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Jason X In the future, the Earth has finally been destroyed by ecological abuse, forcing humanity to move to a new planet, named logically enough, Earth 2. Periodic “field trips” are made back to the old, desolate Earth, however, so that college students can learn about our past and pillage it for moneymaking artifacts.
That’s where our “hero” comes in. Jason Voorhees, cryogenically frozen in the year 2000, is found four-hundred years later by a group of would-be archeologists and their professor. Not really understanding what they have, or what kind of dangers it represents, a few students take time away from their studies for a little “study session” of their own, and mistakenly bring the killer back to life (apparently it’s “naughtiness” that kicks his regeneration into overdrive). With the setup for the film complete, Jason grabs his trusty machete, and as the famous announcer is fond of saying, “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
The plots for these kinds of movies tend to be the same and so it all comes down to the... well... execution.
Directed by James Isaac, “Jason X” manages to find the right tone for its usual kind of destruction. Filled with just enough wit that you can probably use the humor as an excuse for liking the film, “Jason X” is a surprisingly entertaining 93 minutes of brainless fun that knows exactly what audience it is catering to.
Consider the scene when the “space commandos” are gearing up to go after the rampaging murderer. All of them look as though they had done their shopping at “Quake Mart,” decked out in boxy armor and carrying ridiculously large weapons. One of the characters asks who has the “BFG” and decides that he’ll go with him. The BFG, of course, is the weapon of choice since the old days of Doom. Classic.
Then, there is a scene where the main characters are trying to distract Jason with a holographic game. Suddenly thrust into a virtual world, Jason finds himself back at his old slaughtering grounds, and sees two young girls nearby. They invite him to share a beer or a joint, then suggest that they all have “premarital sex.” Then, giggling, they take off their tops. Given all of the jokes that audiences have made over the years, it’s a weird and amusing moment, and it seems as though even Jason gets the joke. It may have just been my imagination, but I swear I saw him roll his eyes.
Of course, even with the gags and in-jokes, “Jason X” isn’t much more than an excuse to have several dimwitted teens ripped apart, one at a time, by a menace that refuses to die. These films aren’t epics that will go down in history as timeless classics. They’re not even all that good, but strangely, they’re kind of enjoyable. The test is, when playing a game of Quake III do you laugh a little when an opponent explodes into a gooey, chunky mess? If you answer yes, then you’ll probably get a kick out of this movie, as it is basically the same kind of experience.
Or is it? While watching “Jason X” I was struck by something of a revelation. Is it possible that the “Friday The 13th” movies are really a parable about modern man? That they are about our ceaseless attempts at outrunning the inevitable? Is the character of Jason really just a new face for Death and these films an update of the image of the knight playing chess against the Grim Reaper to decide his fate? This strange theory started to get to me, then Jason started bashing two sleeping bags filled with naked girls together, and I completely lost my thought.
Oh well...
Here’s a prediction: due to the rather obvious “deathmatch” nods in “Jason X” I think it will only be a matter of time before someone designs a Jason skin for Quake or Unreal. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I don’t really know, but I’ll admit, I would be a kick to unload a rocket launcher into Jason Voorhees’ chest, just like in this movie.<
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