FRIDAY THE 13TH — ★★ — Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti; rated R (violence, gore, profanity, nudity, sex, drugs, vulgarity, slurs); in general release
Well, you certainly can't call the "Friday the 13th" remake pretentious or dishonest.
Unlike its recent, disingenuous, PG-13 cousins, this slasher film isn't afraid to dispatch its characters in a very R-rated way.
And yes, that means it features buckets of blood, as well as nudity, sex and drug content … and a few jolts and jump-worthy moments for good measure.
That last bit means it's one of the better horror movies of late. Though the sequel-prepping ending is a total cop-out.
This "Friday the 13th" remakes the first three movies in the series. It recaps both the first and second movies before the title pops up around 20 minutes in. And then the rest of it is a re-do of third installment from 1982.
And as with those earlier movies, this one follows more ill-fated youths who are vacationing near New Jersey's fictional Crystal Lake and its abandoned summer camp.
Spoiled-rich Trent (Travis Van Winkle) has been joined by six others (Danielle Panabaker, Julianna Guill, Aaron Yoo, Arlen Escarpeta, Ryan Hansen and Willa Ford) at his family's cabin — which is located, conveniently, by the nearby camp.
They've also by joined by an outsider, Clay (Jared Padalecki). He's looking for his missing sister, Whitney (Amanda Righetti).
But she and other recent arrivals were apparently the victims of a recent killing spree by Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears), who's been dispatching any intruders.
This relaunching of the franchise comes courtesy of producer Michael Bay, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" director Marcus Nispel and two of the screenwriters for 2003's "Freddy vs. Jason." That explains the sometimes-cheeky sense of humor.
Also, the film has a surprisingly decent cast. Padalecki (TV's "Supernatural") and Panabaker ("Sky High") are both likable and appealing. (Yoo is a welcome comic presence in support as well.)
It is a shame the material lets them — and the audience — down at the very end.
"Friday the 13th" is rated R for strong scenes of horror violence (impalings, stabbings, slashings, choking, boat mayhem, and violence against women), gory and bloody imagery, strong sexual language (profanity, crude slang terms and other suggestive talk), female nudity, simulated sex and other sexual contact, drug content and references (marijuana use), and derogatory language and slurs (based on disabilities). Running time: 97 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com