Sean Cunningham was working hard on trying to develop the infamous Freddy vs Jason. But he knew that New Line needed to make a film to keep Jason relevant and in the public’s mind. He had a meeting asking for different pitches with Noel Cunningham, Jim Isaacs and Todd Farmer. (Yes, the same Todd Farmer from My Bloody Valentine 3D, Drive Angry and TRICK)
They had discussed every incarnation on what the next film should be. Jason in Antarctica was mentioned along with Jason in the snow. (How cool is idea of Jason in the Snow? That idea would eventually come to fruition in Womp Stomp’s Never Hike In The Snow) Ultimately, they decided upon Jason in Space.
It seems like a natural evolution on where to throw the character as he had been on a boat and to hell by now. Plus he was literally stuck in hell. Setting in the future would free up how to explain that. (Also Freddy Vs Jason does a good job of explaining that.)
By now, there have been a few other franchises that had taken their characters to space. We had seen Leprechaun and Pinhead in Space. Looking upon those films, it feels unnatural for them to ever being taken to space. But then again, Leprechaun is a very bombastic character that can go anywhere. But ultimately both these had left the horror community thinking that this where horror goes to jump the shark.
With their idea ready to go, filming had commenced and completed in 2000. The film was in the can. It was ready to go. However, with the changing of the head of NEW LINE CINEMA, the project would sit in stasis for a year. The irony isn’t loss as Jason experiences the same thing.
When it was released, Jason X took a lot of hits from the community. A lot. ‘How could you send him to space?’ ‘This goes against everything in a Friday film.’ It also had been pirated a lot on the internet. It was a difficult time for our favorite Camp Slasher.
I first discovered Jason X when it was released on DVD. My family had just gotten a DVD player and I had seen it sitting on the shelf at the local Walmart. I purchased it with my monthly allowance that I had saved up. This would be my first experience with a Jason film.
I loved the film. It was different from what I had heard about the other films. I was also very intrigued with how it was made. CGI then was still something that was in it’s infancy. (Though, it would start coming into it’s own more with Lord of the Rings later in 2001.) But it was cool seeing the spaceships. Yes, the acting in the film is on a cheese scale. But that’s the point. Jim Isaacs and Todd Farmer knew exactly what they were creating – it’s a fun experience. Plus, Kane Hodder delivers two great performances in the film – Jason and Uber Jason.
Uber Jason is something that is always a hard topic to talk about. Some fans had felt that it went too far. It had taken their great slasher and moved into a place they couldn’t go. I think that idea of Uber Jason is great. His design is a bit sleek as well with his mask. The rest of the costume could have been a little sleeker. But ultimately he still is a threat.
One of the standout sequences in the film to me is the virtual reality return to Crystal Lake. This sequence is a lot of fun. It amplifies the cheese and presents a play on what fans expected. Especially because Uber Jason is presented with the two counselors. The best part is we get to see Kane revisit the sleeping bag kill – using both counselors to kill each other.
I love Jason X. It’s a unique entry in the series. That’s something I can also say for Jason Goes to Hell. That’s probably why I love it. It doesn’t take itself seriously. It wants to deliver a fun ride, which it does in spades. I think it holds up very well 20 years later. The only thing I wish would have happened is if we could have seen where the story would have gone next. Instead, we went back to the camp with Freddy Vs Jason and Friday the 13th (2009).
Rating: 4 out of 5. Fun ride.
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