Movie Review: Jason X (2001)
Like the rest of the series, Jason X is a movie very much aware of what it is. What it is, however, is even dumber than the other Friday movies, which were already pretty dumb.
This is basically a movie that was only made because no one was sure when Freddy vs. Jason would actually be made. While it was released in 2001, it is my understanding that it was done well before that, and just sort of sat around waiting to be released. It’s a movie no one really seemed passionate about, and it’s also a movie that was influenced heavily by 1996’s Scream. Scream changed everything as far as horror movies go, particularly in the slasher genre, and so the studio wanted this movie to be self aware. It is, though not in the same way that Scream is.
The decision to have it take place in the future was made so as to not conflict with the continuity once Jason faced off against Freddy in the present. It’s a ridiculous setting, and it’s pure jumping-the-shark. It’s schlock, and if you can enjoy that kind of thing, then there may be a lot to enjoy here.
It’s a bad movie. But if you look at it another way, so are most of the Friday movies. This is a movie that’s very aware of how dumb it is, and embraces and celebrates that fact.
There is a lot to be enjoyed here, if in a guilty pleasure sort of way. The film is definitely not boring, and it has some of the best kills in the series. The infamous liquid nitrogen kill is a favorite of many fans.
My personal favorite scene is when the crewmembers aboard the Grendel try to distract Jason in their version of Star Trek TNG’s holodeck. They recreate Camp Crystal Lake, Jason’s most familiar haunt, through holograms, and what follows doesn’t disappoint.
There’s a recreation of the fan- (and Kane Hodder)-favorite sleeping bag kill, and it’s much more excessive than the MPAA allowed it to be in Part VII.
It goes on forever, and is quite funny.
This movie is definitely not great, but I like it more than at least two in the series. It has a sense of humor about both itself and the series. For instance, what awakens Jason from being frozen is two young people having sex. Of course, that was always something that people joked about in slasher movies; if you have sex, you’ll get killed. Plenty of people have pointed out that Jason is a pretty equal-opportunity killer, with plenty of random victims that didn’t do anything wrong, like the hitchhiker in The Final Chapter, but it’s a talking point that never really left the series, so the filmmakers here decided to poke some fun at it and embrace it.
If you’ve made it through the first nine movies, then there’s nothing to lose. Check it out. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this be one of the first you watch of the series (though, ironically, it was for me), but if you’re already a fan, then you’ll find some things to enjoy here.
Rating: 4/10
