Review: 'Freddy Vs. Jason' Screams Hilarity
Slasher Movie Revels In Its Ridiculousness
POSTED: 7:19 a.m. EDT August 15, 2003
'Freddy Vs. Jason' (R)
(out of four)
Let me just, for the lack of a better word, cut to the chase: the long-awaited slasher movie "Freddy vs. Jason" is a scream.
But not the sort of scream as in scary scream; I'm talking about the laugh-out-loud funny kind of scream.
The amazing thing is, most of the laughs are intentional, and the others come from some acting that's so bad it's good. If you're a fan of the slasher genre (in particular, the "Nightmare on Elm Street" and/or "Friday the 13th" films), you won't be disappointed.
As for everybody else, well, get ready to roll your eyes a lot and let out some serious groans. But even if you think the movie is outright stupid, you'll still have a hard time arguing that it's not entertaining.
The plot (if you want to call it that) of this long-awaited match-up of two of modern horror's greatest icons seems to have a kernel of potential, that is, until the blood starts to gush.
At the beginning of the movie we find Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) in hell -- and in more ways than one. He's there in the literal sense, of course, but perhaps worse yet, he can't find a way to get into children and teens' dreams to massacre them. That's because the parents on Springwood have found a way to suppress their kids' dreams (and nightmares, for that matter), throwing up a virtual roadblock on Freddy's highway from hell.
But if there's a kill, there's a way for Freddy; and the way for him to get back in business is to resurrect Jason Vorhees (Ken Kirzinger -- the eighth actor to play Jason), so the goalie-masked brute can wield his machete again to instill fear into the hearts of potential victims.
But when Jason gets out of control and nabs several kills for himself, Freddy gets angry; thus setting up the inevitably bloody match-up that fans have been waiting to see for years. Caught in-between are Lori, Kia (Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland) and Lori's institutionalized boyfriend Will (Jason Ritter) who may be able to stop the situation from turning into a complete free-for-all.
Director Ronny Yu, who delivered a queasy and uneasy "Child's Play" sequel in "Bride of Chucky," gives the fans everything they want with "Freddy vs. Jason."
Yu unapologetically loads the film with blood, gore, drugs, sex, nudity and saucy dialogue, but unlike the early films in the series, he does it with tongue firmly planted in-cheek. It's amazing how twisted the characters -- who years ago both managed to scare the hell out of countless, unsuspecting teens -- have now become the punch line of the very horror film parody genre that succeeded it.
In fact, the film often times feels like another installment of the "Scary Movie" series, and features one of the first "Scary" stars, Lochlyn Munro, to boot. There's no doubt Yu is reveling in the ridiculousness of it all, and he gleefully churns out the slasher-movie cliches at a fast and furious pace.
While the "human" stars of "Freddy vs. Jason" should be commended for intentionally making themselves look like idiots (well, maybe some did it intentionally), the movie would be nothing without Freddy and Jason.
Love 'em or hate 'em, the characters are a permanent part of our popular culture, and Englund (with his wicked wit) and Kirzinger (with his daunting presence) keep them alive and well with "Freddy vs. Jason." And while the ending suggests some finality, don't be surprised if these bad boys come back for more. Some monsters just can't be killed.
(out of four)
Let me just, for the lack of a better word, cut to the chase: the long-awaited slasher movie "Freddy vs. Jason" is a scream.
But not the sort of scream as in scary scream; I'm talking about the laugh-out-loud funny kind of scream.
The amazing thing is, most of the laughs are intentional, and the others come from some acting that's so bad it's good. If you're a fan of the slasher genre (in particular, the "Nightmare on Elm Street" and/or "Friday the 13th" films), you won't be disappointed.
As for everybody else, well, get ready to roll your eyes a lot and let out some serious groans. But even if you think the movie is outright stupid, you'll still have a hard time arguing that it's not entertaining.
The plot (if you want to call it that) of this long-awaited match-up of two of modern horror's greatest icons seems to have a kernel of potential, that is, until the blood starts to gush.
At the beginning of the movie we find Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) in hell -- and in more ways than one. He's there in the literal sense, of course, but perhaps worse yet, he can't find a way to get into children and teens' dreams to massacre them. That's because the parents on Springwood have found a way to suppress their kids' dreams (and nightmares, for that matter), throwing up a virtual roadblock on Freddy's highway from hell.
But if there's a kill, there's a way for Freddy; and the way for him to get back in business is to resurrect Jason Vorhees (Ken Kirzinger -- the eighth actor to play Jason), so the goalie-masked brute can wield his machete again to instill fear into the hearts of potential victims.
But when Jason gets out of control and nabs several kills for himself, Freddy gets angry; thus setting up the inevitably bloody match-up that fans have been waiting to see for years. Caught in-between are Lori, Kia (Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland) and Lori's institutionalized boyfriend Will (Jason Ritter) who may be able to stop the situation from turning into a complete free-for-all.
Director Ronny Yu, who delivered a queasy and uneasy "Child's Play" sequel in "Bride of Chucky," gives the fans everything they want with "Freddy vs. Jason."
Yu unapologetically loads the film with blood, gore, drugs, sex, nudity and saucy dialogue, but unlike the early films in the series, he does it with tongue firmly planted in-cheek. It's amazing how twisted the characters -- who years ago both managed to scare the hell out of countless, unsuspecting teens -- have now become the punch line of the very horror film parody genre that succeeded it.
In fact, the film often times feels like another installment of the "Scary Movie" series, and features one of the first "Scary" stars, Lochlyn Munro, to boot. There's no doubt Yu is reveling in the ridiculousness of it all, and he gleefully churns out the slasher-movie cliches at a fast and furious pace.
While the "human" stars of "Freddy vs. Jason" should be commended for intentionally making themselves look like idiots (well, maybe some did it intentionally), the movie would be nothing without Freddy and Jason.
Love 'em or hate 'em, the characters are a permanent part of our popular culture, and Englund (with his wicked wit) and Kirzinger (with his daunting presence) keep them alive and well with "Freddy vs. Jason." And while the ending suggests some finality, don't be surprised if these bad boys come back for more. Some monsters just can't be killed.Copyright 2004 by Lifewhile.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
