‘Jason X’ – humor in a
hockey mask

I like to think that I have a wide range of taste, which may account for why I liked “Jason X.” It has more laughs than scares and it’s self-deprecating. This may be “Friday the 13th, Part 10”, but it’s fairly far away from previous films, first and foremost in that it can be enjoyed, provided you’re not faint of heart.

Several years into the future, society becomes tired of hockey-masked slasher Jason Voorhees, (Kane Hodder) and plans to officially execute him to end his reign of terror. However, the little stinker’s awfully resistant to the usual methods: lethal injection, electrocution, firing squad, hanging, et cetera. So if he can’t be killed, he’ll be cryogenically frozen—but before the process can start, Jason escapes. Fortunately, the plucky Dr. Rowan (Lexa Doig) is on hand to force the killer into the freezing chamber, but not before she is wounded and the chamber leaks, thus freezing both of them.

We open again in the year 2455. Earth is now a desolate wasteland, incapable of life. A spaceship comes down to research the area and a team of humans finds the laboratory, along with two frozen people. They decide to heat them up as they’re traveling home. On the one hand, there is Rowan. Although hurt, she can be revived and healed. On the other hand, Jason is deemed “definitely dead” by the ship’s crew, but he’d make for a good black market deal. But of course, Jason is far from dead—he gets up, grabs a few sharp implements and wanders around the ship looking for victims. And boy, did he ever hit the jackpot.

I utterly despise the other entries in the “Friday the 13th” series. They’re mindless and with zero merit, containing little more than murder and sex. “Jason X,” however, is different. The film does travel familiar killing grounds, but new features make up for the old. This movie is lighter and funnier. Sure, the plot comes directly from Aliens, but who cares? The whole scenario breathes life into Jason, and screenwriter Todd Farmer added some hilarious scenes and little tidbits to keep interest high. One particular joke—where Jason “revisits” Camp Crystal Lake—was especially hysterical.

Make no mistake: “Jason X” isn’t great by any stretch of the imagination. But you have to appreciate it for what it is, a silly Jason self-parody with sci-fi thrown in. It knows the deservedly poor reputation of its nine predecessors and pokes fun at it. It’s about time.