I messed up, I was supposed to do a review for one of my least favorite Friday the 13th movies, 3D. Yes, I know there are tons of fans that just love part 3D. I am on the other side and wonder why. Well, I forgot which review I had to do, so I did part II, which I do prefer, sorry Morgan.
1982 saw a new Friday the 13th movie. This time they tried to go 3D and completely changed the look of Jason, Jason we met in Friday the 13th part II with a sack on his head. We barely get a glimpse of Jason, that is until, he gets his now famous hockey mask.
Synopsis:
The third installment in the “Friday the 13th” series picks up on the day after the carnage with homicidal maniac Jason Voorhees (Richard Brooker) stealing some clothes and killing a local store owner. Meanwhile, Chris (Dana Kimmell) and her sometimes boyfriend, Rick (Paul Kratka), are hosting a group of teenage friends at Chris’ lake house. Despite a run-in with a local biker gang, they enjoy an amiable weekend together — that is, until Jason begins knocking off kids and bikers alike.
Things about the movie to know…This is the first of the Friday the 13th that is about friends who go into the forest to party or, “get away”. So no counselors and no camp, it is a family cabin called, “Higgins Haven”, which is heavily featured in the Friday the 13th the game. This movie actually takes place the day following part II, for it really takes place on Saturday the 14th. Chris Higgins, the main character has interacted with Jason before, years before the film takes place and Jason looks as he does in all of Part 3. He looks nothing like he did in the previous film, Friday the 13th part II.
So, these friends head out to Higgins Haven to hang out in the cabin, drink some beer, smoke some pot and have some sex. Along comes a trickster named Shelly, he has joined the group and seems to be somewhat a social outcast how uses pranks as a defense mechanism. Luckily, he has more of a purpose later in the film. The “boy who cried wolf” is the man to give Jason is iconic mask after he scares Vera by the lake. The story is pretty simple in part 3. Jason kills off everyone in a different and unique fashion, squeezing a guy’s head until the eye balls pop out, slicing a man in half who is simply going for a stroll on his hands…What about going back to the beginning, killing a girl Mommy style. You ever wonder if it is in the blood or did Jason watch his mommy kill the counselors from the first movie. Jason hides under a hammock and pushes a knife from behind her.
I mean, this is an iconic film for the series, but for me, it is my least favorite of the Paramount days. It is very campy and to me leads to a lot of the issues the rest of the series has with being campy and somewhat silly. The first two entries into the Friday the 13th series are, well for the most part darker and series. Adding the 3D element is silly and the cast is simply cannon fodder to me. But, this movie is still important.
- Jason’s look is changed to be more hulking and imposing that part II
- Jason gets his iconic hockey mask, yes it is iconic
- Chris hits Jason in the head with an ax giving Jason the first damage to the mask that follows him through the Paramount movies.
Overall, Friday the 13th 3D is ok. It is certainly better than Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X. Where most fans would say A New Beginning or Jason Takes Manhattan as the worst of the Paramount days, well take a closer look. Most fans enjoy this one for one reason, “Jason gets his mask”. Well does that make the movie? I don’t think so, it is ok overall, I still enjoy watching it and I love the opening theme, who doesn’t. Why hasn’t that been worked into the damn video game?
IMDB.com has a rating of 5.7
I give Friday the 13th 3D 5.8
Final thought on Friday the 13th Part 3-D:
Oh the 3D really makes it hard. The silly gags of things pointing at the camera to get the 3D effect, some of them get in the way of the story. The filmmakers changed the look of Jason, which became very iconic. Was there 2 crazy mongoloids running around Crystal Lake? I think his look in part 2 without his mask was great and I bet, if you throw the hockey mask on that make-up, he would look pretty awesome. By far the weakest of the first 4 movies.
Enjoy the theme…
