First of all, I don't quite understand the 'hate' for this tenth installment of the Friday/Jason series. It's "Friday the 13th", for crying out loud! ANY change in the direction of the series is welcome at this point. It seems as if the fans have forgotten how 'winded' the Jason series had become - after the absolute dregs of the series in "Jason Goes To Hell", "Jason Takes Manhattan" and "The New Breed", the series' creators were not just beating a dead horse, they were dragging it around the track behind a tractor. "Jason X" at least tries to give the horse a jolt with the defibrillator.
In spite of the 2nd rate effects, and general silliness, the 10th film in the series has visual energy and freshness that has been missing for at least a decade. The characters are all stereotypes, but they are GOOD stereotypes in new, snazzy 'futuristic' costumes, and they get to use snazzy new assault rifles and hologram projectors and stuff to fight back. It doesn't work of course, and Jason still kicks everybody's butt, but the change in atmosphere and sets does rescue the film from the tedious dread of previous installments. There is some actual levity and some winking tribute to some of the classic conventions of earlier films (such as when Jason beats one camper to death with another one, but it's OK because they are holograms). And Jason gets a 'new look' in the middle of the film. It doesn't really add that much to the character, but again, at least it is different enough to help you 'see' the character again after decades of over-familiarity.
I rented this DVD fully expecting it to suck, but to my surprise, the opening scenes and the way the premise was set up caught my bemused interest, and the SFX of the future were JUST good enough to entertain my eyes. And eventually I ended up enjoying the proceedings quite a bit. Not nearly as much as a 'real' movie, of course, but much more than I ever expected from "Friday the 13th" ever again. I'd say it is the only really watchable entry in the series in several years, and if there are no more after this (and I hope not), "Jason X" is not a bad way for FXIII to end.
In spite of the 2nd rate effects, and general silliness, the 10th film in the series has visual energy and freshness that has been missing for at least a decade. The characters are all stereotypes, but they are GOOD stereotypes in new, snazzy 'futuristic' costumes, and they get to use snazzy new assault rifles and hologram projectors and stuff to fight back. It doesn't work of course, and Jason still kicks everybody's butt, but the change in atmosphere and sets does rescue the film from the tedious dread of previous installments. There is some actual levity and some winking tribute to some of the classic conventions of earlier films (such as when Jason beats one camper to death with another one, but it's OK because they are holograms). And Jason gets a 'new look' in the middle of the film. It doesn't really add that much to the character, but again, at least it is different enough to help you 'see' the character again after decades of over-familiarity.
I rented this DVD fully expecting it to suck, but to my surprise, the opening scenes and the way the premise was set up caught my bemused interest, and the SFX of the future were JUST good enough to entertain my eyes. And eventually I ended up enjoying the proceedings quite a bit. Not nearly as much as a 'real' movie, of course, but much more than I ever expected from "Friday the 13th" ever again. I'd say it is the only really watchable entry in the series in several years, and if there are no more after this (and I hope not), "Jason X" is not a bad way for FXIII to end.