• Posted April 19th, 2009 at 08:28 EDT by
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The Movie:

Freddy has been all but forgotten by the kids on Elm Street. You see, Freddy has a problem: if no one remembers him, then he cannot terrorize the dreams of young teens. In order to gather his strength back he enlists the help of the Camp Crystal Lake killer, Jason. Freddy tricks Jason into rising from the dead once more in order to instill fear back into the children of Elm Street. Everything goes according to plan until Freddy realizes that Jason is stealing Freddy’s glory for himself. In the meantime the kids on Elm Street have their own ideas of how to solve the problem, and devise a plan to make the two meet face to face in the real world. The final chapter brings us to a showdown between the two titans of the slash world.

Most people who grew up in the 1980s or 1990s wanted to see movie universes merge, spawning films like Aliens Vs. Predator, Terminator Vs. Robocop, and Freddy Vs. Jason. Freddy and Jason have slashed their way through cinema since the 1980s. Freddy starred in seven films before he faces off against Jason, who actually appeared in ten films before this mash-up. The two killers coming together only seems natural after screening the movie for the first time: both are essentially indestructible and have a general distaste for teenagers.

Freddy Vs. Jason is full of poor acting, goofy plot, cheesy nude scenes and excessive violence -- pretty much what fans of the two series have come to expect. Oddly enough, the movie still satisfies. Freddy (Robert Englund), like always, is an overly sarcastic joker who kills for the hell of it. The character of Jason (Ken Kirzinger) has changed a bit more for this film. He appears hefty and lumbering, and is instilled with a sense of near-invincibility. Fans of the two killers will get a real kick out of this movie, despite the thin plot, poorly developed characters, and lackluster acting. It’s a classic popcorn flick, so if that's your thing, turn off the lights, turn up the sound and have fun.

Rating: 6.0/10

Picture Quality:

Freddy Vs. Jason has a very pleasing visual quality. At 1080p and 16x9, the movie looks great. We wouldn’t classify it as top of the line, but it does offer quite a substantial upgrade from the DVD version of the movie. Details are easily resolved among the solid black levels, textures lift up nicely off the screen, and colors are well-rendered, giving the image a pleasant 'pop.' There are minor hints of banding in one or two scenes, though the banding appears mostly in CGI backgrounds and can be easily ignored.

Freddy Vs. Jason won’t stand up against the best titles on Blu-ray in terms of quality, but you will definitely be happy with this one.

Rating: 7.0/10

Audio Quality:

Compared to older entries in both series, this Freddy Vs. Jason is the clear victor in the audio department. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is a nice treat for a movie like this. It isn’t surprising considering how much better surround sound has gotten over the years; this release is fun and energetic. The mix definitely feels vibrant. Voices are easy to distinguish, and the 'harmony' Freddy and Jason 'compose' doing what they do best sounds great.

Though the bass won’t knock you out quite like it does in some more action intensive films, the surround speakers are implemented well during most of the movie's pivotal scenes. There are a lot of Freddy dream scenes that use the surrounds brilliantly, panning the audio through the speaker system without feeling cheap.

Rating: 7.5/10

Extras:

There are no extras to speak of on this disc.

Final Thoughts:

After yet another bare bones horror release, its advisable to get used to these no-frills horror discs. Still, most people are interested in the movie itself, and Freddy Vs. Jason is a solid Blu-ray release. Yes it’s cheesy and over the top – but this is what we watch these movies for. Pop this disc in and root for your favorite killer!