This 4K Ultra HD “Limited Edition” set from Arrow Video is available on September 17th.
Back in the 1980s, one of horror’s biggest franchises was the Friday the 13thseries. While the iconic Jason Voorhees character didn’t become the central antagonist until the second title, he quickly became an iconic figure with genre fans (particularly after the third picture, when he officially donned a hockey mask). The original feature spawned seven sequels in the 80s alone (as well as a TV series that didn’t really have anything to do with Voorhees), and another three movies in the following 15 years.
So, there was little surprise when a remake was announced in 2009 by Michael Bay and his Platinum Dunes production company. The film was a box office success, but like other films in the series, didn’t earn a positive critical reception. While further follow-ups were planned, behind-the-scenes rights issues have prevented more films from being made. Regardless, many genre fans did appreciate the Friday the 13th reboot and are still hoping for more Jason Voorhees mayhem.
Arrow Video is now presenting a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD set of Friday the 13th that contains the theatrical and extended “Killer Cut” of the movie (which runs an additional 9 minutes). The transfer was prepared by Arrow Video from source materials obtained from Warner Bros.. Both cuts of the movie look fantastic and the set contains a great deal of bonus material both old and new that will thrill anyone who enjoys these pictures.
The story begins with Whitney (Amanda Righetti) and her friends heading out on a camping trip. They end up pitching their tents near Camp Crystal Lake and barely have time to settle in before Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) rampages through their site. Some time later, Whitney’s brother Clay (Jared Padalecki) arrives in the area searching for her. He encounters the nasty Trent Sutton (Travis Van Winkle), who is taking his girlfriend Jenna (Danielle Panabaker) and their friends to his father’s swanky cabin for a weekend party (even though he seems more than irked at the thought of anyone doing damage to the place). Anyway, Jason reappears and the group find themselves being hunted.
For me, this is a decent redo. It certainly has its share of flaws, but benefits from a wonderfully fun first act (that it never quite manages to top). The first 25 minutes rehash the first few titles in the original series with incredible speed, efficiency and wit. For the audience at the time, this approach was completely unexpected, with the kids showing up and then being mercilessly hacked to pieces in quick succession. The murder sequences are creative, and most importantly, darkly humorous. It’s an entertaining homage that also manages to thrill and generate laughs in a remarkably short amount of time.
The issue with a movie that opens so strongly is that it really has no way to top itself. When the main story starts, there’s only slightly more than an hour left in the running time to introduce a new set of leads and get the action moving. As a result, with the exception of worried brother Clay, every other character is about as one-note as it gets. This includes the standard creep, drug user, “nice” girl, etc.. It’s simple to the point where the first group of campers who didn’t make it out of the first act feel more developed. There are a few inventive deaths (including a pair that occur on the lake) and the film still delivers what fans will enjoy, but almost all the new characters are cannon fodder and events begin to feel repetitive, especially since there is no one to really relate to except Clay.
The camera also shakes wildly during the bloody attacks to the point where it can be difficult to follow the action. This cinematic technique was commonly used during this era and personally, I am thrilled that it died out in the following years.
Still, none of my nitpicks are quite enough to ruin the experience. This is a very well-produced slasher. While I don’t care for the shaky camera approach to the murders, the movie is still impressively lit. And thankfully, the climax does offer a new story twist or two that helps to maintain interest. It certainly delivers a satisfying final face-off between Voorhees and the remaining lead or leads.
Admittedly, this is a solid reimagining that is better than other remakes of the era. Fans of the series and Jason Voorhees will definitely find something to like here. And as mentioned, the presentation is outstanding. The 4K Ultra HD presentation is incredibly clean, even though much of it takes place at night. It certainly outperforms the previous Blu-ray from Warner Bros. and offers the sharpest version of the picture that has ever been available.
The extras are also outstanding. The theatrical edition contains a new commentary from director Marcus Nispel and another featuring the screenwriters. These are entertaining tracks that go into detail about how everyone approached the remake, trying to both serve those who loved the previous entries and still add something fresh to the proceedings, as well as the problems they encountered.
There is also an interview with cinematographer Daniel C. Pearl. His first film was the 1974 classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (as well as the 2003 Chainsaw redo and the recent chiller The Boy) and he discusses his craft lighting and shooting these pictures.
There is also a new video essay about “remakes” from an individual who really, really likes this movie. He makes a couple of good points about giving remakes a chance, but goes a bit far in some of his arguments (particularly in his assertion that this effort is the franchise’s best picture). Still, it’s an amusing watch.
The extended ”Killer Cut” of the movie also comes with a film historian commentary. Much like the previous extra, there is some interesting analysis. This includes how the movie attempts to update certain tropes, as well as plenty of information about what was going on in the horror genre at the time of production. Some of their assertions are a bit much, like the defense of the blunt characterizations and, at one point, insisting that the movie is intentionally making a comment on the financial crisis of 2008. The argument feels like a big stretch.
The set also contains all archival bonuses from earlier editions, which are plentiful. This includes a terror trivia track that runs through much of the film, featurettes on the production, deleted scenes, and nearly 45 minutes of promo materials including trailers, TV spots, the electronic press kit with interviews, and an image gallery.
If that wasn’t enough, this release also arrives with a fancy booklet containing new essays on the picture reversible sleeve, a double-sided fold-out poster, as well as an amusing Crystal Lake postcard.
For me, this Friday the 13th film lands somewhere in the middle of the franchise. It isn’t flawless, but it does deliver an amazing opening act and some gruesome, graphic fun along the way. There certainly is plenty to like in this title and it’s the best of the Platinum Dunes series of remakes. As for the 4K Ultra HD package, it is the best presentation and extras-filled set in the series and tops just about any other individual release of any of the movies in the series.
If you’re a slasher film or Friday the 13th series enthusiast, this is a must-buy.