Friday the 13th Part III
It's fun watching this series evolve over time. Part III pulls some of the best tricks from the first two films, but it also tries to pull their endings too, and it is hit or miss on characterization: some folks are actually well defined, like Shelly the pathetic jokester who suffers a lack of confidence and lashes out as a result, compared to the two stoners...who looked way too old for the rest of the cast, and whose names I don't remember despite just watching the film. As a result, it is a mixed bag and doesn't reach the quality of the second film, though at times it does come close. When it is effective, it's wonderful. Vera's death, for instance, actually made me groan out loud at the loss of a character I genuinely liked. But the stereotypical multicultural biker gang? They were a bad joke.
Part III is still a lot of fun, and it's enjoyable. But it tries too hard to copy its predecessors and stumbles as a result.
BONUS CONTENT
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Ah, Crispin Glover, I hope you learn how to dance someday.
I like this one a lot. It offers a big cast, but gives enough background for each character to make things interesting and throws a family into the mix. It felt more violent than the previous three films, and with Jason starting off with his mask, it also feels like the first of the "stereotypical" Friday the 13th films, or at least what we perceive them to be like: a murderous freak in a hockey mask rises from the grave to murder a bunch of folks, just because he can. I also love the brutality of having Jason killed by a child and how he goes about it. A weird child, sure, but a child nonetheless, and the way he freaks out and hacks at him? Spectacular.
Also, there are a lot of people thrown through windows in this movie.
