Freddy vs. Jason

That's what I felt after seeing this film, Freddy Vs. Jason. Right when they introduced the characters I knew them so well, their personalities, emotions, motives and all, that not one human character could have (or would have tried to) surprise me with ingenuity in their performances. So, that's the downside to Freddy Vs. Jason, a downside that will either poke the viewer harshly in the ribs, or will just remain as the typical, expectedly lame backdrop for the match-up. I felt a little of both, though I tried to be confident that the main show would be worth the Hollywood-ish mish-mash.

The main show, however, is the only reason to see the movie: Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund), the old gent from Elm Street, is down in hell wanting another grab at 'his' children, so he implements a sort of decoy in the form of lake-boy Jason Voorhees, who begins slaying far more than Freddy could want to see for someone other than himself. So, he decides that it's time to kick some a**, and that's when the fun begins.

To die-hards of both series (I like a few from each series, and personally, I'm more for Freddy than Jason in the genre because at least Freddy can give some funny dialog in terrifying moments while Jason stares blankly, except for when his mother calls him) this is like seeing two legends standing up in the ring for a prizefight. Each one has their weaknesses, but they each know who to throw their punches with style, and (we hope) that they can stay invincible until the last round. I won't reveal who wins (they're enough skeeves on the message boards doing that), but what I can say is that if it only wasn't for the people in the movie (I'll exclude the Jay rip-off since he garnered the most laughs) acting so blandly, strategically like how they're told to do in such a piece, this would've been a near excellent horror movie. Never-the-less, that could be considered moot, since that's what's to ALWAYS be expected for these gobledy-gook slasher pieces. The point is, I didn't leave the theater feeling swindled by the hype of the matching (unlike how I would if they ever, EVER decide to make a Superman vs. Batman piece of drek). C+

Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)

To start off, I think that any fan of any series of movies will come back for the next sequel and the next and the next etc., no matter what kind of garabage is placed in front of them. Freddy Vs. Jason wasn't complete garabage, it was okay. Freddy Krueger is now powerless since the children of Elm St. are taking a certain drug to stop their dreams, so he consults Jason Voorhees to kill the children until Freddy has power to kill again, but Jason goes on a rampage and won't stop killing in what results in a final battle of evil vs. evil. Ronny Yu, director of The Bride Of Chucky makes a neat direction in this movie, and his certain style of filmmaking added a touch that none of the Elm Street of Friday the 13th films had before. Of course, Robert Englund returns as Freddy, but Kane Hodder (who has played Jason in most of the films) is replaced by another actor. Kelly Rowland and Monica Keena pretty much lead this movie. I also noticed Katharine Isabelle from 2002's TV movie "Carrie". I have to say that fans of either series will be pleased, but other horror goers may not. Also, do not, I repeat do not watch this if you have a weak stomach. It's about one of the goriest movies I've ever seen. Bottom Line: Fans will be pleased, others will not. 7/10.

Considering the relatively mediocre depths both the "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare o Elm Street" franchises have sunken to in the past, this is quite the crowd pleaser, just so long as you know what to expect from a title like "Freddy vs. Jason".

Yes, the non-killer teen characters may as well have numbers instead of names and they seem to go out of their way to move the plot or offer themselves up for slaughter, but that's to be expected at this point and this movie isn't trying to reinvent the wheel. Instead, it tends to lean into its slasher trappings and embrace them in a fun, self-aware way that doesn't come off as annoying or pretentious like "Scream". After all, you watch this movie to see how they bring 2 of the biggest 80's horror icons to do battle in whatever form that takes. As far as that aspect is concerned, you definitely get your money's worth and not just in terms of a Mortal Kombat style deathmatch, but the clever ways the filmmakers use the characters' lore to actually draw them together in a "plausible" way that actually makes this a proper sequel to both franchises and doesn't feel totally disjointed for the sake of a one-off crossover. While this definitely shouldn't be anyone's introduction to either character, it also doesn't require an encyclopedic knowledge of the past 17 movies either.

For fans, this is loads of dumb, tongue-in-cheek fun with just enough of everything you love from Freddy and Jason (not least of which being a respectable body count)

So bloody awful it's pretty good just for the final battle. Comical, fun battle between Freddy and Jason. People die by Freddy and Jason. I guess Michael Myers is at home watching the action, most likely giggling to himself.

It's all about Freddy taking over Jason so Jason can kill the Elm Street kids. All this will free Freddy from limbo and everyone will remember the name Freddy Krueger. Kids are killed. Freddy and Jason battle it out in The End.

I like this one fairly well, it does have a little bit of the vibes of the original Elm Street film mixed with the 13th franchise. This one takes a little bit of time to get going good, about 20 minutes, but once it gets going it's kinda fun to watch. No it's not a great movie but it is fun in it's way.

6/10

Freddy's dead and he can't get the old killing spree going again, so he wakes up Jason Voorhees to scare the kids into wetting their pants so Freddy can feed off of their fear. But like the sorcerer's apprentice, Jason, once turned on cannot be turned off, so Freddy faces off with Jason for the right to be the #1 serial killer while a bunch of busty idiot girls look on. And as we all know, after the endless line of sequels, by this entry the killers' are our friends so really you're rooting for them and not the idiot teenagers.

Of the teens, Jason Ritter is the only one who seems to know how to act (shame about his dad, John Ritter). Monica Keena is cute but she needs to lose the implants. What is Kelly Rowland doing in here? Robert Englund's as funny as ever, and Ken Kirzinger is a capable Jason. I still don't see why New Line Cinema didn't want to bring back Kane Hodder though. They say they wanted to take Jason in a new direction, but they DID NOT take Jason in a new direction. Jason's still the same hulking mute murderer he's always been, just a tad taller and bigger than before (and somehow he's got both of his eyes back). I don't see a big difference between Kane, Ken and all the rest, but Kane has professed great fondness and dedication to role of Jason, so I feel that if Kane was willing to play the part again (and it's hard to find people who are willing to be all painted up in gory make up mind you) then New Line should have accepted his services. It did feel that they were trying to make Jason out to be the more sympathetic of the two killers, but that doesn't change the fact that Jason killed the bulk of the film's teens.

Well, anyway, you get the usual dose of sex, drugs, violence, rock & roll and below par acting. So truly turn off your brain and enjoy the mayhem.