Favorite Franchises/1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Directed by: Richard Marquand


After The Empire Strikes Back shocked audiences with its cliffhanger ending, fans had to wait another 3 years to see how the story would continue. The result was not only a continuation, but also served as the final chapter in the original Star Wars trilogy. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi had a lot to deliver on what had already been teased in Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. How would our heroes rescue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt? What is the next plan of the Rebels to try and take down the Empire? And most importantly, what was next for Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, now that they've been revealed as father and son? All these and more were about to be explored in Return of the Jedi, but the question a lot of fans had was whether or not this could even remotely be as good as the other two films. There are a lot of fans that go on to say all 3 installments are perfect 5-star films. However, upon recent viewing I've realized that Return of the Jedi is the film in the trilogy that hasn't aged the greatest. It's the one where some of the cinematic cracks are showing, but that doesn't make it a bad film. So let's see how this whole Star Wars thing comes to an end (for now) in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

I've gone a while without talking about Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher. I could talk about how she's led the Rebels into battle on many occasions, how she has a well-developed love with Han Solo, and I could even talk about how this film explores that she's Luke Skywalker's sister and what that could all mean for the future of the Jedi and the Force. But no, you all want me to talk about that one outfit she wears, right? Yes, she wears a very revealing gold bikini outfit and I'm sure she helped a lot of boys get through puberty in the '80s, but there's so much more to Leia as a character than just gold bikinis and cinnamon bun hairstyles.

I suppose I can use that bikini to segue to my next point about the scenes that explore the world of Jabba the Hutt, voiced by Larry Ward. Jabba is another great example of how practical effects can help bring the creatures to life in the Star Wars films. Jabba does very little action-wise, but he holds a lot of power and atmosphere in his Palace. He has a memorable entourage and some iconic death traps on display. Plus, he has a great presence and reputation around him. We see him once or twice more in the series thanks to some CGI, but I don't want to tread down the real vs. CGI debate again. If you want to read how I feel about that, read my paragraph on Yoda in my Attack of the Clones review.

Of course, I couldn't talk about Return of the Jedi without everyone wanting to know my opinion about the Ewoks. I'll keep this one brief. I think they're annoying, but harmless to the franchise. They aren't worse than half the stuff we've seen in the prequels, so I have no real problems with them. This film is arguably the most humorous of the entire trilogy, and the Ewoks add a lot to that. Plus, they give Warwick Davis something to do in another major franchise, so there's that.

Then, there's the unsung hero of the entire Star Wars saga, composer John Williams. Think about Star Wars and you'll probably have some song in your head. I've gone on in the past to praise John Williams and this is probably his greatest contribution to film and music. The man is the best composer in movie soundtrack history, no question about it. There's not much else to say about it except these movies would be a lot different if someone else had been hired to do the music.

One minor rant when it comes to the original trilogy is which version is the one to watch. Some of you may believe that the only version out there are their original theatrical cuts, but there is another version that is more common to come by. George Lucas keeps re-releasing them as updated Special Editions every couple of years. As a moviegoer, I say stay away from these as much as you can. They rarely offer anything new that is important to the series and they actually do more damage to the original trilogy that ranges on prequel territory. A lot of updated CGI is crammed into the Special Editions, but a lot of my issues come in the Special Edition for Return of the Jedi. The existence of Jar Jar Binks in the original trilogy is presented, along with a ridiculous concert scene in Jabba's Palace, and the infamous recasting of Hayden Christensen as the ghost of Anakin Skywalker. The original theatricals are rare to track down (with the most recent version to my knowledge being the 2-disc releases of the Special Editions in 2004), but trust me when I say they are well worth the effort to watch. It baffles me that Lucas wouldn't want these to be celebrated. They're a part of cinematic history for crying out loud. Quit trying to make the Special Editions popular with the fans George. It's never going to happen.

Still, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi satisfied a lot of viewers out there and brought closure to the Star Wars trilogy. It was so satisfying that back in the day, we didn't NEED more. Did we want more? Absolutely, but it wasn't a necessity. However, the prequels created a necessity for fans to see a day when Star Wars can make a triumphant comeback to the world of film. Whether or not you want to treat Return of the Jedi as a conclusion to the original trilogy or the chronological saga of all six movies, the fact of the matter is that this isn't the conclusion to the Star Wars saga anymore. It will continue. We have hope that Star Wars can continue to succeed. Will it? Join me in 18 days, and we'll soon find out if it can.


Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Not as good as the other two films in the trilogy, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi still delivers a great film with a proper sense of closure. It only makes sense for the conclusion to get a strong recommendation, as it belongs right beside Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back as one of the great movie trilogies.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox

Favorite Franchises/1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Directed by: Irvin Kershner


You can only imagine the daunting task it was to try and follow up one of the biggest blockbusters of all-time. Nowadays, sequels are commonplace, but back in the '70s and '80s, sequels were coming into the foreground of filmmaking. Enter a film like Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, a film that was expected to expand the already fantastical universe of the Star Wars saga. Today, The Empire Strikes Back is one of the rare movie sequels out there that general consensus agrees is better than the original film. For me, this is actually a really tough debate to have. In many ways, I've found both films to be the definition of a PERFECT Star Wars film, but only one can be my favorite. In what I'm sure is going to be an unfortunate discovery for my regular viewers, I already answered which was my favorite in my previous review. Nevertheless, I enjoy the heck out of Empire Strikes Back, and I'm going to spend some time discussing how some of the characters I didn't cover last time are able to develop further, while also discussing some of the newer characters that are introduced. I'm also going to talk about the ending that created one of the biggest moments in film history (so *SPOILER* warning for the few people who have been living under a rock for 35 years), so this one's going to get very interesting.

One of the key reasons behind the success of The Empire Strikes Back is Darth Vader, played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones. The man, the myth, the legend, Vader is one of the all-time greatest bad guys in film history. Just look at the costume, hear the raspy breathing, listen to his iconic theme song, and look at the army of forces he has at his disposal. Then factor in that he can handle quite a bit on his own once you see him do battle with a lightsaber or choke some people out with the Force. He's just awesome and one of the key figures and symbols of the entire Star Wars franchise. But there's also Vader's defining moment in the film, which I will talk about later.

But my favorite character moments in this film belong to the legendary Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford. The highlights of Han's adventures in The Empire Strikes Back includes his romance with Princess Leia, being frozen in Carbonite, navigating the Millennium Falcon through some rough situations, rescuing Luke in the snow, and having some of the best one-liners you will ever hear in a film. What's not to love about him? I've often believed that while we can relate with Luke more, deep down we'd all love to be Han.

One of the new characters introduced in The Empire Strikes Back is Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams. A friend of Han and original captain of the Millennium Falcon, Lando just oozes coolness out of him. From beginning to end, no matter whose side he is on, Lando always has a reason for his actions. For the most part, he just wants to help his people on Cloud City. But when his friends truly need help, Lando springs into action to help save the day. He's the type of ally that can be a great help to you, but that doesn't mean I'd follow him blindly any time soon.

This also marks the film debut of fan favorite Boba Fett, played by Jeremy Bulloch and voiced by Jason Wingreen. Even if I'm a diehard Star Wars fan, to this day I have never been able to figure out why Boba Fett gets so much love. He shows up in a handful of scenes, says very little, soaks up the background, and in the next film he gets taken out in one of the most ridiculous ways possible. I just don't get it. Still, he's introduced here, and Vader holds him close to his side while on Cloud City, so I guess I can accept that he's popular by association.

I put the minor *SPOILER* warning in the beginning to talk about one of the most memorable twist endings in film history. I'm of course talking about the conclusion of Vader's lightsaber battle with Luke Skywalker. It is there that he unloads a HUGE bombshell and tells Luke that he is his father. Words can't describe how crazy it must have been in the theaters when this movie first came out. There was probably panic all over the world. Even worse was the idea that you had to wait 3 years to see what would happen next. And if you take the prequels out of the equation, this ending changes EVERYTHING we thought we knew about Star Wars. It leaves you asking questions. It leaves you wanting more. THIS is how you properly end a phenomenal movie.

And to think, I haven't even talked about the battle of Hoth, Luke's training with Yoda, the chase through the asteroid field, and so much more. There's a lot to talk about when it comes to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, but the biggest mark it leaves in cinema is being a continuation of a story that is just as good, if not better than the first one. It's a short list of films that can boast that claim to fame, and it is well worth the praise it has received over the decades.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

With as many iconic scenes and moments as the previous film, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is an amazing sequel that lives up to the hype created by the original. With arguably the greatest twist ending in film history, this film is another must see for all movie buffs out there.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox

Favorite Franchises/1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

Directed by: George Lucas

I always enjoy when I can get my hands on reviewing one of my Top 10. For me, that's the top 10 movies that are my absolute favorites to watch on any occasion. They are also the 10 films that have changed me as both a fan of movies and as a person. A film like this means that I am not the same person coming out of the movie as I was going in. This kind of description perfectly summarizes how I feel about Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. While I love the Star Wars saga (including a love/hate relationship with the prequels), this is really the one that can stand on its own as a film. No matter how good the other two films are in the original trilogy, I find that they are better if you have a solid foundation established by what Star Wars (or A New Hope) started. It's one of my all-time favorite movies and it really changed the world of film as we know it. For a long time, movies were the way they were and then Star Wars came along. There's a handful of movies that can have that big of an impact on the world, but Star Wars is THAT big of a film. One thing I must stress is that if you are getting into this series for the first time, it really helps to start with this film. It gives you the best overall cinematic experience to watch the original trilogy and then the prequel trilogy. So be ready for me to talk about this film with a pair of "first impression goggles."

The hero of the Star Wars trilogy is Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. Luke has possibly the greatest character progression I have seen in a movie franchise. Simply in how he is at the start of the series to the end, Luke has an amazing transformation. We nowadays are aware that Luke Skywalker is a great Jedi and hero of the franchise, but when this film starts, he's just an unassuming teenager looking to go into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters. He's the viewer's window through this galactic journey. He looks out at the two suns on Tatooine, dreaming of doing something greater with his life, and by the end of the film, he has lived the adventure of a lifetime. Shooting down spaceships, saving the princess, blowing up the Death Star, and training to be a Jedi? Who wouldn't want to be in Luke Skywalker's shoes? I know I would.

Our guide to the Force is through Ben Kenobi, an older version of Obi-Wan Kenobi played by Alec Guinness. He's a great mentor figure for Luke to look up to. He's wise, yet mysterious. He can also be quite humorous, and as far as an introduction to the world of Star Wars is concerned, he offers a gateway to the Jedi folklore. It is thanks to Obi-Wan that Luke receives his father's lightsaber. Obi-Wan also uses a Jedi mind trick to tell the Stormtroopers "these aren't the droids you're looking for." This and a few other things really paint Obi-Wan as this experienced and all-powerful figure that could easily captivate a generation of viewers.

One of the first characters we're introduced to is C-3PO, a protocol droid played by Anthony Daniels. It's pretty easy for 3PO to get a lot of criticism from even the most diehard of Star Wars fans. His foppish delivery makes it easy to be labelled "annoying" and even "gay" by many viewers. I just think it works for him. He's part of a comedic foil, meant to act the opposite of his counterpart, and when they're able to work off each other, it provides some of the best comedy the films have to offer.

The counterpart, of course, is astro droid R2-D2, played by Kenny Baker. Short on words and size, but big on actions, R2 actually holds the power of the film's plot within his circuits. He's the one who has to carry Princess Leia's message to Obi-Wan, the one who sneaks away from Luke to go and find Obi-Wan, the one who has to save our heroes from being destroyed in the garbage compactor, and the one that accompanies Luke to blow up the Death Star. That's a lot of stuff to happen to a little astro droid in one film. And of course, his biggest function is to annoy the crap out of C-3PO, a function that he greatly succeeds in. Still, the two are great friends and one of the most memorable pairings in the Star Wars universe.

The very tall Peter Mayhew plays beloved Wookiee Chewbacca. Despite being one of the most fun characters in the bunch, we actually know very little about Chewie. We know about his sound effects, we know he's tall, we know he's hairy, we know he's loyal to Han Solo, and we know he has the power to rip arms out of sockets. That's all we're really given, but that's all we really need. I think some of the most effective side characters are the ones that have just enough mythos about them to give a small impression of what their character is and what they've been through. You can definitely get a lot of that with Chewbacca and that's why I always get a kick out of watching him in action.

The word of the day for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is groundbreaking. If you've never even seen a Star Wars film, chances are you know what happens in this one. Nearly every scene is iconic, nearly every line is quotable, and you can relate to nearly every character on the screen. It was the film the put George Lucas on the map and showed everyone what practical effects and solid storytelling can do to the world of cinema. It's both an epic and a romance set in the depths of space, while also paying tribute to the movies that inspired Lucas. In turn, Lucas created a movie trilogy that inspired the world of young filmmakers to go out and make their own art. None of that would have started, however, if this film had not been made. No matter how nerdy this fan culture can be, NEVER take the fact that the world of film owes a lot to this movie for granted.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Whether you call it Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope or simply Star Wars, this is one of the most recognizable movies in history for a darn good reason. For introducing the world to a galaxy far far away with some of the most beloved characters and memorable scenes, this film is a definite must watch for all moviegoers out there.

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox

Favorite Franchises: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen
Directed by: George Lucas


I remember it fondly. The year was 2005 and it was opening weekend for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. My dad took me to the theater and we waited at the front of the line for 2 hours for the next showing. We got into the theater first and sat in my favorite seats (middle of the row right above the railing so we can prop our feet up). There was no time to get snacks and no time to use the restroom. I did not care because I was about to see the conclusion to the Star Wars saga. Episodes I and II get a lot of crap from the fans, but Revenge of the Sith is actually a pretty polarizing film. Sure, there's a lot of people that hate it, but then there's a number of fans who say it's not only the best film in the prequel trilogy, but it's the only one that comes close to capturing the spirit of the original trilogy. I won't go THAT far, but I will say that it's been 10 years now and I still enjoy the heck out of this film. Of course, it's still a flawed film, but I'll gladly go through the combined crap of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones to get to a solid reward with Revenge of the Sith.

Yes, Hayden Christensen's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker is awful. It's terribly wooden and lacking a charismatic spark that would actually convince anyone that Anakin had any redeeming qualities to start with. The whole purpose of these films is to show his downfall. He is supposed to be this great and powerful Jedi that turns to the dark side of the Force. The problem is in Christensen's delivery, you never get that idea that he is supposed to be good. He just seems evil from the start. That being said, I do think he does a lot better with what he's given in Revenge of the Sith than he is in Attack of the Clones. He has less time to have to worry about his forced love with Padme and more time focusing on his own personal descent towards evil. There are a lot of scenes where his actions are downright heartbreaking to watch and you can really see the 11th hour of his actions that will eventually lead to him becoming Darth Vader. It's surprisingly effective.

The most enjoyable overall performance in the prequel trilogy is Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. In comparison with Anakin, Obi-Wan is the better story told over the course of the trilogy. We see him start as a young apprentice, then a competent Jedi Knight, and finally a Jedi Master responsible for training Anakin and going on his own missions. What's best about McGregor's portrayal is that I can honestly believe that this Obi-Wan grows up to be the Obi-Wan from the original trilogy, whereas you really have to check your brain off to believe that whiny and brooding Hayden Christensen can grow up one day to be Darth Vader. The Obi-Wan/Anakin comparisons may seem odd at first glance, but really think about it in context with all that occurs around both trilogies. They're the first lightsaber we see in the very first Star Wars film ever made, and the one we looked forward to seeing throughout the entire prequel trilogy. It's the gripping story of master and apprentice, brother against brother, and in some context father against son. Thankfully, McGregor carries the emotional weight of this rivalry so the climax has a proper payoff. Granted, the fight does go on a little too long and some of the sequences seem downright ridiculous, but if you're emotionally invested in the fight over the course of the saga, the positives will definitely outweigh the negatives.

Jedi Master Mace Windu wields a purple lightsaber and is played by Samuel L. Jackson. And that's all you'll ever really know about him. We get the idea that he's one of the most powerful Jedi, second only to Yoda. The problem is we're never really shown how powerful he is outside of words spoken. You have Samuel L. FREAKING Jackson at your disposal to play a great Jedi Master and you don't use him properly? I mean heck, give him a Bible passage to recite as he wields a lightsaber, or have him cuss up a storm. Give him SOMETHING to do that he excels at.

General Grievous, voiced by Matthew Wood, is a fun villain addition simply because of his look, his voice, and his ability to wield four different lightsabers at once. There's not a whole lot to his character. He kills Jedi, collects their lightsabers, and has a fun lightsaber fight with Obi-Wan. It's simple, but something about it really works for me. I actually enjoy him as a villain more than Maul or Dooku. I think it's the whole being able to murder Jedi thing. It adds a mythos and backstory to his development. It's a little touch like that that was seriously lacking with building the villains in the previous two films.

The character I enjoy the most in Revenge of the Sith is Palpatine, played by Ian McDiarmid. Whether he's the Chancellor or the Emperor, he is having a blast going over the top here. He is constantly yelling and hamming it up on the screen and the amount of fun he's having definitely shows. But then there are scenes like his discussion with Anakin at the opera. He takes the time to slow it down a bit and actually seduce (I know, a weird word in modern connotation, but it is moderately appropriate in context) Anakin by exploring the folklore of the Sith and the Force. It's a memorably haunting scene and Palpatine is really able to pull you in by the words he's saying, which is an example of the Force being able to leap off the big screen. Impressive. Most impressive.

Yes, George Lucas really damaged the legacy of Star Wars with the prequels. The amount of problems in these combined three films are astronomical. Yet, the silver lining in this trilogy is Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In this film, Lucas puts every amount of effort he has to make sure it ties up to the original trilogy. By the time this film wraps up, you should be ready to pop in the original trilogy and carry the story on with no problems. Is it that perfect? Absolutely not. But it definitely holds up much better than the other two films. Bad dialogue? Yes. Questionable acting? Yes. A whole bunch of fan service? Yes. But, it's not as hilariously bad as The Phantom Menace and it's not as painfully bad as Attack of the Clones. In my book, that can be considered a success.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

You've made it through 2 atrocities in the Star Wars prequel trilogy to get to a film like this. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is not a perfect movie, but it tries its best to tie everything together and is still an entertaining, but flawed, movie.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox

Favorite Franchises: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen
Directed by: George Lucas


Why? Just, just why? 3 years after George Lucas disappointed Star Wars fans all over the universe, he unleashed Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. There were a lot of fans that honestly believed it couldn't get any worse than The Phantom Menace. Heck, a lot of people thought Lucas learned from his mistakes from the last film and would put the extra effort forward to ensure he doesn't end up with another disaster film. We all went in hopeful, yet again. And then the unbelievable happened: he made something WORSE! Granted, it's debatable among fans which film is worse, but I will say I've been seeing hatred for The Phantom Menace dying more over the last few years and the hatred towards Attack of the Clones growing more. Remember what I said in my last review about the difference between laughably bad and painfully bad? Because I love Star Wars so much, the bad feelings I have towards this film are incredibly painful. So let's trigger one of the biggest panic attacks I'll ever have for a film in one of my favorite franchises. This is Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

For those waiting for me to bash Hayden Christiensen's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker, all in good time my pretties. For now, let's talk about his dead-eyed love interest Padme, played by Natalie Portman. Just an awful young performance from one of today's most well-known actresses. Her delivery is boring, her lines are overly cheesy, and she is possibly one of the dumbest, most non-sensible heroines I've ever seen on film. Her romance with Anakin lacking so much in chemistry that it rivals Twilight territory. Yeah...THAT bad.

The great Jedi Master Yoda is voiced by Frank Oz and has been utilized as both a puppet and a CGI character in the Star Wars saga. Attack of the Clones is the film that introduced CGI Yoda and it definitely takes away from the wonder of the original Yoda. Something about practical effects just help you believe that character is really there. With this Yoda, I know he's made from a computer. It pulls me out of the adventure I'm watching. Plus, his use of a lightsaber and jumping all over the place at the end is RIDICULOUS. I know there's a lot of people who find it awesome, but I find it hilariously awful. Yoda's wisdom and simplistic use of the Force was much better utilized in the original trilogy (I keep saying those movies are better for a reason folks), and I honestly think his CGI version in Episodes II and III really take away from that mythology and legend that is attached with his name. The real Yoda trumps CGI Yoda any day.

Yoda has this silly lightsaber battle against the film's main villain, Count Dooku, played by Christopher Lee. How dare this film waste great villain potential with Christopher Lee playing a Sith Lord. Count Dooku is only introduced in the last 1/3 of the movie and when he is, there's not much we are told about him. Unlike Darth Maul, he doesn't have an interesting appearance to carry his character development. He has a curvy lightsaber, can shoot lightning out of his hands, but something about him still doesn't come off as this great villain for the film. It's missing a proper payoff in my opinion. Lee is an amazing actor that we unfortunately lost this year, and while I can't consider Dooku a great character in the franchise, I'll still look on the character fondly because of the amazing talent and legacy left by Christopher Lee.

We get another boring villain in Jango Fett, played by Temuera Morrison. He's so simplistic: he's trying to kill Padme and he's the "father" of the "child" who would grow up to be Boba Fett. I actually do enjoy the fight scene he has with Obi-Wan Kenobi, but just like Darth Maul, awesome villains are not just defined by the ability to have one good fight scene. There needs to be something deeper, and they TRY to make him deeper simply based on the idea of his DNA being used to create Boba Fett and a whole army of clones.

The film is called Attack of the Clones, so we might as well discuss the introduction of the Clone Troopers. They are cloned from Jango Fett and the mystery surrounding them is about who ordered their creation. All signs point to the Sith probably using them to their advantage...so the Jedi decide to use them at the end of the movie to save the day. Here lies one of my biggest problems with the prequels: THEY MAKE THE JEDI LOOK LIKE FRICKIN MORONS!!!! Obi-Wan is suspicious of these Clone Troopers. Heck, they were cloned off the character that is trying to KILL one of our main characters. In what universe do you think they are going to be 100% helpful good guys? Seriously, you guys deserve to have Order 66 executed on you.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones may have held over my entertainment value when I was a child, but the novelty has worn off many years later. Yes, it is kinda cool to see a whole bunch of Jedi fighting in an arena together, but they're fighting the expendable droid army, so it's barely a challenge for them. The problems pile on way too high to find anything overly salvageable. A horribly forced romance, moronic Jedi characters, a focus on CGI, weak villains in Count Dooku and Jango Fett, a ridiculous looking battle featuring a ridiculous looking CGI Yoda, and so much more make it my least favorite episode in the saga. What's saddest about this film is that it has the name Star Wars attached, when it truly doesn't deserve to be in the same franchise as the original trilogy.


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

I'll love this series til the day that I die, but Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones makes me want to tear my hair out. Badly written, poor acting, terrible character motivations and decisions, and a film that is clearly focusing more on action and effects than actually being something worthy of the title Star Wars. The biggest amount of skipping in the galaxy should be saved for a movie like this.

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox

Favorite Franchises: Star Wars Episode I- The Phantom Menace

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman
Directed by: George Lucas


It should come as no surprise that I love Star Wars. Since as long as I can remember, Star Wars has been a part of my life. With a new film coming out in a few weeks, there's no better time than to share my thoughts on this groundbreaking saga. However, there's a lot of conflicting thoughts and feelings that I have for this franchise. For starters, while I am in full support of watching this in the order they were made (starting with A New Hope), I realize with The Force Awakens being the seventh film, I'll need to review these in numerical order. This also means I get to start with getting the worst out of the way early. It's no secret that the prequels aren't a beloved trilogy in most fans' eyes and a lot of that hate started with the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I think a lot of that hate arrives at the idea that fans waited 16 years since the last Star Wars film to get this one. Expectations were so high for it that I doubt any movie could have lived up to the hype. It's been 16 years since this movie's release, so let's see if the film is still THAT bad after the removal of the disappointing nostalgia goggles pertaining to the initial release of The Phantom Menace.

Let's start by bringing up the two scenes that most people bring up in defense of The Phantom Menace. The first is the Podracing scene. While a little too long for my taste, I can see where it gets its appeal. If you love NASCAR, you'll love seeing it in space. The true highlight of the film is the incredible lightsaber battle pitting Darth Maul against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. It's so beautifully choreographed and accompanied by the amazing "Duel of the Fates" theme, it creates a final fighting scene that is worth the price of admission. As far as lightsaber battles go, this is my favorite one to watch. Sure, there are plenty of other lightsaber battles that are more story driven, but, on a pure action standpoint, this one gets me pumped every time I go through these films.

And then there's the one character everyone goes on about when it comes to this film, Darth Maul, played by Ray Park. Again, a lot of that comes to the physicality and choreography he brings to the lightsaber battles. There's also something very appealing about his look. The red and black skin, the red and yellow eyes, the horns, the double-bladed lightsaber. He's got a very memorable look that came about at the right time and took the world by storm. Heck, I remember dressing up as Darth Maul for Halloween in 1999. However, there's a big gripe that can be taken with Darth Maul and that's that his time in the film (and the entire series) is way too short. He has maybe two lines of dialogue, shows up in about 4 or 5 scenes, and then that's it. Yes, he's part of the film's best scene, but there's nothing to know about his character outside of his look. Sure, as a kid, I didn't care. But as an adult and a movie reviewer, you start to take notice of those things. Oh well, he's still pretty awesome.

Last of the fun characters and then we'll dig in to the crap. Liam Neeson plays Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. I think most people like Qui-Gon because of Neeson and not the character himself. Today, Liam Neeson has an almost Chuck Norris-like following from his fans, so when you put a lightsaber in his hands, people are bound to have some fun with that. However, I found myself getting really frustrated with Qui-Gon as a character. It's hard to explain, but he just makes a lot of mistakes and poor judgment calls that lead to him being a terrible main character to follow. Plus, he's responsible for explaining to the world that the Force is powered by midi-chlorians. The less we say about that subject the better.

The really good moments of the film stop there and the film's worst moments begin with the character of Jar Jar Binks, voiced by Ahmed Best. This clumsy, annoying, and (possibly) racially offensive character is the butt of many jokes geared towards the prequels. Every moment he's on screen is painful. There's only so much I can say about him that hasn't already been said by nearly every fan on the planet. He's a step in the completely wrong direction for tone and momentum when trying to watch the film. In the original trilogy, characters like C-3PO, R2-D2, Chewbacca, and even Han Solo in moments are used for comedic relief to bring a little levity to the deep and emotionally heavy story that is taking place. Here, the film is already so boring and hard to invest in, that when Jar Jar shows up in scenes, he's absolutely getting in the way and making it even more difficult to give a crap about what's going on. His comedy is not versatile. He has only one dial: annoy everyone in the film and in the audience. Cause that's something I'm really looking for in one of the characters with the most screen time in this film.

Jake Lloyd plays the child version of Anakin Skywalker. Here is the main problem with this film, in my opinion, but unlike a good number of Star Wars fans, I'm not blaming this kid. I'm a 22-year-old man and I'm not going to blame a film's failure on a 10-year-old child. What sense does that make? The real person to blame is George Lucas for thinking THIS was what fans wanted to see in exploring the origins of the man who would eventually (*SPOILERS?*) become Darth Vader. Yes, Jake Lloyd's acting is wooden and very noticeably bad, but he didn't just insert himself into the film. Someone had to audition 3000 child actors and say "Yeah, this kid's exactly what we're looking for." At the end of the day, it's the poor conceptualization that led to the insane amount of backlash surrounding Jake Lloyd and kid Anakin.

It's been 16 years and I think it's really difficult to add anything to the amount of hatred moviegoers have towards Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. What could I possibly say that would be able to stand out from what nearly every other critic or moviegoer has said for nearly 2 decades? It would be the movie equivalent of kicking a dead horse, and that can only be entertaining for so long. I will say one final thought about The Phantom Menace before I move on from it, this is NOT my least favorite Star Wars film. Don't get me wrong, it's a bad movie. But I'd rather watch something that is laughably bad than a film that is irritatingly bad. For that reason, I'll enjoy every cheesy, poorly written, badly acted, overly saturated CGI filled moment of The Phantom Menace.


Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is filled with problems, but enough time has passed to where I can watch it and have a good laugh. Not every Star Wars fan is going to have this response, as this film still gets a lot of flak from a very large fan base. For that, I can't recommend this movie for everyone. The casual moviegoer looking to get in to Star Wars can go ahead and skip this installment, but look up the film's final lightsaber battle. That is quite a highlight for a horrible movie.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox

Fowler's Frights 2015: Friday the 13th (2009)

Friday the 13th (2009)
Starring: Derek Mears, Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker
Directed by: Marcus Nispel


Technically, I'm a little late on this one because it's Saturday the 14th where I'm at, but I watched this film on Friday the 13th so I'm going to count it as on time. Happy Friday the 13th everyone, let's talk about the most recent film depiction of Jason Voorhees, the 2009 remake of Friday the 13th. With a film like this, there were a lot of hit and miss factors. Sean S. Cunningham serving as producer. Hit. Michael Bay also serving as producer. Miss. The screenplay was done by the guys who wrote Freddy vs. Jason. Miss. The young cast. Hit. And of course, seeing a modern take on the character of Jason has the biggest amount of intrigue for a moviegoer. Surprisingly, with the amount of hatred horror remakes have been getting over the years, I have pretty decent things to say about this one. While not a perfect film, nor the greatest Friday the 13th film, it at least tries to do something a little different rather than just remake the original film. It's a return to roots for Jason, but updated for the modern audience and I quite enjoy it, so let's talk about the positives of 2009's Friday the 13th remake.

I'll get to Jason in a minute, but let's look at the young cast of "teenagers" in this film. I actually enjoy a lot of these actors from other things, but not many of them do anything overly impressive. There are at least two that stick out in my mind. The first is Clay, played by Jared Padalecki, who we really can sympathize with because he's looking for his sister, whom was kidnapped by Jason at the beginning of the film. We like Clay and we want him to find his sister, simple as that. The other character that is truly memorable is Trent, played by Travis Van Winkle. This guy is a complete DICK! I usually try to keep my words on here PG, but there's no better way to put it. He's a snobby rich boy who just says the rudest things at the worst time. He randomly cheats on his girlfriend and completely doesn't care when he gets caught. He is just a massive tool box and is possibly the biggest character in the entire franchise where the audience can go "I really can't wait for Jason to get you!"

And now on to Jason. Derek Mears dons the mask (and the potato sack for a little bit) for this installment and actually does a good job with it. It's weird not to imagine Kane Hodder in the role at this point, but we aren't dealing with a zombie Jason this time. Kane is zombie Jason, but I think Derek Mears could go down as the best human form of Jason. He's a big guy who can't be stopped. He's absolutely intimidating. He makes the potato sack look scary for a good chunk of the film. That's not an easy task to do. With another Jason movie due out in a few years, I'll be glad if Mears returns to the role, as he left a good impression with his performance here. For all we know, he could go down as this generation's definitive Jason Voorhees.

Nowadays, most horror remakes will borrow heavily (possibly 90%) from the original film and it will be a carbon copy of a movie we've all seen before. With Friday the 13th, we honestly get bits and pieces thrown in from the first three films in the series. We see a prologue scene in the beginning that borrows from the ending of the original film, Jason runs around in the potato sack from Part 2 for a while, and then finds the hockey mask in a barn like in Part 3. That's pretty much all it took from the movies. Maybe Clay's motivation seems similar to something out of The Final Chapter, but now I'm nitpicking. Point is, the film, for a remake, feels very contained in itself. In no way is that actually a bad thing, and heck, it set things up for a sequel that I would honestly be invested to see. The film, in my opinion, could be considered a success because it rekindled the desire to see Jason Voorhees terrorize Camp Crystal Lake on the big screen. He'd been to New York, Hell, Space, and fought with Freddy Krueger. Now, he's back to basics, but through a modern retelling. It's never going to be Academy Award quality filmmaking, but I'm all for it.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

The Friday the 13th remake gives you tons of violence and sex. If that's your thing, then you'll probably enjoy watching it. It returns Jason Voorhees to his roots and it's one of the rare horror remakes in recent memory to not be a complete disaster, so give it a watch.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Friday the 13th (2009) and movie images are copyrighted by New Line Cinema

Fowler's Frights 2015: Freddy vs. Jason

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Starring: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Monica Keena
Directed by: Ronny Yu


At the end of Jason Goes to Hell, the world was treated to the horror teaser of a lifetime. Focusing in on Jason's hockey mask on the ground, Freddy's clawed glove pops out of the ground and drags Jason's mask down to Hell. And then we waited for 10 years while Freddy vs. Jason remained in development Hell. Several scripts and revisions were made. Everyone wanted to be the person to make this film. It's a title that carries some serious weight in the horror community. To be the person who either wrote or directed the film that put Freddy Krueger against Jason Voorhees has to be one of the most daunting tasks in film history. If you succeed, you're looked at as a legend. If you fail, you're considered a joke among the entire community. Needless to say, Freddy vs. Jason is considered to be a fun film because of the two iconic personas, but the screenwriters and director Ronny Yu have been the butt of many jokes and subjected to ridicule over bad filmmaking ever since the film was released. But let's focus on the good aspects of the film, because trust me there are some good qualities. We'll start by talking about the returns of some very old friends.

After the disappointing finale to my Nightmare on Elm Street retrospective last month, I'm so thankful to get another opportunity to review a film featuring Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. He gets to do his thing, like always, and serves as the puppet master for this film's plot. It's been a long time since he's been relevant in Springwood, so he recruits Jason Voorhees to kill for him so people will be afraid again, thus giving Freddy the power to kill teenagers in their dreams again. It's a very unique concept and you need a charismatic entity to drive that concept forward. Freddy is the guy to do that and Robert is the guy to play him.

Ken Kirzinger plays Jason Voorhees in this film. I know I'm not the only one who wished Kane Hodder would've been the one playing Jason here, but the studios wanted Jason to be a taller, more imposing figure in contrast to Freddy. Still, Kirzinger does a fine enough job, particularly in giving Jason a sympathetic personality. Plus, it goes without saying that Jason clearly gets the bigger body count in this film over Freddy.

I'm sure there's a couple other things I could talk about, but who really cares when you've got two of horror's greatest icons going head to head in a battle for the ages. Freddy vs. Jason may not be a perfect film, but it gives the people what they want. We get to see Freddy and Jason go at it twice. The first time, it's in Freddy's dream world, where he clearly has the advantage. Then, when Freddy is pulled into the real world, it's an even playing field. I also love how both killers have different skills and advantages. Jason has the power and Freddy is more agile. Going into the movie, you're bound to have a favorite, so this is one of those films to watch with a group of friends and place your bets to see which of these slasher legends comes out on top.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Absolutely. Freddy vs. Jason is one of those films where the flaws do not matter. It's Freddy Krueger vs. Jason Voorhees in a very memorable and gruesome encounter. For casual horror viewers, and especially for fans of either franchise, this film is a definite watch.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Freddy vs. Jason and movie images are copyrighted by New Line Cinema

Fowler's Frights 2015: Jason X

Jason X (2001)
Starring: Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder
Directed by: James Isaac


Well...we're here. We're at the point where they actually stopped caring. We've now got a film where Jason Voorhees is walking around in the future AND in outer space. WHAT. THE. CRAP!?!?!? Jason X is the film New Line made between Jason Goes to Hell and the next film I'm going to review to see if the fans were still interested in seeing Jason. THIS is the idea they thought would put the butts in the seats? Jason in SPACE?!!? There is no way of being able to take this film seriously. No reason for existential debate or analysis. It's a guy who wears a hockey mask, wields a machete, is indestructible, and is now in outer space. Did this film prove to the world that Jason was still relevant? No, not really. Did it show why mainstream horror had been a mocked genre since the '90s? Oh, you betcha. Let's not waste any more time and jump right into Jason X. May God have mercy on my soul.

So yeah, Jason is once again played by Kane Hodder, and he's in space and in the future. I swear, as big of a horror legend that Kane is, I wish he could've been in better Jason movies. This is embarrassing. We get to see him in the usual Jason getup, with no explanation of why he doesn't look like how he did in Jason Goes to Hell, but then the film is near the end and he gets a metallic upgrade. And the new look is ridiculous. It's like when you beat the boss at the end of the video game, and he comes back as that unfair super boss level, so you have to technically beat him twice to win the game. That's Jason as a nutshell in this ridiculous movie concept.

The characters are pretty much just blood bags at this point. Yes, the film is gory. Yes, there is a large body count. But we don't actually care if these people live or die. We're just rooting for Jason at this point, but as long as the movie is good. This movie...isn't good. So, we REALLY don't care about what's going on anymore.

There's not much else to say about it. This film is so bad that it's amazing to watch. We've got scenes of guys in lingerie getting his nipples twisted, we've got horrible CGI, some hilarious deaths, ridiculous dialogue, and a roided up final version of Jason going head to head with a dominatrix clad android. Again, I say WHAT. THE. CRAP?!?! Jason X is a miracle of a film. A concept so bad and laughable that aspiring filmmakers can look at it and say "my film has hope if a movie like Jason X can be made."


Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Know that you're watching one of the most ridiculous horror movie concepts imaginable, and Jason X is hilarious from start to finish. Seriously, it's Jason in space. Laugh it up. It's funny. But, if you're looking for something truly scary, this is a definite skip.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Jason X and movie images are copyrighted by New Line Cinema

Fowler's Frights 2015: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Starring: Kane Hodder, John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan
Directed by: Adam Marcus


After Jason Takes Manhattan failed with critics and at the box office, Paramount looked to ditch the franchise, feeling Jason Voorhees had been milked for all he's worth. New Line Cinema quickly jumped at the idea to pick up the Friday the 13th franchise, and thus Jason found a new home. With Sean S. Cunningham returning to the franchise, the studio set out to make Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, a film that (for the second time in the series) promised to bring an end to Jason Voorhees. By now, we know (once again) that that wasn't true, but how does the film stand on its own? Honestly, it's bizarrely entertaining to watch. Even if Jason is hardly in the film, we get tons of gore, a deeper look into Jason's mythology, some superb special effects, and some of the most memorable characters of the entire franchise. The movie is still a pile of garbage, but it's the most entertaining garbage you could imagine for the Friday the 13th series. So let's see what's so entertainingly awful and amazing about Jason Goes to Hell.

Kane Hodder is back to play Jason Voorhees, sporting a weirder, melted appearance. I actually like his updated look, but we barely get any time with this Jason before he disappears for most of the film. We see Jason taken out in the film's opening, but his heart still beats and he possesses a bunch of different people, jumping from body to body until he can be resurrected. It's a fun premise, but we don't care if random people are butchering random people in this film. If they aren't wearing a hockey mask, then the film's kind of missing the heart and spirit of the series. The killer in this film should be Jason Voorhees in both name and body, but here, it's mostly just by name.

I'll give the film some serious credit for giving me some characters that I actually care about. The films in the past were lucky enough to get me one character I could care about (other than Jason). Right from the start, this film gave me two. The first is the main character Steven, played by John D. LeMay, who is possibly the most heroic character in this entire series. Motivated to protect the woman he loves and the baby he never knew about, Steven goes to the most extreme lengths to stop Jason and save the day. And the fact that he looks absolutely unassuming and nerdy makes him that much more awesome as he does all these things. The other is Creighton Duke, a charismatic and questionably insane bounty hunter played by Steven Williams. Seriously, watch his scenes and try not to laugh. The guy is just awesome and owns every moment he's on screen.

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday ends up being a little too deep for this type of franchise, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing. We get some amazingly gory and creative special effects, a deeper look into Jason's mythology with the idea of him being pure evil that will keep living even if his body is destroyed, and a killer that jumps from body to body begging our heroes to trust no one. You don't expect a story like this to come from the murderer of Camp Crystal Lake who goes around wearing a hockey mask. It's different, but maybe a bit too smart for the audience it's normally targeted at. Because of this, the film is poorly regarded by most Jason fans, but I hold a soft spot for it, as I can honestly say they were trying to be different. So I give them solid props for creativity and effort.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Perhaps a little too ambitious for its own good, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday promises to at least give the viewer something different than the other sequels. If you can acknowledge that you're watching something ridiculous, you might be able to let yourself go and enjoy this bizarre acid trip of a horror film. Also, the ending will deliver something very special to all slasher fans.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and movie images are copyrighted by New Line Cinema

Fowler's Frights 2015: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Starring: Kane Hodder, Jensen Daggett, Scott Reeves
Directed by: Rob Hedden


Ok, we've reached the point of no return for taking Jason Voorhees as a serious slasher villain. His next three films will take him to some of the strangest locations imaginable for a horror franchise. He's purely for laughs at this point and the studios knew that. Why else would they advertise a film where he actually goes to New York? Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan could have had an immense amount of potential for some hilarious scenes with Jason. He could've visited the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Central Park, you name it. Unfortunately, the budget could not afford them to film in New York for very long, so they mainly got a few scenes in Times Square, while filming the rest of the scenes in Canada. So, let me get this straight. The film is about Jason going to New York, but he's barely in New York. In fact, most of the film is set on a boat. Why didn't they just call it Jason on a Boat? But I digress, let's go ahead and climb aboard what many consider to be the worst film in the original series. This is Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.

At this point, we just watch Jason Voorhees for the laughs. Seriously, I crack up every time I see him in this movie. You see Jason climb aboard a boat, kill people with guitars, kill people with rocks, shows up in the funniest of places, kicks boomboxes, and even saves the day by attacking a couple of muggers. He's a walking punchline at this point. Kane Hodder is still the man when he plays Jason but I seriously wish he could've played Jason in better films. He saves every moment of bad acting and horrible dialogue that exists in this film.

We get about an hour of this film where Jason is supposed to be in New York on a boat traveling to New York. I like quirky Jason shenanigans like the next demented horror fan, but this was asking for a lot. Don't call your movie Jason Takes Manhattan if he's barely in Manhattan. That's some serious false advertising. Would it have been better had they made the title actually fit the scenario? Probably not. I can't imagine a lot of people showing up to see Jason Out to Sea or something. But still, all shame should be pointed at the marketing campaign for leading viewers astray.

By the time they actually get to New York, it's a squandered opportunity. Sure, it's nice to see Jason running around Times Square, but that's all you actually see of Jason in New York. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan could have been something silly, but also really memorable had they committed to the joke fully. Instead, we have a very lackluster film that drags and drags with little to no proper payoff. Although, as a fun bonus, check out all the product placement you can see in Times Square at the time. From Coca Cola to Kodak to Tim Burton's Batman. To think, a film like this came out the same year as that masterpiece. Talk about a contrast in quality.


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars.

The longest entry in the series thus far, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is quite possibly the worst of the series. I mean, it's REALLY bad. They don't even spend a lot of time in New York. If you want to see Jason on a boat, this is the film for you. If you're like everyone else who actually wanted to see Jason take Manhattan, avoid getting disappointed and skip this film.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

Fowler's Frights 2015: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
Starring: Kane Hodder, Lar Park Lincoln, Kevin Spirtas
Directed by: John Carl Buechler


We're nearing the shark jumping territory for the Friday the 13th films. As if turning Jason Voorhees into a zombie wasn't bad enough, the next film had him going head to head with a girl with telepathic powers. WHAT?!?! How in the world can you make that work? Surprisingly, it works out well enough. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood may not have had the best cast of characters or the most memorable death scenes, but it provided some of the best final confrontation scenes in horror history thanks to the debut of iconic horror stuntman Kane Hodder. Hodder played Jason in this film and for the next three films afterwards, making him the actor that has played Jason in the most films. He's like to Jason what Robert Englund is to Freddy Krueger, the man is a legend in the role. And his confrontation with our telepathic female lead is one of the biggest highlights in the entire series. So let's move forward to talking about the pros and cons of Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood.

This picture of Jason Voorhees is probably the best mental image the casual moviegoer has of the masked killer. It's in The New Blood that we are introduced to the amazing stuntwork performed by Kane Hodder, the only man to play Jason in 4 films. Unfortunately he plays Jason in the last 4 films of the original series, and those last 3 are usually considered the absolute worst, but at least Kane's work as Jason makes them watchable in a campy sort of way. In this film, he's clearly the person we are rooting for. You find yourself exhilarated when he shows up because you know he's gonna do something original. Killing people in sleeping bags, killing people with weed whackers, showing up uninvited to birthday parties. He's straight up hilarious at this point.

Jason isn't even the character we should worry about. It's Dr. Crews, played by Terry Kiser, that's the true evil mastermind of this film. I won't even tell you what he does, just see for yourself. The man is a bona fide, grade A, DOUCHEBAG!!!!

Anyways, the highlight is the final battle between Jason and Tina, played by Lar Park Lincoln. It's zombie killer vs. telepathic girl. With fabulous stunt work and practical effects, this is quite possibly the best finale in the entire series. It's like watching Ripley fight the Xenomorph Queen or Luke Skywalker fighting Darth Vader. It's THE defining final confrontation of the series and Jason gets the ever living snot beat out of him. Just look at him. Clearly, this man (zombie) had taken a beating before the film, but he was in for a much worse fight as the film progressed. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood isn't without its faults, but I'll gladly sit through all of them to get to this fight scene. It's something that needs to be seen to be believed.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Not perfect, but a lot of fun in the most ridiculous of ways, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood has a great finale and a memorable debut for the most legendary name attached to the character of Jason Voorhees. This is another solid entry in the series that can be looked at as a one-time viewing from most horror fans.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

Fowler's Frights 2015: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
Starring: Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen
Directed by: Tom McLoughlin


After the failed experiment to try and make the series continue without Jason Voorhees, the studio decided they had no other choice but to bring the iconic killer back to the big screen. Well, the last time we saw Jason, he was dead, so how do you bring him back from the dead? Simple, you make him a zombie. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives brought Jason back for a new string of films with an updated look. Skin decaying and more indestructible than ever, this film introduced us to the Jason we've been accustomed to for more than 2 decades. With Camp Crystal Lake and Jason being covered up like a conspiracy theory, our favorite hockey masked killer has been resurrected to remind them why he is one of the biggest names and faces to be afraid of in the '80s. And naturally, Tommy Jarvis is back to try and kill Jason again. Even though he is the one who accidentally brought him back to life. More on that in a bit, but my question during this film was whether or not the zombiefied Jason can make a good installment in the franchise. And to my shock, I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

The film starts off with a big bang of an opening sequence. Shot in a graveyard in an homage to the classic Frankenstein films, we see Tommy Jarvis, played by Thom Mathews, visiting Jason's grave to try and cremate him. When lighting strikes his corpse, he's resurrected as an undead zombie. Then, we zoom in on his eye and then Jason walks into view and slices the screen like something out of a James Bond opening. It's a very memorable scene in tone and imagery, setting the standard for the rest of the film to live up to.

I will say the guy they got to play Tommy is given much more to do in this film, but I still can't help but wish they would've waited until Corey Feldman was old enough to resume the role. But I digress. Thom Mathews does a well enough job in most of the scenes. I particularly love the scenes when he's working off David Kagen as the sheriff. You can see Tommy's frustration that no one believes that Jason is back, and you can see the sheriff's frustration that stories of Jason are being dug up after he spent so much time putting them to rest. You don't usually expect competent storytelling and character development like that to exist in a Friday the 13th film, so I very much enjoyed it.

The film definitely delivered with the return of Jason and the kills. While not every death is as gory as it could be, you can tell the filmmakers put effort in the effects and budget for these scenes. You look at a scene where Jason kills two teens in a driving RV and know that they would've never done that sort of thing with the first few movies. Or how about a scene where Jason is shot at with paintballs. Little touches like that really make the scenes in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives stand out as one of the better installments in the series.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

If you like cheese with your horror, then you'll enjoy the heck out of Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. One of the biggest names in terror is brought back to life with a proper body count, memorable death scenes, and a creepy new look. Horror fans should be able to have a good time with this one, so you can go ahead and check it out as a rental.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

Fowler's Frights 2015: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
Starring: Melanie Kinnaman, John Shepherd, Shavar Ross
Directed by: Danny Steinmann


One year. They couldn't even wait ONE YEAR before they rushed out another Friday the 13th film. At least with Freddy Krueger, they kept him dead for at least 3 years. Well, that's not entirely fair to Jason Voorhees. Technically speaking, they kept him dead a little while longer. Unfortunately, THAT'S the big problem with the film. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is the second installment in the Tommy Jarvis trilogy, focusing more on Tommy than Jason. The setup in this film was that Tommy is haunted by Jason Voorhees in his dreams and when a copycat killer is walking around murdering everyone, we're lead to believe that it could be Tommy behind the mask. There's a few more red herrings thrown into the mix, but the underlying thing we're supposed to understand is that Jason is still dead in this film and it's more of a whodunnit slasher film. Does that type of formula work in a Friday the 13th film? Well it did for the first one because it was our introduction to the series. But by the fifth film, we're well aware of how we like these movies to play out. Can the film survive without its iconic figure slaughtering the new crop of teenagers? Let's find out by diving right into Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.

The film follows Tommy Jarvis, now older and played by John Shepherd, as he tries to cope with the traumatic events from when he was 12. Corey Feldman does make a cameo in the beginning, but you really wish he could have played Tommy longer. Had they waited 5 years to make this movie, Feldman would've been one of the biggest stars on the planet and would have added some serious star power to the project. It'd be a lot better than this guy's portrayal. He is given absolutely nothing to do with the role. He barely has any lines, and is mostly kept to just silent staring. What an exciting bit of development for our main hero everyone. Oh, and he hallucinates about Jason from time to time. And that's the only time we'll get to see Jason in this movie, so enjoy it while it lasts. This is Tommy's movie, and I honestly believe that's where a lot of the problems start for this film. Had they given this version of Tommy more to do (or done my idea and wait until Feldman was old enough for the role) the film could've carried a bit more substance to it.

Then again, a lot of viewers come to the film for the body count, and A New Beginning has a lot of that. We get tons of death scenes, but the gore is at a minimum. The camera cuts away before most of the stabbings or slicing can take place, yet we see the after effects on a lot of the characters. What kind of message is that from the MPAA? You can't show someone getting killed, but you can show their bloody corpse? Oh well, if you just like watching the killer going around and killing stupid teens having sex and doing drugs, this film should give you your fix.

But now we get to the biggest problem with the film, the killer. Like I've stated above, it's not Jason Voorhees this time. It's a copycat killer going around with a machete and a hockey mask. We can assume Tommy might be the one behind it because he usually disappears before a death scene takes place, but they don't explore that idea until the final act of the films. By the time we see who did it, we can understand the motivations, but it begs the question of why they would try to blame it on the already dead Jason. This decision really labelled Friday the 13th: A New Beginning dead on arrival. It's Jason's series by this point, so seeing anyone else take up the mantle of the killer is just too foreign of a concept for fans to get behind. Had the killer not worn the hockey mask, it could've possibly been easier to stomach, but all this does is make us wish Jason would be back for the series. Thankfully, the fans' prayers would be answered by the next film.


Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars.

This movie is pure junk, but it's entertaining junk to say the least. Watch Friday the 13th: A New Beginning like it's a dark comedy instead of a slasher film and you should have a very fun time laughing. Even so, major horror fans can go ahead and give this one a skip.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

Fowler's Frights 2015: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Starring: Kimberly Beck, Corey Feldman, Crispin Glover

Directed by: Joseph Zito

Using the phrase "final" in a franchise is usually a broken promise the studios make to their audience. So, when we're only FOUR films into the Friday the 13th series and we've already arrived at the "final" chapter, you know they won't hold their end of the bargain. Even if you didn't know that we had another 6 sequels, 1 crossover, and a reboot left for Jason (along with whatever else they have planned for him in the future), you can assume the horror world can't just let a profitable series like this end early. And it didn't, but does that make Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter a bad film? Absolutely not. In fact, most fans call this the best film in the series, and I'd have to agree. It's got all you want in a Jason movie. Jason is killing everything in his path, we have memorable characters that actually feature one or two appearances from future megastars of the '80s, and the film would attempt to do the unthinkable and bring Jason's story to an end. So, let's see why horror fans are willing to forgive this film and not Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare for false advertisement.

Jason Voorhees is just being himself by the time we get to this film. Teenagers partying in the woods? Clearly he has to break that up with deadly force. By this film, his iconic status had kicked into high gear and fans realized it no longer mattered which teenagers he was stalking per film. People went to the theaters to see Jason be Jason. He had become a legend in the horror genre. So much so, that that's probably the reason this wasn't the "final" chapter after all. Also, keep in mind that around the time this film was released, we were months away from seeing the debut of Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers hadn't been resurrected in the Halloween franchise yet, so he had no major peers or competition in the genre. In many ways, this film proved why Jason was THE face of mainstream horror in the early '80s.

Speaking of the '80s, we have two great characters in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, brought to life by two icons of '80s pop culture. The first is the young Tommy Jarvis, played by Corey Feldman. Before being in The Goonies and The Lost Boys, Corey Feldman got his big break on camera by playing a kid interested in video games and making special effects in his bedroom. He's the kind of kid movie buffs in the '80s were most likely doing. Except they didn't have a psycho maniac with a machete chasing him. The other character is Jimmy, played by Crispin Glover, a socially awkward hopeless romantic looking for that special someone. Doesn't that sound familiar? As we know, Crispin Glover went on to play George McFly in my all-time favorite film Back to the Future, which was released one year later in 1985. It makes you wonder if Robert Zemeckis was watching this performance and said "that's the guy we're looking for." Plus, Jimmy has some AMAZING dance skills. Trust me, you can't un-see something like that.

As far as horror films go, let alone horror sequels, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter can stand proud as one of the best slasher movies around. Coming in with the idea that this was the final film, they knew they had to throw everything they had in this one and it shows splendidly. While there are a few too many edits with the blood and gore than I would like, the right point is put across. Jason gets to do his usual thing, his victims all feature some form of development, the death scenes are memorable, and the film goes balls to the wall with how they planned on finishing Jason off. Not much else to say except go and check it out.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Unless one of the sequels just blows any expectations out of the water, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter will be my choice for the best film in the franchise. Thanks to some great performances from Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover, the film gives what would have been a proper sendoff for Jason Voorhies and deserves to be watched by all horror fans.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures

Fowler's Frights 2015: Friday the 13th Part 3

Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
Starring: Dana Kimmel, Paul Kratka, Richard Brooker
Directed by: Steve Miner


When it came time to do Friday the 13th Part 3, there needed to be something to up the ante. To create a new dimension of terror, the filmmakers decided to release the film in 3D. In the '80s, that would be one of the best gimmicks you could slap on a horror film, but it only has a temporary effect on the film. The effect is a product of the time, so the film needs something else to make it stand the test of time. Having memorable characters is a plus. Having great death scenes is also a must. But the cherry on top, the greatest factor of the film, is that it's the first film where Jason Voorhees dons his famous hockey mask. And THAT is where I found this movie's edge. With how the casual moviegoer views this series and the character of Jason Voorhees, would that make Friday the 13th Part 3 the definitive introductory film in the series? Obviously, continuity wise, that's an incorrect statement to make. But with the overall aesthetic quality that comes with Jason, maybe there's a bit more to dig into there that makes this one of the most significant entries in the series.

Look at that beautiful man in all his glory. THAT'S the Jason Voorhees I've been sitting through two movies to see. Granted, he puts the mask on about half way through, but once he does, you feel like you've been fully immersed in the first official Friday the 13th film. This film sets the tone for what horror fans can come to expect through the sequels, reboots, and crossovers that Jason has appeared in. Maybe that's a little too deep for a machete wielding maniac, but horror is one of my favorite genres, so I have no problem being analytical to stuff like this.

For the first time in this series, I can honestly remember a good majority of the characters. We have the typical female lead, her boyfriend, a couple of stoners, and a prankster named Shelly who is responsible for Jason getting his hockey mask. Watching Shelly in this film, I swear he's like an earlier version of Seth Rogen. And I like Seth Rogen, so I like Shelly as a character. He's the first major standout character in this entire series for me because he's one of the ones I can relate to the most. He's socially awkward and uses humor and practical jokes as a defense mechanism. That's something much more relatable to a majority of the audience than the two teenagers drinking, smoking pot, and having sex. In a lot of these movies, those party actions define the characters. Here, Shelly is an actual character with personality traits that people would have and that people can relate to, and that's why he works so well. There I go getting analytical again.

The cheap 3D gimmick in Friday the 13th Part 3 has a certain charm to it. If you're watching the 2D version of it, everything is gonna be poking out at the camera, and you'll be sitting there going "What the heck is wrong with the camera?" Stuff like that honestly helps give the film an edge. It certainly utilized it better than Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, or most films that are released in 3D nowadays. It's that extra notch that makes this film one of the more entertaining installments in the entire series.


Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Memorable characters, iconic death scenes, and a fun gimmick right out of the '80s makes Friday the 13th Part 3 one of the best films in the franchise to watch. It'll never be a groundbreaking horror film, but it introduces us to hockey mask Jason, so for the causal moviegoer, this is the proper introduction to the Friday the 13th films.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Friday the 13th Part 3 and movie images are copyrighted by Paramount Pictures