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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Maggie (2015) in Movies
Nov 1, 2020
Maggie: More Drama Then Zombies In This Zombie Film (4/10)
Contains spoilers, click to show
Maggie is a 2015 Horror/Drama film directed by Henry Hobson and written by John Scott 3. It was produced by Grindstone Entertainment Group, Gold Star Films, Lotus Entertainment, Silver Reel, Matt Baer Films and Sly Predator and distributed by Lionsgate Films and Roadside Attractions. The movie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, and Joely Richardson.
Society struggles to function in the aftermath of a zombie pandemic (Necroambulism) barely under control in the present-day Midwestern United States. Maggie's father Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has searched two weeks for her, finally finding her in a hospital for the infected. Maggie Vogel (Abigail Breslin) had left a voicemail urging that he not seek her and that she loved him. Her arm was bitten and knowing she has only weeks before the "Necroambulist virus" turns her cannibalistic, she left home to protect her family. He brings Maggie home to care for her until she must eventually be quarantined.
As far as zombie movies go, this was a big let down. At first I thought the title was a red flag because what zombie movie would be called "Maggie" right? Well, I was right, not much of a zombie movie. And I was excited going into it too because Arnold was the most serious I've seen him in a role, like possibly ever. He did a great job and actually all the actors did a decent job, it's just the movie turned into a complete drama film and not a zombie movie at all. It was more of a coming to terms of the death of a person then about survival horror or anything close to it. If your looking for a really tame zombie movie then this is your jam. For me I was so disappointed because it's an ok movie on it's own and pretty emotional but just not for me. I give it a 4/10. And suggest if your are looking for a good zombie movie to watch, you skip this one.
Spoiler Section Review:
Man, I was so hyped for this movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a zombie movie, hell yeah. And that other girl Abigail Breslin from Zombieland, I was like this is going to be cool. From the trailer, I already knew that this looked like it was going to be a more serious tone kind of movie and very emotional but what a let down. I mean I was so disappointed in this movie. I was hoping it would be an "Arnold" kind of movie but it was more of an "indie" film. It was very emotional as it would be because the character's are dealing with death in a very surreal way and having a long time to contemplate everything about it. Very different from most zombie movies and really somber. Not a bad movie but not what I look for in a good zombie movie. That first zombie scene with Arnold and the zombie in the restroom was probably the best part of the movie and it sucked. Arnold kills the zombie by choking it or breaking it's neck from choking it. I mean c'mon, you can't kill zombies that way. Anyways I gave this movie a 4/10 and suggest watching a different zombie movie if you want to see something entertaining.
Society struggles to function in the aftermath of a zombie pandemic (Necroambulism) barely under control in the present-day Midwestern United States. Maggie's father Wade (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has searched two weeks for her, finally finding her in a hospital for the infected. Maggie Vogel (Abigail Breslin) had left a voicemail urging that he not seek her and that she loved him. Her arm was bitten and knowing she has only weeks before the "Necroambulist virus" turns her cannibalistic, she left home to protect her family. He brings Maggie home to care for her until she must eventually be quarantined.
As far as zombie movies go, this was a big let down. At first I thought the title was a red flag because what zombie movie would be called "Maggie" right? Well, I was right, not much of a zombie movie. And I was excited going into it too because Arnold was the most serious I've seen him in a role, like possibly ever. He did a great job and actually all the actors did a decent job, it's just the movie turned into a complete drama film and not a zombie movie at all. It was more of a coming to terms of the death of a person then about survival horror or anything close to it. If your looking for a really tame zombie movie then this is your jam. For me I was so disappointed because it's an ok movie on it's own and pretty emotional but just not for me. I give it a 4/10. And suggest if your are looking for a good zombie movie to watch, you skip this one.
Spoiler Section Review:
Man, I was so hyped for this movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a zombie movie, hell yeah. And that other girl Abigail Breslin from Zombieland, I was like this is going to be cool. From the trailer, I already knew that this looked like it was going to be a more serious tone kind of movie and very emotional but what a let down. I mean I was so disappointed in this movie. I was hoping it would be an "Arnold" kind of movie but it was more of an "indie" film. It was very emotional as it would be because the character's are dealing with death in a very surreal way and having a long time to contemplate everything about it. Very different from most zombie movies and really somber. Not a bad movie but not what I look for in a good zombie movie. That first zombie scene with Arnold and the zombie in the restroom was probably the best part of the movie and it sucked. Arnold kills the zombie by choking it or breaking it's neck from choking it. I mean c'mon, you can't kill zombies that way. Anyways I gave this movie a 4/10 and suggest watching a different zombie movie if you want to see something entertaining.
Passage to Passion - The Complete Collection
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The heat level goes through the roof, and the action never stops! ARCTIC EXPOSURE To the rest...
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Alice (12 KP) rated The Aeronaut's Windlass in Books
Jul 3, 2018
5 Stars - fabulously steampunk novel set high in the sky
The Aeronaut’s Windlass has been something I’ve had for a few months but I’ve been putting it off and putting it off as I didn’t like the authors other first book Storm Front, book 1 of the The Dresden Files. My fiancé has been telling me to read it over and over again and I’ve always put it off after a bad start to Dresden, however, a Facebook group I’m part of told me to read it and gave me several reasons why.
First and foremost, The Aeronaut’s Windlass is steampunk!
Secondly, cats. Talking cats.
And finally there’s aeronauts.
The book opens in what, at first glance, appears to be a regency novel – cue derision and disbelief – until one of the main characters Gwen Lancaster threatens a warrior born with an etheric gauntlet.
Ether is something that is mentioned often in this book and during the various trips of the main characters, it is shown in various forms.
Our main characters revolve around the following:
Gwen Lancaster – heir to the Lancaster fortune and crystal factory. Guard in the Spirearch’s Guard.
Benedict Sorellion-Lancaster – warrior born guard in the Spirearch’s Guard.
Bridget Tagwynn – cat girl and only child of the head of the Tagwynn family.
Captain Francis Madison Grimm – disgraced Fleet officer and captain of the merchant class ship AMS Predator an aeronautical ship.
Rowl – kit to Maul of the Silent Paws.
The premise of The Aeronaut’s Windlass is the aeronautical prowess of the Spires, a tall building that towers above the surface of Earth, designed in a general diamond shape with the key head houses at each compass point and the Spirearch smack in the middle. The Spires in focus are Spire Albion and Spire Aurora; a rival Spire with a penchant for warmongering. The book follows Gwen and Bridget as they train to become members of the Spirearch’s Guard, with Benedict – Gwen’s cousin – doing some extra training on the side. There’s an accidental duel and it’s from here that our story really starts; there’s an explosion and the Spire starts to collapse around them. Our intrepid heroes work together to save a fellow trainee and end up on the wrong end of a potentially deadly situation and the war starts.
The rest of the book is wonderfully described and there’s plenty of sky time for the pilot-at-heart in us all. There’s talking cats that are so well written you can plainly imagine your pet cat having that much disdain for you but really loving you with his whole heart; Rowl, in particular gives off the standard cat disdain but he’s also amazingly human in an odd way. There’s a few odd main secondary characters – Master Ferus and Folly – both of whom are integral to the story as a whole and both of whom are etheralists and a little odd.
There’s war, battles in the sky and dire situations, there’s treachery secrets and death galore; and there’s a history between a lot of the characters to make your eyebrows raise and your brain twitch in disbelief.
As originally stated I was quite reluctant to read Windlass but I really enjoyed the storyline as a whole, the characters were amazingly human/humanised – even the ones who aren’t – Bridget was my favourite, she was so unbelievably awkward in everything that she did but she was so sweetly written that she was entirely relatable.
I see sometimes that steampunk novels are written with the wrong tone of voice – when you hear steampunk you think Victorian and I’ve read sometime books classified as steampunk that weren’t in any way. Windlass didn’t have this issue and it was written perfectly for the genre.
Brilliantly done and I look forward to the sequel <i>The Olympian Affair.</i>
The Aeronaut’s Windlass has been something I’ve had for a few months but I’ve been putting it off and putting it off as I didn’t like the authors other first book Storm Front, book 1 of the The Dresden Files. My fiancé has been telling me to read it over and over again and I’ve always put it off after a bad start to Dresden, however, a Facebook group I’m part of told me to read it and gave me several reasons why.
First and foremost, The Aeronaut’s Windlass is steampunk!
Secondly, cats. Talking cats.
And finally there’s aeronauts.
The book opens in what, at first glance, appears to be a regency novel – cue derision and disbelief – until one of the main characters Gwen Lancaster threatens a warrior born with an etheric gauntlet.
Ether is something that is mentioned often in this book and during the various trips of the main characters, it is shown in various forms.
Our main characters revolve around the following:
Gwen Lancaster – heir to the Lancaster fortune and crystal factory. Guard in the Spirearch’s Guard.
Benedict Sorellion-Lancaster – warrior born guard in the Spirearch’s Guard.
Bridget Tagwynn – cat girl and only child of the head of the Tagwynn family.
Captain Francis Madison Grimm – disgraced Fleet officer and captain of the merchant class ship AMS Predator an aeronautical ship.
Rowl – kit to Maul of the Silent Paws.
The premise of The Aeronaut’s Windlass is the aeronautical prowess of the Spires, a tall building that towers above the surface of Earth, designed in a general diamond shape with the key head houses at each compass point and the Spirearch smack in the middle. The Spires in focus are Spire Albion and Spire Aurora; a rival Spire with a penchant for warmongering. The book follows Gwen and Bridget as they train to become members of the Spirearch’s Guard, with Benedict – Gwen’s cousin – doing some extra training on the side. There’s an accidental duel and it’s from here that our story really starts; there’s an explosion and the Spire starts to collapse around them. Our intrepid heroes work together to save a fellow trainee and end up on the wrong end of a potentially deadly situation and the war starts.
The rest of the book is wonderfully described and there’s plenty of sky time for the pilot-at-heart in us all. There’s talking cats that are so well written you can plainly imagine your pet cat having that much disdain for you but really loving you with his whole heart; Rowl, in particular gives off the standard cat disdain but he’s also amazingly human in an odd way. There’s a few odd main secondary characters – Master Ferus and Folly – both of whom are integral to the story as a whole and both of whom are etheralists and a little odd.
There’s war, battles in the sky and dire situations, there’s treachery secrets and death galore; and there’s a history between a lot of the characters to make your eyebrows raise and your brain twitch in disbelief.
As originally stated I was quite reluctant to read Windlass but I really enjoyed the storyline as a whole, the characters were amazingly human/humanised – even the ones who aren’t – Bridget was my favourite, she was so unbelievably awkward in everything that she did but she was so sweetly written that she was entirely relatable.
I see sometimes that steampunk novels are written with the wrong tone of voice – when you hear steampunk you think Victorian and I’ve read sometime books classified as steampunk that weren’t in any way. Windlass didn’t have this issue and it was written perfectly for the genre.
Brilliantly done and I look forward to the sequel <i>The Olympian Affair.</i>
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Call of Duty: Ghosts - Nemesis in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Nemesis has arrived and it closes out the DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts in
grand style. The collection offers four new maps as well as the final
chapter of the Extinction series and is a satisfying and engaging
conclusion to Ghosts and should keep fans busy until Call of Duty:
Advanced Warfare ships in November.
As I have documented in the past, The multiplayer aspect of Ghosts never
fully clicked for me the way that past versions of the game have. I have
been frustrated by numerous hacks, balance issues, and other frustrations
when playing on PC which has diminished the enthusiasm I once had for it.
Nemesis does many things right such as restoring the fun of run and gun
style play but yet allowing players of other styles to have their day as
well.
By offering classics such as Team Deathmath and Kill Confirmed I have
found that my scores have increased and my levels of frustrations have
decreased. Nemesis has eschewed the rewards of adding Michael Myers, the
Predator, and Pirate and Mariachi rewards that were a nice perk of the
previous packs to give players what they want, action.
Showtime
Is a run and gun map set in a kill or be killed arena. Teams battle in the
arena and backstage in a close quarters fragfest. I love to walk around
with an armed explosive in game daring people to take me out, and then
racking up the kills by wading into groups of enemies.
The shotgun worked very well for me as being on the move is a good plan as
although there are plenty of cars and containers to hide in as well as a
pyrotechnic stage, you will be found fast in this one.
SubZero
This has been my favorite map of the collection. Set in a frozen Canadian
base, there is everything from a Hockey rink to stacks of beer crates as
players battle indoors and outdoors. Plenty of choke points that area
ideal for snipers and grenades as well as some great outdoor environments
make this one a great map for those who like to get into the action fast
and pile it on.
Dynasty
Set in an Asian setting, players travel a multi-level map to take the
battle to tight quarters. There are plenty of windows, ledges, and alleys
for players to snipe from or spring attacks, and the detail level of the
map is great. I have enjoyed the detail level of the map and the mix of
environments which have allowed this map to grow on me over time.
Goldrush
The final map is set in a mine and makes me think of two of my favorite
theme park attractions, The Calico Mine Ride at Knotts Berry Farm and Big
Thunder Mountain at Disneyland. The map has working mine cars which you
can ride in and run enemies over with, as well as elevators, stairs, and
interior and exterior mine areas for combat. The map is filled with places
to hide and strike from and those who want to really have some fun may
want to hop a mine car and ride the map as it is like being in a roller
coaster. The interiors of the mine are also amazing to look at as you will
want to explore them, but be warned, danger is everywhere.
As I mentioned prior, the finale of the Alien themed co-op Extinction mode
is included and makes the Nemesis collection a very complete and
satisfying experience. Although Ghosts has had some issues as far as I am
concerned in the multiplayer area, the best has been saved for last as
Nemesis delivers the fun and variety that fans have been looking for, I
just wish the hacks and other issues with the game would be dealt with.
http://sknr.net/2014/09/24/call-duty-ghosts-nemesis/
grand style. The collection offers four new maps as well as the final
chapter of the Extinction series and is a satisfying and engaging
conclusion to Ghosts and should keep fans busy until Call of Duty:
Advanced Warfare ships in November.
As I have documented in the past, The multiplayer aspect of Ghosts never
fully clicked for me the way that past versions of the game have. I have
been frustrated by numerous hacks, balance issues, and other frustrations
when playing on PC which has diminished the enthusiasm I once had for it.
Nemesis does many things right such as restoring the fun of run and gun
style play but yet allowing players of other styles to have their day as
well.
By offering classics such as Team Deathmath and Kill Confirmed I have
found that my scores have increased and my levels of frustrations have
decreased. Nemesis has eschewed the rewards of adding Michael Myers, the
Predator, and Pirate and Mariachi rewards that were a nice perk of the
previous packs to give players what they want, action.
Showtime
Is a run and gun map set in a kill or be killed arena. Teams battle in the
arena and backstage in a close quarters fragfest. I love to walk around
with an armed explosive in game daring people to take me out, and then
racking up the kills by wading into groups of enemies.
The shotgun worked very well for me as being on the move is a good plan as
although there are plenty of cars and containers to hide in as well as a
pyrotechnic stage, you will be found fast in this one.
SubZero
This has been my favorite map of the collection. Set in a frozen Canadian
base, there is everything from a Hockey rink to stacks of beer crates as
players battle indoors and outdoors. Plenty of choke points that area
ideal for snipers and grenades as well as some great outdoor environments
make this one a great map for those who like to get into the action fast
and pile it on.
Dynasty
Set in an Asian setting, players travel a multi-level map to take the
battle to tight quarters. There are plenty of windows, ledges, and alleys
for players to snipe from or spring attacks, and the detail level of the
map is great. I have enjoyed the detail level of the map and the mix of
environments which have allowed this map to grow on me over time.
Goldrush
The final map is set in a mine and makes me think of two of my favorite
theme park attractions, The Calico Mine Ride at Knotts Berry Farm and Big
Thunder Mountain at Disneyland. The map has working mine cars which you
can ride in and run enemies over with, as well as elevators, stairs, and
interior and exterior mine areas for combat. The map is filled with places
to hide and strike from and those who want to really have some fun may
want to hop a mine car and ride the map as it is like being in a roller
coaster. The interiors of the mine are also amazing to look at as you will
want to explore them, but be warned, danger is everywhere.
As I mentioned prior, the finale of the Alien themed co-op Extinction mode
is included and makes the Nemesis collection a very complete and
satisfying experience. Although Ghosts has had some issues as far as I am
concerned in the multiplayer area, the best has been saved for last as
Nemesis delivers the fun and variety that fans have been looking for, I
just wish the hacks and other issues with the game would be dealt with.
http://sknr.net/2014/09/24/call-duty-ghosts-nemesis/
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Amanda (96 KP) rated Paperweight in Books
Jun 12, 2019
Death is not an exact science, which is irritating for those of us who appreciate precision.
While I’ve had my own experiences with purging after eating, or just trying to avoid food at all, not everybody is the same. It’s hard to read something about this, much less watch someone go through what is, to me, torture. I’m not going to lie, I kept getting this book and another book kind of mixed up because the main characters in both books are named Stevie. This wasn’t a terrible book, but I’m left with mixed feelings in the end.
Stephanie ‘Stevie’ is signed in (kind of forced) to a rehab facility by her father. Since she is seventeen, she cannot sign herself out. Stevie, while according to the doctors, is not heavily underweight, she is diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (and this actually pisses her off, and not because it’s not true). She is assigned to Anna, one of the therapists on staff (whom she refers to as Shrink most of the book) and a treatment team of different specialists.
This place is something else. The author stated in her Afterward that this is just pure work of fiction, not from personal experience. Do places like this exist? Does a place that thinks that by helping girls get over eating disorders is to have them do some sort of group where they must pick a food and eat it?
My body is both weapon, wound, predator and prey. I will self-destruct without any help.
While I can see how one group therapy can be helpful but having these girls (yes all girls) where they learn, well some learn, to cook something. Cooking is an art, even if you don’t really know how to, or not good at it, so cooking is good therapy.
I was highly mixed with this book. I saw that some other reviewers either really enjoyed it or really did not.
Stevie is typical. She’s frustrated and angry that she has to be there, and it messes up her ‘plans’ for her brother’s death anniversary. You find out that she was actually planning on killing herself (by starving herself apparently) on the day of his death so she could be with him. Her mother abandoned them and come to find she is PAYING for the rehab place, but she NEVER makes a present appearance, just flash back.
I am not overly fond of Stevie’s therapist, Anna (Shrink to Stevie). To me, she is almost molded like how people make fun of therapists. ‘How are you feeling?’ ‘How does that make you feel?’ ‘How do you feel about that?’ I work with a therapist, so I understand the point is not to be bottled up, but I feel like Anna is more stereotypical, than helpful. She does, eventually, get Stevie to open up about her brother’s death and why she chose not to eat, but even I got frustrated during her sessions.
Stevie has a few roommates in her cottage. I liked Ashley the most, but her life really messed her up and it takes a while for Stevie to really get out of her head and have a friend in Ashley.
I think there is some things you shouldn’t accept. And living sick is one of those things.
I need that on a shirt as well.
The ending left me kind of unsatisfied. Stevie did have some personal growth by talking more about her brother’s death and the toxic relationship she had with a girl named Eden, but the book ended rather oddly. I won’t say how it ended, but to me, I didn’t go into a book hangover, nor did I feel the need to throw my ereader (or in this case my laptop) across the room frustration (no way, this thing was expensive!!).
I’m not sure on the accuracy of this kind of rehab, but to me, it felt a little off. I won’t say this is not a good book to read, but it is highly triggering. There are talks of eating disorders and self harm, so proceed with caution if it peaked your curiosity enough.
Stephanie ‘Stevie’ is signed in (kind of forced) to a rehab facility by her father. Since she is seventeen, she cannot sign herself out. Stevie, while according to the doctors, is not heavily underweight, she is diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (and this actually pisses her off, and not because it’s not true). She is assigned to Anna, one of the therapists on staff (whom she refers to as Shrink most of the book) and a treatment team of different specialists.
This place is something else. The author stated in her Afterward that this is just pure work of fiction, not from personal experience. Do places like this exist? Does a place that thinks that by helping girls get over eating disorders is to have them do some sort of group where they must pick a food and eat it?
My body is both weapon, wound, predator and prey. I will self-destruct without any help.
While I can see how one group therapy can be helpful but having these girls (yes all girls) where they learn, well some learn, to cook something. Cooking is an art, even if you don’t really know how to, or not good at it, so cooking is good therapy.
I was highly mixed with this book. I saw that some other reviewers either really enjoyed it or really did not.
Stevie is typical. She’s frustrated and angry that she has to be there, and it messes up her ‘plans’ for her brother’s death anniversary. You find out that she was actually planning on killing herself (by starving herself apparently) on the day of his death so she could be with him. Her mother abandoned them and come to find she is PAYING for the rehab place, but she NEVER makes a present appearance, just flash back.
I am not overly fond of Stevie’s therapist, Anna (Shrink to Stevie). To me, she is almost molded like how people make fun of therapists. ‘How are you feeling?’ ‘How does that make you feel?’ ‘How do you feel about that?’ I work with a therapist, so I understand the point is not to be bottled up, but I feel like Anna is more stereotypical, than helpful. She does, eventually, get Stevie to open up about her brother’s death and why she chose not to eat, but even I got frustrated during her sessions.
Stevie has a few roommates in her cottage. I liked Ashley the most, but her life really messed her up and it takes a while for Stevie to really get out of her head and have a friend in Ashley.
I think there is some things you shouldn’t accept. And living sick is one of those things.
I need that on a shirt as well.
The ending left me kind of unsatisfied. Stevie did have some personal growth by talking more about her brother’s death and the toxic relationship she had with a girl named Eden, but the book ended rather oddly. I won’t say how it ended, but to me, I didn’t go into a book hangover, nor did I feel the need to throw my ereader (or in this case my laptop) across the room frustration (no way, this thing was expensive!!).
I’m not sure on the accuracy of this kind of rehab, but to me, it felt a little off. I won’t say this is not a good book to read, but it is highly triggering. There are talks of eating disorders and self harm, so proceed with caution if it peaked your curiosity enough.
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Friday the 13th (2009) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
In the 1980’s the so- called slasher film genre was in full swing. When Michael Myers and the “Halloween” franchise became the highest grossing independent film in cinema history, the studios scrambled to get in on the booming genre and unleashed a flood of psycho killers on the viewing public, for the better part of a decade and a half.
Along with the aforementioned Michael Myers, and the later Freddy Krueger from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series, Jason Voorhees of the “Friday The 13Th” series has become a cultural landmark. He has appeared in over ten movies (eleven if you count “Freddy Vs. Jason”) and unleashed havoc on countless oversexed and loaded teens, as well as those unfortunate enough to cross his path.
While the series, to many fans, become stale and largely self mocking with the Jason-in-space themed “Jason X”, the character rebounded nicely with “Freddy Vs. Jason” and had many fans clamoring for a second match up between the two iconic bad guys.
Eventually the powers-that-be decided to go the remake route, which had proven successful with “Halloween” and “My Bloody Valentine”, and have crafted a new “Friday the 13th” which they hope will re-energize the series.
The film opens with a modern re-telling of what was part of the finale of the original film, and hits the ground running with an impressive opening sequence that has Jason menacing a group of teens camping in the woods. The intense first twenty minutes of the film had the audience at the test screening gasping and cheering as the events set the stage for the body of the film, which revolves around another group of young adults taking a trip into the woods for a scenic getaway.
As the group stops for supplies, they encounter a young man who is looking for his sister who vanished in the area six weeks earlier. Despite little luck in his search, and the insistence by the local police that his sister is not anywhere in the area, he remains undaunted and continues his search.
At the same time, the group of young adults embarks on a frenzy of sex, drinking, drugs, and carefree living in the woods unaware that they are about to gain the attention of Camp Crystal Lake’s most infamous former camper.
As the film unfolds, Jason soon unleashes his customary brutality on the group as well as any townies that come across him, and the film deftly mixes some humor with classic horror mayhem. In the time honored formula, a group of survivors soon finds themselves under siege by Jason and must find a way to survive Jason’s wrath.
While the film lacks much in the way of plot and is loaded with a cast of largely unknowns, the film is a refreshing update to the series, knowing what the fans have come to expect and providing plenty of gore and scares. Since the cast exists to be little more than fodder for Jason, there is little effort devoted to fleshing them out as characters other than to provide excuses for most of the ladies in the film to shed their clothes, and a few of the male cast to establish themselves as comic relief, or the jerk who is destined for something special.
Director Marcus Nispel who has a solid pedigree with the recent “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, viral videos of Resident Evil 5, as well as the pending “Alice.” He clearly knows his subject matter and working with Producer Michael Bay and a script from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (the duo behind “Freddy vs. Jason”), produced a solid by the numbers horror film.
Fans of the series will note clever references to the past films such as Jason’s original mask and will find themselves yelling at the screen over the constant stupidity of the victims as well as the inventive way Jason dispatches his victims. I found myself enjoying the updated Jason because while the movie is faithful to the character, it revitalized him to show a more cunning predator who is not above using traps, bait, and plotting to achieve his means. There was a plot thread in the film that did not really get developed as much as I had hoped, but in the end, the film delivered the goods and sets the stage well for future outings of the machete-wielding Jason.
Along with the aforementioned Michael Myers, and the later Freddy Krueger from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series, Jason Voorhees of the “Friday The 13Th” series has become a cultural landmark. He has appeared in over ten movies (eleven if you count “Freddy Vs. Jason”) and unleashed havoc on countless oversexed and loaded teens, as well as those unfortunate enough to cross his path.
While the series, to many fans, become stale and largely self mocking with the Jason-in-space themed “Jason X”, the character rebounded nicely with “Freddy Vs. Jason” and had many fans clamoring for a second match up between the two iconic bad guys.
Eventually the powers-that-be decided to go the remake route, which had proven successful with “Halloween” and “My Bloody Valentine”, and have crafted a new “Friday the 13th” which they hope will re-energize the series.
The film opens with a modern re-telling of what was part of the finale of the original film, and hits the ground running with an impressive opening sequence that has Jason menacing a group of teens camping in the woods. The intense first twenty minutes of the film had the audience at the test screening gasping and cheering as the events set the stage for the body of the film, which revolves around another group of young adults taking a trip into the woods for a scenic getaway.
As the group stops for supplies, they encounter a young man who is looking for his sister who vanished in the area six weeks earlier. Despite little luck in his search, and the insistence by the local police that his sister is not anywhere in the area, he remains undaunted and continues his search.
At the same time, the group of young adults embarks on a frenzy of sex, drinking, drugs, and carefree living in the woods unaware that they are about to gain the attention of Camp Crystal Lake’s most infamous former camper.
As the film unfolds, Jason soon unleashes his customary brutality on the group as well as any townies that come across him, and the film deftly mixes some humor with classic horror mayhem. In the time honored formula, a group of survivors soon finds themselves under siege by Jason and must find a way to survive Jason’s wrath.
While the film lacks much in the way of plot and is loaded with a cast of largely unknowns, the film is a refreshing update to the series, knowing what the fans have come to expect and providing plenty of gore and scares. Since the cast exists to be little more than fodder for Jason, there is little effort devoted to fleshing them out as characters other than to provide excuses for most of the ladies in the film to shed their clothes, and a few of the male cast to establish themselves as comic relief, or the jerk who is destined for something special.
Director Marcus Nispel who has a solid pedigree with the recent “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, viral videos of Resident Evil 5, as well as the pending “Alice.” He clearly knows his subject matter and working with Producer Michael Bay and a script from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (the duo behind “Freddy vs. Jason”), produced a solid by the numbers horror film.
Fans of the series will note clever references to the past films such as Jason’s original mask and will find themselves yelling at the screen over the constant stupidity of the victims as well as the inventive way Jason dispatches his victims. I found myself enjoying the updated Jason because while the movie is faithful to the character, it revitalized him to show a more cunning predator who is not above using traps, bait, and plotting to achieve his means. There was a plot thread in the film that did not really get developed as much as I had hoped, but in the end, the film delivered the goods and sets the stage well for future outings of the machete-wielding Jason.