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A long time Freddy fan myself, seems old razor
boy has been getting a bit bored. Weakened and in the midst of a
lull, Freddy has been biding his time, just waiting to get back into the
thick of things on elm Street, like committing horrific slasher acts.
As to be expected, out of sight out of mind and over the years, the Elm
Street residents have forgotten all about poor Freddy and due to their
forgetfulness, he is unable to penetrate their dreams and come to life.
As luck would have it though, Freddy finds a way to transport the immortal
killer himself, Jason Voorhees, to Elm Street which results in Jason
committing his own brand of slashing and hacking with a steadily rising
body
count. And of course, once body bags appear, Freddy's name is on the
tip of everyone's tongue.
On seeing a body bag roll out of a Elm Street
residence, one local teen goes round the bend and off the deep end,
playing right into Freddy's steely grip. The more people talk, the
stronger Freddy gets and pretty soon, Freddy is back in full force.
But there's a catch, Jason is still on the loose and no one plays on
Freddy's street but Freddy. So, Freddy sets out to send Jason back
from whence he came.
With battles raging from Elm Street to Camp
Crystal Lake, "Freddy vs. Jason" has enough blood, gore and
horror to satisfy even the most devoted fan of the genre. One or two
extraordinarily executed kills guarantee not only a gasp, but applause.
Obvious devotees of Freddy and Jason, virgin screenwriters Damian Shannon
and Mark Swift, have mastered the characters and their respective
idiosyncracies beautifully and never moreso than with Freddy, who still
delivers a very witty repartee and who still loves his own humor more than
humanly possible. Unfortunately, while the back story is told in
great detail and the expected blood and guts flow, they fall short on
developing what could have been an interesting storyline involving these
two characters rather than some gratuitous plot lines that seem out of
place in the context of the characters.
Although not as inventive or surprising as his
earlier "Bride of Chucky", director Ronny Yu (who has now
directed two generations of Ritters in horror films - John in "Bride
of Chucky" and Jason here) gives us a film far superior to other
sequels in the respective franchises. While staying true to the
respective characters and genre, not to mention a fanatical audience,
there is no lack of nostalgia here and Yu doesn't shortchange us on the
gruesome gore or comedy. Finger chopping, decapitation and death by
collapsible bed are just a few of the treats in store. Quick action
and self-deprecating humor is only enhanced by Fred Murphy's
cinematography. Murphy, responsible for "The Mothman
Prophecies" does wonders with nightwork.
Joyously, Robert Englund, in a role for which
he will be forever synonymous, returns as Freddy. No one wields a
razored finger like Englund. Disappointingly, the powers that be at
New Line opted to replace perhaps the best Jason in the Friday the 13th
series, Kane Hodder, with stuntman Ken Kirzinger, believing that Hodder
would be unable to take Jason to the maniacal limits called for here.
While Kirzinger does a fine job, I believe Hodder had a better grasp of
the character and would have delivered if called upon. Jason Ritter,
Monica Keena and Kelly Rowland are merely tools for our "stars"
and while adequate, fall short of some of their predecessor teenaged
victims in the fear department.
Sure, some will think this movie dumb.
Sure, some will think it funny or even ridiculous. But while not a
film masterpiece by any means, "Jason vs. Freddy" is destined to
become a cult classic and a box office hit. So place your bets -
will it be Freddy or Jason whose still standing at the end of it all.
Ding. Ding.
Freddy Krueger: Robert Englund
Jason Voorhees: Ken Kirzinger
Lori: Monica Keena
Kia: Kelly Rowland
Will: Jason Ritter
Tim: James Callahan
A New Line Cinema picture. Written
by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift based on characters by Wes Craven and
Victor Miller. Directed by Ronny Yu. Rated R. (97 minutes)
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