Please Note: This review will be divided in multiple parts. These parts will be posted at a later date.
While we aren't getting a new film in the 'Friday the 13th' series anytime soon due to the ongoing lawsuit, at least we've been given quite the treat from Scream! Factory this year with this massive 16 disc box set. Scream! worked with Warner Bros and Paramount Pictures to give us the definitive 'Friday' experience, or at least the best we can possibly ask for in 2020. Because this is a daunting task I have before me, this will be a special review or rather a series of reviews going over each portion of the set with a final review overall at the end of the week.
So starting out we'll be reviewing the first four films in the series and only the movies. The special features, audio/visual quality and other elements will be discussed in a later review. So, let us begin with 1980's 'Friday the 13th'.
The original film in a franchise is usually gold and always held in the best regard with fans, however I am sadly one that doesn't feel the same when it comes to 'Friday the 13th'. The original will always have Betsy Palmer, Crazy Ralph, and being one of the innovators of special effects gore at the time but it's just really not one of the films of the series I tend to re-watch often. Looking over it for this review, I struggled getting through it all the way due to the constant padding it has. The Monopoly scene, the making coffee scene, and numerous others are just tedious and fail at building tension. What saves the original film is of course Betsy Palmer's stellar performance as Mrs. Voorhees but she only shows up in the last act but it is a fun finale all the same. The gore effects do hold up overall as well, though with this new transfer some look a bit more dated than others but overall still good, especially the uncut version. The first 'Friday' just isn't one I go back to when I have better and more fun films in this series to check out instead.
Just one year later, we have part 2 and while it doesn't raise the bar or anything it's a vast improvement over the original especially given the quick turnaround. Of the entire 'Friday' series, I think Ginny (Amy Steel) is the strongest final girl and easily in the top 5 best characters as well. The kills are amped up this time as well, including the infamous double spear kill (Even though they were heavily cut down thanks to the MPAA but more on that in the Special Features section). Steve Dash is one of the scariest incarnations of Jason and makes for one of the many memorable endings of the franchise. The negatives here are mostly carried over from the first as it does still have some needless padding here and there before the movie really gets going. I also felt it may have been a bad idea to kill off the previous film's heroine and Crazy Ralph as I felt it was far too soon and these characters could have been developed a bit longer and maybe Alice could've teamed up with Ginny at the end. Overall, 'Part 2' is a step up from the original but it also shows how quickly it was put together with its script.
Part 3 or Part 3D as it's sometimes called seems to be somewhat of a mixed bag. I'd say for myself, it depends on what my mood is whenever I pop this one in. Sometimes, I absolutely love it while other times I get bored or just feeling kind of meh about it. I think it tends to get a bit too much love due to it being the film where Jason acquires his iconic mask but very rarely do I hear people give the film any more praise than that other than maybe Shelly. To me it really is a rehash of the first film, even copying the original's jump scare ending but everything is acted, shot, and overall made poorer. Having said that, I do still prefer watching 'Part 3' more than the original if for nothing else than I do like a few of the characters and the kills, while silly and cheaper make me laugh. The biggest reason I enjoyed it is Richard Brooker's Jason who is my personal favorite. He is imposing, scary, aggressive, and brutal and he has this funny swagger when he walks like it's just another day for Jason. 'Part 3' is a downgrade from the previous two but it's popcorn entertainment is as strong as ever.
My personal favorite in the series overall is 'The Final Chapter', a movie that was so final that eight more sequels happened (including a second 'Final' chapter). This film is the definition of the 80's from the music, to the cast, and the overall feel and look. It's the best film in the series at this point on a technical level and Tom Savini returned to helm the special gore and Jason makeup effects. You also have one of the best Jason's in this film, played this time by Ted White. He's extremely pissed off and brutal in every kill and he runs which adds more menace to the character and it helps that White is a tall, muscular man to top it off. He was the stunt double for John Wayne so just imagine that. The movie also has my favorite cast of teens and are actually given different personalities and some kind of development before they're quickly taken out and it makes them the most memorable of the series. The film is also lightning paced with a fast runtime and a high body count, thankfully cutting out the fat of the previous three flicks. As a 'Friday the 13th' movie, this is a perfect sequel, just be sure to go in with a certain perspective.
Friday the 13th (1980): C+
Friday the 13th Part II: B-
Friday the 13th 3D: C+
Friday the 13th The Final Chapter: A
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