PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Where do you take a horror icon who’s been pretty much everywhere else? Why, to Space, of course! The Critters went there. Pinhead went there. The Leprechaun went there. You knew it was only a matter of time before Jason Voorhees left the cozy confines of Camp Crystal Lake (and Manhattan and Hell) for the great unknowns of the final frontier. The Friday the 13th film series finally got its chance to go where so many horror franchises had gone before in 2002’s JASON X, To space!
How does this sci-fi/horror/slasher hybrid hold up all these years later? Let’s take a look back at the controversial, modern-ish classic!
Jason X (2002) Synopsis
The year is 2010. Notorious serial killer Jason Voorhees has been captured by the U.S. military and is being confined and studied by scientists at the Crystal Lake Research Facility. Jason escapes captivity and, after violently dispatching a team of soldiers (including David Cronenberg, in a fun cameo), finds himself cryogenically frozen in suspended animation along with Rowan, one of the facility’s research scientists.
The year 2455: a professor and his students visit “Old Earth,” now an uninhabitable wasteland, and discover the still-frozen Jason and Rowan. The students take the bodies back to their ship to study. Before long, Rowan is revived, courtesy of the ship’s futuristic nano-technology. Jason, too, wakes from his slumber and soon leaves a trail of bodies from bow to stern.
Jim Isaac (The Horror Show) directed the film from a screenplay by Todd Farmer (My Bloody Valentine 3-D). It stars Kane Hodder in his fourth turn as Jason, alongside Lexa Doig (V, Andromeda), Lisa Ryder (Forever Knight, Andromeda), Peter Mensah (Spartacus, True Blood), Chuck Campbell (Stargate: Atlantis), and Boyd Banks (Dawn of the Dead – 2004).
Release and Reception
Jason X was filmed in early 2000 and intended to keep interest in the Friday the 13th franchise alive while New Line Cinema worked on developing Freddy vs. Jason. New Line Production Chief Michael De Luca, who originally greenlit Jason X, was fired in early 2001. The new studio Chief had no interest in the project and promptly shelved it until 2002.
The film released on April 26th, 2002 to 1878 theaters and took in $6.6 million on its opening weekend: good for 3rd place behind The Scorpion King and Changing Lanes. The film went on to gross just shy of $17,000,00 worldwide against it’s $11,000,000 budget. It was a massive flop by Friday the 13th standards. Only Jason Goes To Hell and Jason Takes Manhattan fared worse at the box office.
Critical response to the film wasn’t very kind. Roger Ebert gave the film 1/2 of a Star, calling it “a low rent retread of the ‘Alien‘ pictures.” Ebert’s partner, Richard Roeper gave an equally unenthusiastic “Thumbs down.” Some critics got it, however. Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle opined, “If you’re a fan of the Friday the 13th series, its 10th and latest entry, Jason X, should not disappoint,” while BBC’s Jamie Russell called it, “more fun than anyone had any right to imagine.”
Overall Jason X carries a 19% Rotten Tomatoes critical score (25% audience score),while Cinemascore rates it a “C.” Blasphemy!
Evil Gets An Upgrade
I’m going to come right out and say it: I am a HUGE fan of Jason X. At the time of release, it had been nearly 10 years since I had seen a Friday the 13th movie in a theater. I was pumped! Let me say, though, as excited as I was, I did my best to temper my expectations. This was, after all, the 10th film in the franchise. How good could it possibly be? Let me tell you: I had a BLAST seeing this on opening night!
One thing that really stood out to me was the self-awareness. We were in the post-SCREAM (1996) era, after all. Had they tried to play Jason X 100% seriously, I think it would have failed. I mean, for starters, they were sending Jason into SPACE! And not casually, at the end. He’s there for pretty much the entire film. Adding that self-referential humor was a big, big win for me. I think it also helped set the comedic tone and expectations for Freddy vs. Jason.
The visual FX are well done. People expecting Star Wars sequel quality visuals will be disappointed, but this is a great looking film for the budget. The cast is solid and likable, particularly the female leads, Lexa Doig and Lisa Ryder, and Peter Mensah as Sgt. Brodski. Kane Hodder is solid, of course, both as Jason and as Uber Jason in what would ultimately be his swan song with the character (Until the video game, at least. More on that later). Jason X also has one of the finest musical scores Harry Manfredini has ever produced for this series. It is top notch!
Home Video Releases and Other Media
While the box office receipts were middling, Jason X found new life on home video. The film made its budget back and then some on VHS, and with DVD editions like the New Line Platinum series release. The Platinum DVD is loaded with extras, including documentaries and commentaries, and was the definitive release for many years.
If money is no object, the Shout Factory Friday the 13th Blu-ray Boxed Set is the gold standard for Jason X (and all of the Friday films, honestly). In addition to all the extras from the Platinum Series DVD, the boxed set has a 2K scan, a host of new interviews, and a new commentary from screenwriter Todd Farmer and author Peter Bracke. If streaming is more your thing, you can rent or buy the movie on all major platforms, including VUDU, Prime Video, and Google Play. It is not currently streaming on Netflix or HBO Max.
In 2006, Avatar Press released a 2 issue comic mini-series: Friday the 13th: Jason vs. Jason X. The books were written and illustrated by Mike Wolfer. I recommend checking them out if you can find them. They are goofy, gory fun. In 2017, Gun Media released Friday the 13th: The Game for both PC and console gaming systems. We ALMOST got Uber Jason as a playable character, but unfortunately the Friday the 13th lawsuits between Sean S. Cunningham and Victor Miller curtailed the content release.
It’s a real shame, too, as Kane Hodder provided the character motion capture for every Jason playable character in the game. There are screenshots if you Google it. *sigh*
Jason X – Final Thoughts
I saw Jason X on opening night and proceeded to see it 5 more times in theaters during its theatrical run. Each time I took a different friend or friends so we could share the experience. They all loved it, too! Since then, I’ve had many a “bad movie night,” where I’ve introduced the film to a new and unsuspecting audience. It has never disappointed! In the past 20 years, I’ve created a small army of Jason X fans! I’m pretty proud of my work, in this regard, doing my part to bring this film to a wider audience.
The bottom line here is FUN! If you can go into this film, as a fan of the series and its main character, with the intention of having fun, you are going to have a lot of it. It’s got some great kills, some great in-jokes, a bit of skin, and the highest body count of any Friday the 13th film. What’s not to like?
If ever I’m feeling blue, Jason X is the answer. I fire it up and I’m almost instantly in a better mood. That’s how much I dig this film. If it’s not for you, that’s okay! It’s certainly not for everyone. But for me, it’s the most fun in the franchise, and possibly the most underrated film in the series as well. I’m happy I was able to give it some well deserved props for its 20th anniversary, and I thank you for reading all about it.
What do you think? Are you a fan of Jason X? Tell us in the comments!
