In what was the first horror-beast battle crossover event of the new millennium, 2003's "Freddy vs. Jason" delivers exactly what it promises: Two well-known, well-worn horror icons going head-to-head, with a small group of hapless and helpless teenage cannon-fodder caught in the middle.
The basic premise is not terribly bright, even if it is still quite detailed, overall: In Hell, razor-fingered, dream-stalking child killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) calls upon machete-wielding, hockey-masked mass murderer Jason Voorhees (now played by stuntman Ken Kirzinger, having replaced series regular Kane Hodder, who had portrayed Jason Voorhees in four films previously) to initiate a killing spree of his own in Krueger's former stomping grounds of Springwood, Ohio, in the hopes that the bloodshed would create enough fear amongst the town's young people for him to return from Hell and start his dream-stalking reign of terror all over again.
However, Krueger doesn't account for the possibility that by bringing Jason back from the dead, that he would eventually lose control over him, and thus take away from his pool of potential victims and THUS jeopardizing his own well-laid plans. Caught in the middle of it, are Lori Campbell (Monica Keena), her close friend Kia Waterson (Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland), Lori's formerly institutionalized boyfriend Will Rollins (Jason Ritter), Will's fellow inmate Mark Davis (Brendan Fletcher), stalwart nerd Charlie Linderman (Christopher George Marquette), pothead Freeburg (Kyle Labine), and recent sheriff's department transplant Deputy Scott Stubbs (Lochlyn Munro). Now you know all that you need to know about them as their group numbers start to dwindle as the battle between Freddy and Jason rages on, and these teens struggle to find a way to survive and stop their bloody rampage.
I was a senior in high school at the time of the film's release in August 2003, and did sort of embrace the film - but only at arm's length, really. I had only recently developed a fixation with horror films and was not particularly a fan of the original "Friday the 13th" (1980), but I loved "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984). So, I may have only enjoyed the film halfway because I love Freddy Krueger but do not care much for Jason Voorhees. But this is all beside the point.
In terms of the production, "Freddy vs. Jason" looks great and feels exactly like what a big-budget, special effects-driven and blood- and gore-drenched live-action comic book horror movie crossover event should feel. Ronny Yu, known in Hong Kong mainly for his action and martial arts movie fanfare there, and who had previously directed the horror-comedy sequel "Bride of Chucky" in 1998, brings what he learned in Asia to a uniquely American concept - and that is primarily a frenetic pace gleamed from his years working in Asian action cinema. It's an interesting marriage of East and West that hasn't really been witnessed again in the horror genre since this film's release in 2003.
Having seen the again film today for the first time in ages, "Freddy vs. Jason" does feel very much like a product of its era in the early 21st century. Has it aged well? In a sense, yes; its largely prosthetic make-up and gore special effects still hold up, but when you factor in the fact that since 2003 both the "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchises have seen ultimately disappointing reboots (I readily admit my fondness for the 2009 "Friday the 13th" reboot, but I digress), "Freddy vs. Jason" does start to feel dated. It feels like a legacy piece, since it was the last real time that Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees were portrayed by their respective series regulars and the product still felt like something genuinely connected to what came before it.
For that, it should probably be commended - if nothing else (and no sequel crossover with the "Evil Dead" franchise ever materialized, either).
6/10.
The basic premise is not terribly bright, even if it is still quite detailed, overall: In Hell, razor-fingered, dream-stalking child killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) calls upon machete-wielding, hockey-masked mass murderer Jason Voorhees (now played by stuntman Ken Kirzinger, having replaced series regular Kane Hodder, who had portrayed Jason Voorhees in four films previously) to initiate a killing spree of his own in Krueger's former stomping grounds of Springwood, Ohio, in the hopes that the bloodshed would create enough fear amongst the town's young people for him to return from Hell and start his dream-stalking reign of terror all over again.
However, Krueger doesn't account for the possibility that by bringing Jason back from the dead, that he would eventually lose control over him, and thus take away from his pool of potential victims and THUS jeopardizing his own well-laid plans. Caught in the middle of it, are Lori Campbell (Monica Keena), her close friend Kia Waterson (Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland), Lori's formerly institutionalized boyfriend Will Rollins (Jason Ritter), Will's fellow inmate Mark Davis (Brendan Fletcher), stalwart nerd Charlie Linderman (Christopher George Marquette), pothead Freeburg (Kyle Labine), and recent sheriff's department transplant Deputy Scott Stubbs (Lochlyn Munro). Now you know all that you need to know about them as their group numbers start to dwindle as the battle between Freddy and Jason rages on, and these teens struggle to find a way to survive and stop their bloody rampage.
I was a senior in high school at the time of the film's release in August 2003, and did sort of embrace the film - but only at arm's length, really. I had only recently developed a fixation with horror films and was not particularly a fan of the original "Friday the 13th" (1980), but I loved "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984). So, I may have only enjoyed the film halfway because I love Freddy Krueger but do not care much for Jason Voorhees. But this is all beside the point.
In terms of the production, "Freddy vs. Jason" looks great and feels exactly like what a big-budget, special effects-driven and blood- and gore-drenched live-action comic book horror movie crossover event should feel. Ronny Yu, known in Hong Kong mainly for his action and martial arts movie fanfare there, and who had previously directed the horror-comedy sequel "Bride of Chucky" in 1998, brings what he learned in Asia to a uniquely American concept - and that is primarily a frenetic pace gleamed from his years working in Asian action cinema. It's an interesting marriage of East and West that hasn't really been witnessed again in the horror genre since this film's release in 2003.
Having seen the again film today for the first time in ages, "Freddy vs. Jason" does feel very much like a product of its era in the early 21st century. Has it aged well? In a sense, yes; its largely prosthetic make-up and gore special effects still hold up, but when you factor in the fact that since 2003 both the "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchises have seen ultimately disappointing reboots (I readily admit my fondness for the 2009 "Friday the 13th" reboot, but I digress), "Freddy vs. Jason" does start to feel dated. It feels like a legacy piece, since it was the last real time that Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees were portrayed by their respective series regulars and the product still felt like something genuinely connected to what came before it.
For that, it should probably be commended - if nothing else (and no sequel crossover with the "Evil Dead" franchise ever materialized, either).
6/10.