Review of Freddy vs. Jason (2003) by Steven L — 25 Dec 2011

After 15 years of waiting, and 10 years after the teaser ending of Jason Goes to Hell we finally got Freddy vs. Jason and it was great. All the waiting was because they had gone through dozens of scripts for the film, none of which they had liked. For once Robert Shaye and New Line Cinema knew that this was a long awaited film and took their time with the script before rushing into it. And they did it right this time.

Freddy (Englund) has been forgotten by the kids of Elm Street, so he finds Jason (Kirzinger) to bring back from hell to kill on Elm Street so people would begin to remember him. Right there, that?s a good story plot line. We then find a new family living in 1428 Elm Street, but no one remembers Freddy and those who do have been confined to Westin Hills, an asylum where they have put people who still remember Freddy. Jason does a great job of killing, but he won?t stop. Even though Freddy, as his ?master?, has told him to stop. So Freddy drags Jason into his dream world and fights him. When the teenagers find out what is going on they decide to take them to Crystal Lake where they can finally have the final fight. Lori (Keena), drags Freddy into the real world (again!) and they fight ensues.

The film is amazing, for so many reasons. I think it?s amazing simply because it was such a long awaited film that people expected a lot and got a lot. The end fight, which is what everyone wanted to see anyway, was a very brutal, gory, bloody scene. The fight is at least 15 minutes long, maybe even 20 or 30 minutes of the movie. Which is what it should be. We get not only one but two major fights in the movie, the end fight, as well as a fight in the dream world earlier in the movie. The movie had some great actors including Monica Keena, Jason Ritter, Katherine Isabelle and of course Robert Englund (reprising his role of Freddy for an eighth film). But the film is not without at least bad actor, that being Kelly Rowland of the music group Destiny?s Child. I don?t know what Ronny Yu was thinking, but she is awful. And not awful in a good way, when her death came along it was sad that it came so late in the movie. Believe me, I was happy to see her die.

Now, some people consider this Nightmare 8 and Friday the 13th 11, but here is how I see this. This is a collaboration film of two different franchises, this is not a sequel to both of them, how can you have a sequel to both movies but have it be one movie? Makes no sense to me. Freddy vs. Jason is a stand alone film, and if there is a sequel someday it will be called Freddy vs. Jason 2 not Nightmare 9 or Friday the 13th 12, so it is a stand alone film just as Wes Craven?s New Nightmare is too.

Freddy vs. Jason was worth the wait, and other fans agreed. The film grossed over $82 million domestically and over $114 million worldwide, the highest grossing of any of the Nightmare or Friday films. Even more than some of the movies combined. A sequel has been in talks for many years now, and is beginning to look very unlikely now. Robert Englund is over 60 years old now, and a remake of both films are being done now. So, the chances of a sequel is highly unlikely. But, at least they gave us the movie and it was not a let down at all.