Film Reviews by JA

Marginally better than the previous film thanks to improved CGI (though far from perfect in several areas), better action, a decent score and a far less convoluted plot but it is still lacking in terms of script, characters, narrative (which once again comes across like a video game), villains and has little explanation.

Directed by the late Tobe Hooper this science fiction horror film may well not be perfect and it is on the ridiculous side of things but it is highly enjoyable while not being boring for one moment. This is down to a solid cast giving it their all, good special and practical effects, believable production, action scenes that are typically 80s in all the best ways with explosions aplenty, an engrossing plot and a rousing score by Henry Mancini. It also is quite unique, weird and doesn't give up on its convictions while also being a film I can't imagine being filmed to the same high level with all its unique elements being done today.

Ninth film in the series and only Friday the 13th film released in the nineties and is just about the worse one in the series at this point which is down to some glaring issues. The first of which is the lack of screentime Jason has thanks to a ridiculous plot that involves Jason being able to take over other people so he can kill the daughter of his sister and be reborn again after getting spectacularly blown up in the first five minutes of the film. Then the whole affair looks and sounds like a violent TV movie with cheap sets, a rubbish score, bad sound mixing and other bad production. The whole plot and script are ludicrous, there are no characters to get behind and narratively as the plot progresses it gets more and more predictable. The only positives are a couple of decent kills, some solid practical effects, an opening that is fun and an ending that sets up a future film which I didn't expect.

I have to admit I wasn't expecting all that much from this as films centred around animal attacks can be somewhat exploitative in the worst ways however this is far deeper than most. Brilliantly mixing crime detective work with horror elements while also having a solid cast, excellent camera work, an engrossing plot, a good score by James Horner and themes that genuinely work as it deals with mans interaction with nature, mysticism, class war and urban decay which all add to the film as a whole.

Not as horrible as I was expecting it to be considering the reputation the film has garnered over the course of four decades but it is evidently a big step down over the first film. The first of many problems with this film however involve the lack of an exorcism that has any real impact on the plot (there is one in the first scene which is effective but doesn't compare to the exorcism scenes in the first film), there is the lingering question of why the death of Father Lankester Merrin that occurred in the first film is being investigated after four years, then the pacing is all over the place with long stretches being boring, I don't believe for one moment in the techniques used at the psychiatric institute that move the plot along, the score doesn't come close to being as good as before and it suffers from the same issues that the first film had (notably lacking any scares and I doubt I'm the only one on that front). It does have some positives however as the cast is good, there are some well done visuals, the final act has a couple of decent action scenes and it doesn't portray Africa in a stereotypical and negative light.

Probably no surprise that I prefer this to the second film (which this one ignores) but would it be sinful to say I actually preferred this just a bit more than the first? No it isn't perfect and I would like to see the original version that Blatty filmed but I just found it so much more engrossing than the original film while also being more tense, slightly scarier and featuring a lead character I could invest in. The few scenes involving both George C. Scott and Ed Flanders are funny, it is well shot, the plot though uneven due to the obvious reshoots is wholly entertaining, the casting is a good choice, I like the score and the script was mostly solid.