Hollywood has pretty much beaten the concept of 3D movies into the ground over the last few years. It seems like every big studio blockbuster is either filmed in or converted to 3D whether it suits the movie or not. I mean, did Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby need to be released in 3D? Was James Cameron's Titanic begging for a 3D re-release last year? But if you think this gimmick is something relatively recent, you're quite mistaken. If you take a trip back to the '50s, you'd find a ton of horror and science fiction movies hitting theaters and drive-ins in 3D. Clint Eastwood even made his big-screen debut in a 3D movie, the 1955 "Universal Monster" movie Revenge of the Creature.
The "golden era" of 3D fizzled out as the '50s came to an end. But the gimmick went through a brief revival during the '80s, which included movies like the poorly-received third entries in the Jaws and Amityville Horror franchises. But the one movie from that period that always caught my eye was Friday the 13th Part III. I have never and will never hide my affection for the Friday the 13th movies, and as a fan of the 3D gimmick when it's used effectively, I can totally get behind the idea of my favorite horror movie franchise going into the third dimension. So considering that today is Friday the 13th, let's take a look back at the lone 3D entry into the saga of Jason Voorhees.
Twenty-four hours after the end of Part 2, word of the horrific events that took place is starting to trickle out to the news media. But this is of no concern to Chris (Dana Kimmell) and her friends, who have rented some property overlooking Crystal Lake for a weekend of fun and relaxation. While Chris wants to use the weekend to rekindle her relationship with an old flame named Rick (Paul Kratka), someone else has other plans. Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) is still alive and passing through the area, and when Jason's in town, people are going to die.
Hollywood has really been trying to cram the 3D format down our throats lately, seemingly trying to convince us that it can be a storytelling tool instead of just the silly gimmick it really is. It wasn't always like that, as the brief 3D revival during the '80s didn't even attempt to hide that movies were using it as a cheap way to draw people in. Friday the 13th Part III fully embraces it, throwing things out at the audience and reveling in its own cheesiness. And it's all the more fun for it.
Director Steve Miner returns to for his second consecutive Friday the 13th movie, and his work is only slightly improved over what he did with the second one. The biggest difference is how Miner puts the cinematography to use. There are some really fantastic crane shots and other bits of camerawork that really work in the movie's favor. Granted, a lot of it is done with the intent of playing with the 3D first and foremost, but they're still done with a flair that adds some personality to the movie.
Unfortunately, Miner falls into a lot of the same traps that plagued him during the making of Friday the 13th Part 2. There are more than a few moments where it feels like he's just remaking the first movie, right down to a similar jump scare at the very end. The kills are really the only elements of Part III that feel like they have any originality. Miner does manage to build some suspense and elicit some scares, but there's not a lot that really elevates it from "okay" to "good."
Miner does, however, exploit the 3D effects for all they're worth. I don't know how good it looked during the movie's theatrical release so long ago, but judging by what I have seen, the 3D isn't bad at all. While a lot of modern 3D movies use it to add depth to the picture, Friday the 13th Part III came from a day and age where 3D was only used to shove things into the viewer's face. Anything and everything will come flying at you in this movie. There are simple things like yo-yos and popping popcorn, but it escalates from there. Spears, axes, knives, machetes, pitchforks, some poor victim's eyeball, and even Jason himself will come after you in this movie. It makes the movie look kinda corny if you watch it in standard 2D, but in 3D, it's awesome.
But while Miner's direction is serviceable and the 3D effects work well, everything else is just there. Take, for example, the script credited to Martin Kitrosser and Carol Watson. Unless you're going to do some sort of postmodern satire in the vein of Scream or Behind the Mask, the script is probably the least important element of a slasher movie. I totally understand that. But Kitrosser and Watson have written something so dull that I'm surprised nobody tried telling them to punch it up a little. There's only one really likable character, the dialogue is trite, and the attempt to add a little backstory for the movie's "Final Girl" by having her seemingly assaulted by Jason as a kid seems tacked on and frankly, a little goofy. I'm not expecting something amazing out of the script for a slasher movie, but Kitrosser and Watson could have at least come up with something a little better.
And frankly, the movie's cast is pretty bad too. Again, I know I'm not getting any award-worthy performances out of a movie like this, but give me a break here. David Katims and Rachel Howard are particularly awful as a pare of blatant Cheech and Chong wannabes, while Dana Kimmell is just plain boring as the movie's "Final Girl." Maybe it's me, but Kimmell doesn't really elicit any sympathy, to the point that I probably would have rather seen the alternate, deleted ending where Jason chops her head off.
Only two actors out of the ensemble really stood out in my eyes. One was Larry Zerner, who plays his character with a ton of enthusiasm. You can tell that Zerner's having fun just being on the set, and he makes the character worth watching. I really liked Zerner a lot, and it's a bummer his character ended up being a victim.
The other standout actor is the late Richard Brooker as Jason. Brooker's Jason might not be mentioned in the same breath as the ever-popular Kane Hodder, but Brooker is still a force to be reckoned with. He makes Jason a real monster here, one that you know absolutely will not stop until he's butchered everyone in his way. I enjoyed Brooker in the role, and he really should be regarded highly on the list of those who've played Jason.
Unfortunately, I can't really call this movie one of my favorite Friday the 13th movies. It has its moments, but it's mostly just a forgettable entry in that venerable franchise. It's still worth seeing, primarily for the 3D and the origins of Jason's famous hockey mask, but Friday the 13th Part III is one of those movies that you could skip and not feel like you've missed anything. But then even at its worst, how can you go wrong with a Jason movie?
Final Rating: **½
No comments:
Post a Comment