Jason X (2001) - Review Blitz
Originally published March 2015.This movie is held in somewhat low regard by people I know who have seen it and consider themselves fans of the series, but I find it to be immensely entertaining in comparison to the last couple Friday the 13th movies. Nonetheless, it seems to ignore the events of the previous movies, including the garbage that is Jason Goes to Hell, and just do its own thing. For the most part, you’re supposed to take this separate from the rest.
So, to celebrate the 10th film in the series, Jason goes to space. Like a tradition of horror movies that have gotten so bad or dumb in their franchise, it’s mandatory that it take place in space at some point. Typically, these movies are considered the lowest point in the franchise because it's gone totally off the wall and is no longer really scary. But in all honesty, has Friday the 13th ever been "too good" for a space movie? I've never thought much of these movies, so I’m totally on board with a bad movie not taking itself seriously, and if you read my review of the previous film, you know how I feel about these movies trying to take themselves seriously by this point. After Part 5 started the steady decline in quality with its New Beginning of garbage, the movies managed to be the most entertaining when they weren't trying to be scary. Jason X manages to be the most entertaining movie since the first 4 because of how stupid it knows that it is.
This movie is a comedy first, and a horror movie second. The jokes that people say are terrible and not typically funny, but even the worst actors of the bunch seem to be aware of that and are in on the joke. The first scene of the future has some nonsensical slapstick humor to give you a tonal preview of what's in store. It still has some of the Friday elements the series is known for, more than Jason Goes to Hell. Jason is still going around, killing people like he does and the characters are all just as absurd as the previous movies in terms of their qualities, attitudes, and poor acting (some are particularly bad). Eventually, he gets a metal-infused body for some arbitrary reason of trying to set itself apart from the rest of the franchise and fit into the tagline of “Evil gets an upgrade,” but it's still more of a Friday movie than the last one.
New Line Cinema
The premise is just about as dumb as Jason Goes to Hell, but half as convoluted and it doesn't make a key mistake: it doesn't take itself seriously. In a nutshell, Jason Voorhees a captive at the futuristic Crystal Lake Labs and manages to break free briefly before being frozen alive with a science officer. Several hundred years later, a university survey team comes across the remnants of the lab and takes the two of them up into space without realizing the danger they’ve put themselves in. Jason thaws, goes on a rampage in the starship, and the science officer brings everyone up to speed. The futuristic tech that usually consists of NERF guns painted sci-fi silver and poorly rendered computer-generated graphics gives more stuff for Jason to play with. I still don’t think this movie is good by anyone’s standards, but after the slog of the last few films in the franchise, it was a breath of fresh air.
See how much shorter this review was in comparison to the last one? That's because the plot is that simple and short.
Pros
Goofy and pretty entertaining as a whole
The bad acting is laughably bad
The special effects are terrible but also laughably bad
I appreciate the Cronenberg cameo at the beginning
Some of the kills are much more creative than they've been in recent memory
Cons
Minimal boob count
Feels a little too long
The reasoning behind Jason’s upgrade is pretty ridiculous even by the movie’s standards, but whatever, not a big deal
A fair amount of kills are off-screen
Not as funny on repeated viewings
Final Thoughts: Jason X
It’s a stupid movie, but I’d be willing to watch it again without gritting my teeth. Even the bad acting is so bad it’s good at certain points. The kills are more entertaining, the acting is bad, and the dialogue is dumb. Jason X is duuuuumb, but so much more entertaining than the last 5. If you want a serious thriller, this movie isn't for you. If you want dumb fun from a movie that might as well have come from the Sci-Fi channel, check it out.