Friday the 13th (2009) – Blu Ray Review
The Film:
(Theatrical): Earlier this year, we gave Friday the 13th kind of a nice hard slap. You can reread that review here or watch episode 1 of KillerFilm TV for a video review here.
(Killer Cut): Now, while I’m not usually the one to be swayed, as this new extended cut, affectionately called the Killer Cut, adds a little over ten minutes to the film, but my original thoughts have changed on the film. Simply put: I like it and I like it a lot.Why the change? Most critics don’t get time to maul over their thoughts on the film for very long, and my personal knee-jerk reaction was that I didn’t care for it. Luckily, I get the chance here to view it again and my assessment has switched. Now, this new cut really doesn’t changed the film that much. We get more of the staples of a Friday the 13th film, which are boobs and blood, and yes, these are part of the extended cut. It also adds more to a subplot, but really nothing here in this new cut drastically changed the film, especially since I didn’t care for it after first seeing it. I just think, after the hype (and again for me, there was plenty of hype) I just watched it as a Jason film, and then everything hit me.
This new Friday the 13th is more or less just like any of the other Fridays. What works is the intensity of Jason. Derek Mears is Jason. Sorry, Kane Hodder. In fact, he might be my favorite. Mears is big, he offers Jason intelligence, but not too much. In the realm of this world, Jason, surviving on his own, would develop skills to survive in the woods, and that’s what he does. I think this adds a dimension that actually gives a terrifying aspect to the character. I think this is an important ingredient, but not the main factor for my switch. I think the thing is that they just rip-roared through this film from the start. The only real character development for Jason is the opening black-and-white prologue and the teens are pretty typical, yet instantly identifiable, so the writers and Marcus Nispel just hit the ground running. The pacing is impressive; there’s no slag or down time, we get the typical conventions for this franchise on time, like clockwork. Boobs, death, and repeat. While this film offers us very few new things like the Voorhees house having an underground tunnel allowing Jason quicker access to kill or the previously mentioned character traits for Jason, I think that caused the initial negative reaction. The same, I felt, but upon a second viewing, I now think it’s perfect. Why stray too far from this franchise’s formula? Remember when they did? Yeah, ugh.
Now, despite switching assessment, the film still isn’t perfect, and while this doesn’t bug me like it did the first time, the flaws are pretty apparent. I still don’t like the locals, they feel as if they’re leftovers from Nispel’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and speaking of him, I don’t think he added to this film, and in fact, might have hurt it. His use of an almost too dark cinematography and set designs feel too much like they belong to Leatherface hurt the film in my opinion. Â And while it might just be the fact they shot this in Texas, it never really felt like an upper New England or Midwest location like we know Camp Crystal Lake to be. Two different franchises, two different looks, but that memo missed Nispel’s office. The kills are probably the tamest in any of the previous sequels, which for a Jason fan, is a terrible shame. I think those three issues must be addressed, as there are a few other things I want to nitpick, but now I feel as if they don’t warrant it.
So, Friday the 13th (2009) is more of the same, but easily better than half the sequels, and offers us a brave new, meaner Jason (thanks again to Derek Mears) and an almost nice new spin on the mythos. Room for improvement for the inevitable return? Oh yes, but watch it again, and feel the fun, because it’s just that… a lot of fun.
The Blu Ray:
Audio/Video: I think in both areas, each aspect is pretty good for high def standards, but I did expect more. The audio is bass heavy only in spots, little rear action and is a bit soft. Maybe I just expected a horror film to have a better sound design. The video is good looking to but at times soft. Don’t get me wrong; the Blu Ray is the preferred option to see this film in, it just doesn’t wow as I expected it too.
Picture-in-Picture Trivia Track: This is more of a video version of a commentary track, since oddly, Nispel didn’t provide us with one (even though I think there was like two or three on his Texas Chain Saw disc). Interviews, set footage, and and script talk fill out the info here. There is also a text-based trivia track to play, preferably with this, that offers up info on the series (that I think most die-hards will know by now).
Rebirth of Jason Voorhees: In HD, this short piece offers us more interviews on which they discuss the themes, the make-up and the man himself, Jason. Decent little watch.
Hacking Back/Slashing Forward: In HD, this one gives us the cast again but this time telling their fond memories of the series as they grew up until being cast for the film. Mildly interesting.
7 Best Kills: This is the meat of the extras to watch, running 23 minutes, this is the how-to guide for the film’s kills and effects. Good stuff.
BD-Live, Digital Copy, and a few more deleted scenes round out the extras.
Conclusion: I changed my mind, something I don’t normally do, as I enjoyed this remake very much. The Blu Ray is good, but could be better, especially in the extras. Easy buy for fans, and an easy rental for the curious.
Rating: 
