Jason X

Director - James Isaac (Skinwalkers, The Horror Show)

Starring - Kane Hodder (Jason Goes to Hell, The Twilight Zone), Lexa Doig (Supernatural, Smallville), and Jonathan Potts (The Strain, Swamp Thing)

Release Date - 2001

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Evil gets an upgrade"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) 

Rating (out of 5):

     Jason Goes to Hell may have been my introduction to Jason but Jason X was the first Jason flick that was released while I was conscience of him and the Friday the 13th series.  My generation finally had their own installment in the series and I couldn't wait to see it.  I didn't make the theatrical run but I did get the VHS from Wal-Mart when it was released and later upgraded that to the DVD.  I only watched it a few times and remembered some cool moments but outside of that I couldn't tell you much about it until I rewatched with the others in the Scream Factory blu set.  This movie did not hold up well and I can safely say that this is the worst in the entire series.  It's almost painful to watch now.

     The film follows Jason who is captured by the government and imprisoned in chains.  However, he is able to escape but finds himself trapped and cryogenically frozen, along with a female scientist.  They awaken almost 250 years into the future when they are discovered and thawed.  Those on board have no idea about the hell they just unleashed on their craft and the carnage that will fall in his wake.  

     Jason X was released 21 years after the original and 8 years from the previous installment.  A lot had changed in that time.  They tried to give this one an edge that made it stand out from the others which turned out to be the film's downfall.  This futuristic sci-fi approach sometimes offers up some cheesy fun like in Leprechaun in Space.  However, it was just too cheap and not enough cheese in this case.  The acting in this one is rough for me.  In fact, I can't really find any aspect of the cast that I enjoyed.  The characters are all sci-fi clichés and can be found in almost any SyFy original film.  Even when I first laid eyes on this release I never cared for the cast or characters which is even more apparent all these years later.    The story for this one tries too hard to be a sci-fi flick that it completely disregards the Friday the 13th aspect of the film.  It's an insult to the franchise and really scrapes the bottom of the barrel.  The only redeeming aspects of the film is the kills and we only get one or two that stand out.  Finally, the film has a few unforgettable death scenes and a few that are not as wild.  These two or three kill scenes really use some creativity and great practical effects.  However, some of the other kills are painfully bland.  Also, the film uses some extremely dated visual effects that was laughable in 2001 and even more laughable now.  Overall, Jason X is a humiliating entry in the series.  I remember being excited for a new installment but now I'm ashamed of the film and embarrassed for anyone associated with it.