Movie Review- Friday the 13th Part 3

Friday the 13th Part 3 is best known for two things; it's the movie that gave Jason his iconic hockey mask, and it's only Friday the 13th movie that was shot in 3-D. And boy does this movie love 3-D effects. This is one of the campiest films in the series, and that makes it all the more enjoyable. The film still takes itself seriously and tries to be scary, and while it fails at that, it make the film a lot more entertaining.

The film is riddled with gratuitous 3-D effects, ranging from popping popcorn to flying eyeballs. I was not able to see this film in 3-D, but I imagine it would even more fun to see everything popping out of the screen. Even the opening titles fly out at the audience. Some might say the film goes overboard with the 3-D, but I think it makes film a lot more interesting. 

The script is a lot better this time around, relatively speaking. There's still an extended recap of the previous film, just like in Part 2, but Part 3 is a longer film and uses its time wisely, so the film doesn't feel rushed like Part 2 did. The characters in this film are a lot more distinguishable than the previous two films, and while they still aren't very developed characters, at least the audience can tell them apart. There's an attempted subplot in which the comic relief character tries to woo one of his friends and get over his self-consciousness, but the plot doesn't really go anywhere because both of them end up dead before anything can happen. It's nice that the writers tried to add some drama to the film, even though it wasn't very good. There's also a few minor things throughout the first act that end up paying off at some point during the end, and it helps make the script seem competent, despite the campy storyline.

The death scenes are hilariously over-the-top, and that alone makes this film fun to watch. And while none of the main characters die until an hour into the film, the minor characters that get axed before then get the boot in some really creative ways. When it does get time to kill off the main cast, the film doesn't hold back; there's a death by spear gun and a guy who gets chopped in half mid-handstand to name a few. Most of these scenes are done with really silly special effects. You can often see the wires supporting various flying objects, and that makes it all the more campy. The special effects makeup for Jason isn't as good this time around, however. We no longer get the mongoloid hillbilly from Part 2, instead we get a vaguely pig-looking version of Jason. That's no big deal, though, since we finally get to see Jason in his now-famous hockey mask, which he wears for the last half-hour of the film.

The end fight scene is great, too. Jason is still human in this installment, and he really gets a beating. He's stabbed, hanged, and has a bookshelf dropped on him. He's finally dispatched with an ax to the head, but he still manages to keep going for several seconds afterwards. This has one of the best end fight scenes in the series, and it's definitely lives up to the buildup throughout the film.

Overall, this is one of silliest but most enjoyable movies in the Friday the 13th series. The death scenes are ridiculous, the acting is hammy, and the 3-D effects are everywhere. The best part about this film, though, is that it doesn't realize it's being campy. Friday the 13th Part 3 tries to be just as creepy and intense as its predecessors, but it miserably fails. The end result is one of the funniest slasher films out there, and one that's definitely worth the watch.

Entertainment- 4/5

Quality- 2/5

IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083972/