Jason X

Jason X...2001...96 minutes...rated R...starring Kane Hodder, Lexa Doig, Lisa Ryder, and Peter Mensah...written by Todd Farmer (based on characters created by Victor Miller)...directed by James Isaac

Normally I would write up a synopsis of the movie in this spot, but honestly...even though it's the last of the films (as far as I know) before the franchise got the reboot, there's not much to say if you're familiar with any of the films. If not...well, I'm quite sure how that's possible, but: it's the future (2455), and explorers discover two cryogenically frozen bodies exploring the Crystal Lake Research Facility. One, of course, is Jason Voorhees, who was being used by the military as a research subject to find out how this misshapen hulk can be virtually immortal. (Regeneration would be a handy trick for the military.)  Of course, the monstrous killer revives and starts his old tricks in a new setting: a spaceship.

I decided to use "Event Horizon" as a launching point for reviewing horror/sci-fi blends...and this piece was one of the first, though definitely not one of the best, that came to mind. It's depiction of the future is cynically amusing, because even though it's four centuries into the future, and there are such things as androids, full holographic VR, and spaceships people still haven't learned how to act in a crisis situation. Also, the concept of "unkillable" is apparently just as inconceivable. Sadly enough, the future doesn't have phasers or other beam weapons either. Admittedly, with this crew, I wouldn't trust them with high grade weaponry...honestly, I'm not sure how this motley gang of students and soldiers got cleared to be in a spaceship anyways.

So, don't expect any brilliance to shine through in the script...still, there are some reasons to see this. One is some of the cast...Lisa Ryder is a staple in many sci-fi shows, best known to me for her work as Tracy Vetter in Forever Knight. Peter Mensah is another one to spot in an early role before his better known role of Oenomaus/Doctore in the Starz Spartacus series. (He was also the Horse Clan Leader in Avatar.) The cameo by David Cronenberg doesn't hurt either. The redesign of Jason Voorhees into a futuristic version of himself isn't bad either, though it comes much too late in the movie to be a real draw. I actually think the best moment of the film has to do with a holographic distraction that some of the crew come up with to buy time to escape...I've never seen a girl in a sleeping bag used as a bludgeoning weapon before.

If you're looking for some grisly diversion that has a certain amount of humor in it, Jason X isn't a bad way to go. Just don't spend real money on it.  Jason X gets 2 gun-slinging androids out of 5.