Friday the 13th (2009) Jared Padalecki, Ryan Hansen, Arlen Escarpeta, Julianna Guill Movie Review

Friday the 13th (2009)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Jared Padalecki in Friday the 13th (2009)

21st Century Horror = Late 80s Bad Horror

When a group of teenagers show up at Camp Crystal Lake for a fun weekend doing what teenagers do which include telling scary stories around the campfire none would imagine that they would never leave, becoming a victim of Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) who ever since his mum was beheaded at the camp many years earlier has been taking things out on any teenager who shows up. A few weeks later and another group arrive at Camp Crystal Lake as does a lone biker who is trying to find out what happened to his sister who went missing a few weeks earlier.

I was born in 1972, the year of "The Godfather", but whilst it meant I was the right age for many a movie during the 80s it did mean I was too young for 80s horror and by the end of the 80s when I started to get in to horror movies the genre was gasping for air. As such I didn't experience many popular 80s horrors until much later on in life and some I still haven't got around to watching, including any of the "Friday the 13th" movies. But I was told by someone who watched the 2009 "Friday the 13th" that you don't need to have seen the previous movies to watch this one and so I did and having done so I wondered why I bothered.

Danielle Panabaker in Friday the 13th (2009)

Now "Friday the 13th" starts with a nice bit of back story to give those like me some sort of origin to the whole Jason Voorhees stuff as we witness a woman getting beheaded at Camp Crystal Lake. But after that what we get is one character after another ending up a victim for Jason with many of these characters being anonymous. Now there is in some ways nothing wrong with that as many a horror movie is based upon anonymous victims ending up killed in creative way but in truth you expect more from a modern horror movie.

In fact I expected a hell of a lot more from this version of "Friday the 13th" and whilst it has a nice look it seems an utterly pointless movie which does little with the story and ends up all about the action scenes which are in truth not that great, in fact some are just plain stupid. About the only thing which "Friday the 13th" has going for it which might work for a modern audience is a good looking cast with the likes of Jared Padalecki and Danielle Panabaker being a perfect example of what this movie offers.

What this all boils down to is that this episode of "Friday the 13th" probably will work for a young crowd who are looking to enter the Friday night tradition of beer, pizza and a horror movie. But for older audiences who have run the gamut of teens in the woods getting slaughtered movies will find this offers up little to really grab and keep their attention. The only thing left to say is who gave Danielle Panabaker Jaclyn Smith's hair from her "Charlie's Angels" days.


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