continued...

... about the characters here for
a second. One of the typical criticisms of slasher movies is of course
the lack of character development. It's here where I believe some of
our more learned critics have missed the point and probably the appeal
of these kinds of movies. Slasher movie victims fit certain
archetypes. They are relatable enough to the audience, but in the end
they exist to die. Whether this is a major flaw in the genre or not is
for someone better than me to decide. But I do think it's a central
part of the genres appeal. There's a nihlism to the slasher genre that
can't be removed lest it fall apart altogether.

Here it's represented almost perfectly. The human characters are
basically demolished by Jason, while Freddy grows angrier and angrier
at his own impotence. The monsters are indeed the stars here, and Yu
clearly loves them way more than his teenage victims, who are lucky if
they get a snarky remark before they meet their end.

Of course certain genre conventions are observed and we're given our
"final girl" in the form of Lori, embodied by Monica Keena. She's
serviceable enough acting wise. Easy on the eyes too, attractive and
pouty. But she's certainly not going to make anyone forget Jamie Lee
Curtis in Halloween - Lori is simply there to move the other teenage
targets into Freddy/Jason's way. right up to the final battle, which
is an amazing spectacle.

It's there that Yu really pays off the rest of the movie. Monsters
have battled many times over the years, but here we're given something
that's visually pleasing in more than just typical gore.(Though that is pretty nice too.) Freddy
suddenly becomes Bruce Lee, while Jason is a Sherman tank with legs.
Both villains pummel each other within a inch of their lives, drowning
the screen in stage blood. Most action films don't have fight scenes
this well put together.

So here's the part where I always get asked "is it scary?" Well, not
really, but it's not exactly the point here. Was Frankenstein meets
the Wolfman "scary?" No. What we have here is a roller-coaster ride
with teeth. And, as that, it works really well. A bloody good time
indeed.

...back to beginning

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