Wednesday, June 17

Jason Lives - Quick Thoughts and Little DVD Comparison


Does he think I'm a farthead?...YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!


Despite knowing Part 6 will eventually debut on Blu-ray just like Parts 1-3 so far and owning two other prior DVD editions...thirteen bucks later (har har) the new Deluxe Edition was in my Wal Mart bag yesterday.

Admittedly, I just never got deep into slashers. Probably stemming from seeing all of these guy's exploits out of their prime after first discovering Romero's zombies and Fulci's fixation on super Leone-like close-ups. The only memory I have from the era when Freddy was in full jig was my father bringing home an Elm Street poster around '86 or '87. I freaked and demanded it taken down while crying.

Enough about my stupid ass, this is my favorite F13 sequel, which is no big surprise since it's the charmer to many others. The opening stunner with Jason resurrectus is simply fucking awesome. I remember cheering upon Tommy's friend falling into his final resting place my first viewing. It's the first in the series to go out-of-the-way to place Jason in a more self aware iconic spotlight with badass shots like Mr. Hockey Mask atop a smoldering camper. C. J. Graham embodies Voorhees just as well as Hodder and adds subtle touches (much like Kane) like re-adjusting a pole in his hands after driving it through the Volkswagen's windshield.

Thom Mathews makes for the strongest male lead in the series and it's welcome to see the Jarvis role not reshaped for another Feldman return in the same fashion as the recent Bale/Terminator Salvation debacle. Jennifer Cooke is also a cut above your average final girl in her last role before retirement. The comedy is much less campy than Part 5, looking past the paintball sequence, taking a darker edge with wry editing. Not to mention Jason's head-crushing panache and the Alice Cooper tuneage.

Now on to DVD comparison. The biggest difference is the color cast. The first two Paramount discs are essentially identical with a brighter blueish hue. The new Deluxe Edition has a darker greenish hue which I suspect is more appropriate since a new high definition transfer was minted for this release and forthcoming Blu-ray. The new transfer also has a more solid appearance with a more apparent grain structure. It's not a big leap, but the Blu-ray might just exhibit a surprising leap in quality since it seems Paramount didn't try very hard in squeezing every ounce of the DVD format's potential here.

2001 DVD / 2004 Ultimate Collection / 2009 Deluxe Edition
(images unresized, captured as .pngs, converted to lossless .jpgs)

4 comments:

J. Astro said...

Re: all the good things you said here about Part 6 - AGREED! It is my favorite of all the F13's and possibly my favorite movie of all time. Cooper's "He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)" has a lot to do with it, but the movie is over all splattery, crunchy, and hilarious... never dull. Not for a second. I love it. Great pick, dude.

I Like Horror Movies said...

Did they run this one 'uncut' like they did with 1-3 Jay?

Tower Farm said...

THANK YOU! Part 6 is one of my all time favorites, too. What a great movie! In fact, I was just watching my copy (from the box set) today.

JM

Jayson Kennedy said...

Actually Carl, sadly Part 1 is still the only one presented uncut so far with these Deluxe Editions. Though this one does have "Slashed Scenes" of the gore cut out in dark bootleg VHS quality.

...do you dare tread upon the staircase?

Basement of Ghoulish Decadence, Basement of Ghoulish Archive, and all original material Copyright © 2009-present by Jayson Kennedy. All rights reserved.