This movie had a very, very diluted history with the words "Production Hell" ringing out throughout the entire duration of its attempted creation. The problem was, at first, that New Lines Cinema and Paramount, the owners of Freddy and Jason respectively, could not come to an agreement on the script. Well, even when New Lines finally bought Jason from Paramount, this was still a problem. Even when they owned both of the toys, they wouldn't let the little kid make them do battle!
It was messy, especially when New Nightmare (which will be reviewed in due course) and Jason X made this movie delay and delay and delay. Well, finally, after all of the posturing with Freddy's claws at the end of Jason Goes to Hell and then the super charged energy of the fans when it was finally announced, in 2003, we finally got our battle.
Was it worth it? Yes. Was it perfect? No. It did, however, get the story right. We get Freddy himself, Robert Englund telling us how he was such a terrible scourge on the Earth until he was forgotten. So he employs and ressurects Jason, somehow turning into his mother and getting him ramped up as she tells him to kill the naughty children at Crystal Lake. How they actually got the two of them as a duo of sorts, one in the real world while Freddy gained power in the dream world through Jason's kills and people panicking, it was all very well crafted.
What wasn't so well crafted was some of the execution. Some of it. Jason's first kill in the movie is just as aggressive and horrifying as it needed to be. Stabbing a guy through, all the way through his bed cushion, SEVERAL TIMES, and then lifting both sides of the mattress, breaking him in half! This was a monumental return to form for Jason. With the humorous entrance of the police officer, the scene ends gloriously. This, however, is when the movie kind of takes liberties with both Jason's random kills and Freddy taking advantage of even the slightest mention of his name.
It doesn't get too far fetched, but the story takes shortcuts. Some of them needed, others not so much. The good news, though, is that we don't outright HATE all of the characters. Their acting isn't really terrible, but it isn't great either. Jason Ritter is probably the real standout when it comes to acting. The leading lady, Monica Keena, however, doesn't have the same charm. None of them really do, but it's not offputting, it's horror acting. If you're in it for the Shakespearian ensemble, you're in the wrong genre.
Still, after some poised storytelling through choppy means of getting Jason into the dreamworld, we finally get our first bout. That's right, there are multiple times that the two collide, which is a massive point in the movie's favor. This is what we came here for and Ronny Yu understood that to a T. What he didn't understand is that Kane Hodder should have been Jason, not Jason's stunt man for that one other movie, Ken Kerzinger. He didn't do a bad looking Jason, but Kane was built up for this one movie and then Englund was out. That was one major flaw this movie just could not cover up.
The fight, however, is awesome! The first one taking part in a dream meant that Freddy had full advantage, though, so it wasn't really what one would call this movie's real highlight. They still have fun with it and Freddy gets his chucks in, you know, before one of the children pulls him into the real world. And in a burning building at Camp Crystal Lake, the second and final bout takes place! This one is the real kicker because Freddy gets knocked around hardcore!
Krueger does get his hits in, though, and not just with his claws. He uses air tanks as torpedoes that smash into Jason, he uses Jason's machete against him, but he's also coming apart as the seams as the fight goes on. The blood, the gore, and the killing of the teenagers in between fighting just makes this a very fun ride. The real problem here is when the teenagers interfere with the battle and Keena... she is not a good actress and that really hurts these scenes. She can't scream talk effectively and she comes off as annoying rather than properly dramatic.
Credit where it's due, though, the fire blast of gasoline that blows both Freddy and Jason across the lake was fantastic! The final scenes of the fight are just no-holds-barred and both of them are in serious dire straights, as they've both taken some serious damage. The fight ends, spoiler to no one's surprise, in more of a draw than anything. You know you have a draw when you have fans of both properties at war with who actually won. That's the staple of Ronny Yu's success, both financially and doing right by the fans. If you're a fan of both these powerhouses, this movie is for you. It marries the two properties together with style and grace and we thank them for it. Bloody Good!
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