JASON
X ($27) is probably the freshest, most original idea carried out in
the FRIDAY THE 13TH series in the last two decades, although the
kernel of the idea isn’t all that original. Once upon a time, there was
talk of John Carpenter returning to the HALLOWEEN series, or at
very least the producers were soliciting his input as to how they could
take the series in a fresh direction. Carpenter’s idea supposedly
involved launching Michael Myers into outer space, where he could go on a
space station killing spree. Of course, the producers of the series were
less than thrilled by that particular notion, and nothing ever came of
that idea. Well, no idea (original or not) ever seems to go to waste in
Hollywood, because the producers of the FRIDAY THE 13TH series have
launched Jason Voorhees into outer space with JASON X.
Opening
in the not too distant future, Jason’s old stomping grounds have been
transformed into the Crystal Lake Research Facility. The facility’s lone
experiment and lone prisoner is none other than Jason Voorhees (Kane
Hodder), whose unique DNA and regenerative abilities have been deemed
worthy of further study by the government. After an unforeseen and
excessively bloody escape attempt by the resident hockey mask-wearing
maniac, Jason winds up in the cryogenic deep freeze, along with a
beautiful research scientist named Rowan (Lexa Doig), who just happens to
be the sole survivor of his latest machete wielding rampage.
Flash-forward
about four hundred years to an inhospitable Earth; where an archeology
professor and his students find and retrieve both Rowan and Jason from
their frozen slumber before blasting off back into outer space. Although
Rowan is intentionally resuscitated, all Jason requires is a quick thaw
before he is up and killing the horny archeology students of the
spacecraft. While the genre is pretty much played out, JASON X
actually proves to be a fun slasher movie, thanks to the cool setting,
flashy special effects, a good dose of humor and some interesting plot
twists. The cast of JASON X also features Chuck Campbell, Lisa
Ryder, Peter Mensah, Melyssa Ade, Derwin Jordan, Dov Tiefenbach and
director David Cronenberg in a brief cameo.
New
Line Home Entertainment has made JASON X available on DVD in a
1.78:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. This being a New Line title, it should come as no
surprise that JASON X looks great on DVD. Also in the movie’s
favor is the fact that it was shot on film and then scanned frame-by-frame
into the digital realm, where all of its postproduction work took place at
HDTV resolution before being output back to film. This presentation comes
directly from the digital domain, and because it bypassed the final film
print stage, the image on the DVD appears pristine. The picture is crisp,
cleanly defined and shows the benefits of having been tweaked digitally at
the equivalent of the frame-by-frame level. Colors appear pretty vibrant
and are rendered without a trace of noise or bleeding (can't say the same
for the characters). Blacks appear on the money, whites are clean and the
picture produces excellent shadow detail. Overt digital compression
artifacts never became discernable on the cleanly authored dual layer DVD.
JASON
X features excellent 5.1 channel
soundtracks in both the varieties of Dolby Digital and DTS. There is
abundant atmosphere and discrete sound effects contained in the mix, which
works very well in this cross genre offering. The sci-fi aspect is a bit
more aggressive, with all the spaceship sounds whizzing through the sound
field, while the sounds of Jason stalking his quarry are decidedly more
atmospheric. Dialogue is crisply rendered and is always completely
understandable. The bass channel is deep and full bodied; adding
convincing weight to the movie’s impacts and explosions. As for the
differences between the two digital sound formats, DTS has the decided
edge, thanks to its high resolution, which creates a slightly more dynamic
sonic experience. Of course, Dolby Digital is no slouch, so listening to
the standard bearer won’t disappoint anyone. An English Dolby Surround
track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the supplemental features. Director Jim Isaac,
writer Todd Farmer, and producer Noel Cunningham are on hand for an
informative audio commentary. The Many Lives of Jason Voorhees
is a half hour program that looks at the character and the film series
that has run ten installments over the last two decades. Of course, the
section on the Paramount FRIDAY THE 13TH movies is somewhat skimpy,
especially when compared to the later films that were made when the series
moved over to New Line. By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Jason
X runs almost eighteen minutes and differs from the typical
featurette of this type because it focuses on how the film and special
effects were produced and ignores most of the talent from in front of the
camera. Closing out the supplements is the self explanatory Jump to
a Death Scene feature and a theatrical trailer. On the DVD-ROM
side, one has access to the film’s screenplay and various web links.
JASON
X is probably the most fun a FRIDAY
THE 13TH movie has been in a very long time. I really like the Jason Voorhees
in outer space storyline, as well as the interjection of humor, which
keeps the film from taking itself too seriously. As for the DVD, New Line
delivers the goods in terms of audio and video quality, as well as adding
some solid supplements to the disc as well. If you are a FRIDAY THE
13TH fan, or just a genre buff looking for a good time, you’ll want
to pick up a copy of JASON X on DVD.
JASON
X ($27) is probably the freshest, most original idea carried out in
the FRIDAY THE 13TH series in the last two decades, although the
kernel of the idea isn’t all that original. Once upon a time, there was
talk of John Carpenter returning to the HALLOWEEN series, or at
very least the producers were soliciting his input as to how they could
take the series in a fresh direction. Carpenter’s idea supposedly
involved launching Michael Myers into outer space, where he could go on a
space station killing spree. Of course, the producers of the series were
less than thrilled by that particular notion, and nothing ever came of
that idea. Well, no idea (original or not) ever seems to go to waste in
Hollywood, because the producers of the FRIDAY THE 13TH series have
launched Jason Voorhees into outer space with JASON X.
Opening
in the not too distant future, Jason’s old stomping grounds have been
transformed into the Crystal Lake Research Facility. The facility’s lone
experiment and lone prisoner is none other than Jason Voorhees (Kane
Hodder), whose unique DNA and regenerative abilities have been deemed
worthy of further study by the government. After an unforeseen and
excessively bloody escape attempt by the resident hockey mask-wearing
maniac, Jason winds up in the cryogenic deep freeze, along with a
beautiful research scientist named Rowan (Lexa Doig), who just happens to
be the sole survivor of his latest machete wielding rampage.
Flash-forward
about four hundred years to an inhospitable Earth; where an archeology
professor and his students find and retrieve both Rowan and Jason from
their frozen slumber before blasting off back into outer space. Although
Rowan is intentionally resuscitated, all Jason requires is a quick thaw
before he is up and killing the horny archeology students of the
spacecraft. While the genre is pretty much played out, JASON X
actually proves to be a fun slasher movie, thanks to the cool setting,
flashy special effects, a good dose of humor and some interesting plot
twists. The cast of JASON X also features Chuck Campbell, Lisa
Ryder, Peter Mensah, Melyssa Ade, Derwin Jordan, Dov Tiefenbach and
director David Cronenberg in a brief cameo.
New
Line Home Entertainment has made JASON X available on DVD in a
1.78:1 wide screen presentation that features the anamorphic enhancement
for 16:9 displays. This being a New Line title, it should come as no
surprise that JASON X looks great on DVD. Also in the movie’s
favor is the fact that it was shot on film and then scanned frame-by-frame
into the digital realm, where all of its postproduction work took place at
HDTV resolution before being output back to film. This presentation comes
directly from the digital domain, and because it bypassed the final film
print stage, the image on the DVD appears pristine. The picture is crisp,
cleanly defined and shows the benefits of having been tweaked digitally at
the equivalent of the frame-by-frame level. Colors appear pretty vibrant
and are rendered without a trace of noise or bleeding (can't say the same
for the characters). Blacks appear on the money, whites are clean and the
picture produces excellent shadow detail. Overt digital compression
artifacts never became discernable on the cleanly authored dual layer DVD.
JASON
X features excellent 5.1 channel
soundtracks in both the varieties of Dolby Digital and DTS. There is
abundant atmosphere and discrete sound effects contained in the mix, which
works very well in this cross genre offering. The sci-fi aspect is a bit
more aggressive, with all the spaceship sounds whizzing through the sound
field, while the sounds of Jason stalking his quarry are decidedly more
atmospheric. Dialogue is crisply rendered and is always completely
understandable. The bass channel is deep and full bodied; adding
convincing weight to the movie’s impacts and explosions. As for the
differences between the two digital sound formats, DTS has the decided
edge, thanks to its high resolution, which creates a slightly more dynamic
sonic experience. Of course, Dolby Digital is no slouch, so listening to
the standard bearer won’t disappoint anyone. An English Dolby Surround
track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD’s interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as the supplemental features. Director Jim 
JASON
X is probably the most fun a FRIDAY
THE 13TH movie has been in a very long time. I really like the Jason Voorhees
in outer space storyline, as well as the interjection of humor, which
keeps the film from taking itself too seriously. As for the DVD, New Line
delivers the goods in terms of audio and video quality, as well as adding
some solid supplements to the disc as well. If you are a FRIDAY THE
13TH fan, or just a genre buff looking for a good time, you’ll want
to pick up a copy of JASON X on DVD.
