Friday the 13th is a 2009 horror slasher film directed by Marcus Nispel, starring Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, and Derek Mears. The film follows Clay Miller (Padalecki) as he searches for his missing sister, Whitney (Righetti), who is captured by Jason Voorhees (Mears) while camping at Crystal Lake.
The story goes at a good pace, allowing for characters to be fleshed out which is more than I can say for most of the films. The film reveals Jason’s past so that he doesn’t come off as being evil which can do wonders for fleshing out the character. Clay’s storyline is perhaps the most standout. It is personal and actually allows his character to actually cross paths with Jason. Loved the opening sequence which does a great job of showing what kind of Jason Vorhees that we’re getting.
Then there’s the pacing. I’ve seen other reviewers talk about how boring the film is but honestly, I liked the change of pace. Slowing down things allowed for better standout moments for the characters. There are certain sequences that do feel like they’re put in for the sake of convenience. For example, Jenna invites Clay into Trent’s house for no apparent reason only to have Trent and Clay nearly fight. Then there’s Clay’s sister who happens to resemble Jason’s mother. It was predictable and for the most part you knew who was going to live and who was going to die. Is that the fault of the film or just the fault of the formula, I don’t know.
Despite the character tropes, many of the characters actually have personality. Characters that actually standout are Clay, Jenna, Whitney, and Trent. Clay is a likable character; he has motivation, he has personality. Of all the friends, Jenna is probably the most likable. Jason is better written, not only in terms of story but also the personality. He actually acts like a hunter, setting up traps and tracking his victims, showing his experience and time in the forest. These archetypes aren’t new to the series, but I think they’re played a little better this time around.
The story and setting are good though the characters could’ve been better. (3 out of 5)
The film features a good use of practical effects. The Jason character design looks really good, like the character has actually stayed in the woods his entire life. The kill sequences look authentic though there is good use of cgi. There’s some pretty creative cinematography, especially when it comes to the kills. The Crystal Lake setting plays more of a prominent role, so that it feels relevant, like this story couldn’t be told anywhere but Crystal Lake.
The score is pretty good, though it doesn’t follow the traditional Friday the 13th soundtrack. However, it does help to maintain a darker tone for the film. I will admit that it’s hard to watch a Friday the 13th movie without the awesome Friday the 13th music.
Visually this is a good-looking movie and although the music isn’t as memorable is still effective. (3 out of 5)
I will admit that I did enjoy the cast and thought they did a good job for what they were working with. Honestly, the standout is Jared Padalecki. He’s best known for his role as Sam Winchester in the tv show Supernatural which ran fifteen seasons. He’s good in the role and his talents do make him a sympathetic character on screen. The performances are okay, there aren’t really any that stand out above the others except for Righetti.
The director of the film is Marcus Nispel who directed the 2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2007 Pathfinder, and the 2011 Conan the Barbarian. He’s got a decent eye for remakes as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a highly praised film while Conan the Barbarian and Pathfinder were met with weaker results.
The film does a great job of maintaining its suspense, though it does still follow many of the familiar tropes. The script is decent, with the exception of some conveniences as well as poorly written characters. If you like slasher films with violent kills, drug use and plenty of nudity, this is the film for you. I will admit that some of the characterization could be stronger. One thing to remember is that archetypes do serve a purpose but because of the longevity of the series have worn out their welcome. This film could’ve distinguished itself from the others by digging deeper into the characters and changing the formula. It isn’t scary by any means but that doesn’t make it a bad horror film. Hell, I was never scared of the originals and a lot of horror films I like aren’t that scary to me.
The dialogue itself is okay but can be cringe at time. I would love to see these movies have conversations that are actually thought provoking. I was so annoyed going back and watching the originals and realizing that a lot of the dialogue is just plain bad. A lot of times garbage actually. I like that the dialogue here doesn’t surround Jason and Camp Crystal Lake like the others.
One of the best aspects of the script is the characterization of Jason. I’ve always had trouble with how the character was portrayed in the original series. This time around they’ve given him layers and actually make him feel like the slasher that he is. Here, he’s pretty smart and knows how to set up traps. This is a big departure than when the characters getting killed off being stupid. I like the transition of the film from bag head to hockey mask.
The performances, writing and direction aren’t perfect but they’re decent. (3 out of 5)
The Verdict: In the end, Friday the 13th might not be the best remake but compared to the original series, it’s a much better sequel. Yes, it doesn’t do enough creatively to change up the formula or distinguish itself from the previous films, there are the archetypes that could’ve been fleshed out more, and the poor pacing and some lacking performances. But what it does do good is the characterization of Jason, pretty creative kills, a lot of violence and nudity, and some pretty cool cinematography. It might not be perfect but it’s a decent slasher. Friday the 13th gets 3 out of 5.
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