing right, Jason. With culturally recognised hockey mask and machete in tow, Mr. Voorhees does his thing, and he does it well. Whilst this particular incarnation of Jason is wholly more believable than any of the others, Derek Mears makes it work, he's not a supernatural boogieman-esque killing machine, he's a hunter, he's a natural, he's almost the anti-hero. Upon first hearing that Kane Hodder was yet again not to be playing the role of Jason Voorhees, I think a little part of me died inside. But I submit, Derek Mears has given the best representation of Jason I think we've ever seen.
The 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th is the type of movie that you can watch, and when it's finished, want to go right back to the beginning and watch it all over again, you're just not sure why...
-Gimly
Super Reviewer
Sep 13, 2013
Terror is born anew in this frightening re-visioning of Friday the 13th. After a group of campers go missing at Crystal Lake the brother of one of the missing starts canvassing the area, where he meets a group of horny college students who are on vacation; but little do they know that they are trespassing on the grounds of Jason Voorhees, a psychotic killer. The film's pretty much a composite of the first four Friday the 13ths, and it stays fairly true to the series formula. But while Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker give strong performances, the majority of the cast is weak. However, this could be a result of bad writing, as most of the characters are uninteresting and the dialog is poor. Still, the violence is quite intense and horrific. Getting back to the suspenseful horror roots of the series, Friday the 13th is a solid remake.
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