Tuesdays With TheMovieVlog

"Hey, cut that out. That's not funny!"

Story: Once again, the film opens with a six minute recap of the ending to Part 2. I guess they really didn't think we would ever be able to have movie marathons when they made these films. After the opening credits, we are introduced to Harold and Edna, who really don't stick around very long. Edna is watching the evening news and we learn that this film is taking place right after part 2. I do like the opening quite a bit. We get to see Jason stalking around Harold and Edna's house/store, creating a lot of tension until he is ready to kill.

In the next scene, we are introduced to our new group of teenagers. We meet Chris (our new final girl) and her friends as they are on their way to Higgin's Haven at Camp Crystal Lake. While they are driving, they pass Harold's home/store and see the bodies getting taken away in an ambulance. Chris tries not to worry too much about it, even though she has a dark past with Camp Crystal Lake.

Throughout the story, we learn that Chris had been attacked by a hideously deformed man at Crystal Lake two years prior. This is why she is so afraid to be back at Higgin's Haven, even though her summer fling Rick is there to make her feel better. Everyone seems to be having a great time until they start getting picked off one by one, once again.

Acting: The acting in this one isn't quite up to par with the first two films for me. Richard Brooker as Jason is the stand out. A lot of people complain about Dana Kimmell (Chris), but to me, she is not the problem. I actually like her as the final girl a lot. She has to portray a lot of emotions, especially with her back story, and I feel like she pulls it off. The acting of the side characters are definitely worse. By far the very worst is Rachel Howard (Chili). Her screaming and yelling is just awful and doesn't seem genuine. I'll forever hear her yelling, "Shelly's dead" as long as I live.

Fear Factor: Let's start with the elephant in the room. The 3D effects are pretty awful and do nothing but take you out of the movie. A lot of times you can see the strings they are using to pull things towards the camera. I find most of these little tricks to be annoying, and I never ever want to actually watch this one in 3D. I don't want any YO-YO's hitting me in the face!

Besides the opening kills, it does take around 40 minutes before any more characters start getting picked off. Even though they take a while to get to, I still really like the kills in this entry. We get a perfect mix of off screen kills and some fantastic practical effects. One of my very favorite kills is in this movie and it involves a speargun. You know the one.

Also, I find this version of Jason to be the scariest in the whole series. I know this is mainly due to my nostalgia, because the first time I saw this movie was at a sleepover. I couldn't sleep that night after watching Jason slash through all of these characters. None of the other portrayals of Jason made me feel this way. Not to mention, Chris' back story about Jason attacking her has many fans believing that he sexually assaulted her. That's truly terrifying.

Originality: This was the first film in the series that didn't involve the camp being reopened. It was also the first film in the series that tried to develop all of its character more, even when we didn't need it. Of course, I can't fail to mention that Jason dawns his iconic hockey mask in this one. Thank you for that, Shelly.

Besides those few points, it pretty much repeats the formula of the first two movies. If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Overall: I do think I'm in the minority when I say that this is one of my favorite Friday the 13th films. It has the scariest Jason and characters that we've all come to know and love. I definitely enjoy this sequel more than part 2 and always have it ranked highly. Chris might not be everyone's favorite final girl, but she was always a badass babe to me who put up one hell of fight.

Scores:

Story: 3/5

Acting: 3/5

Fear Factor: 5/5

Originality: 4/5

Special Effects: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

TheMovieVlog did another great job this week. It is not one of my favorite Jason's but it is when he becomes the unstoppable force that we know as Jason Voorhees. The Special Effects were the worst but every movie that tries 3-D has to play to that camera and I hate it. But! it still is not as bad as a lifeless shark, not moving, breaking sugar glass and everyone running. That will always be the worst effect in history.

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