Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Wolf Man are some of the most iconic monsters in cinema history. Brought to life during the 1930s with a list of original motion pictures, their legacy lasts for eternity. However, jump forward a half century and the dawn of a modern monster emerged with Freddy Krueger from 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, Michael Myers from 1978’s Halloween, and Jason Voorhees from 1980’s Friday the 13th. While many debate who their favorite Horror villain is, many would vote for the character often referred to as Jason.
A character with an interesting backstory, Jason Voorhees was originally a young boy who drowned while at Camp Crystal Lake because of the careless neglect of hormone-raging teenage counselors. A tragedy, the original 1980 classic follows the years after Jason’s death when counselors are snuffed out one by one by a vengeful Mrs. Voorhees (portrayed by Betsy Palmer). Interestingly, it is not until 1981’s Friday the 13th Part 2 that Jason becomes the main antagonist, seeking justice for his death and his mother’s.
From this point, Jason’s story expands from a mysterious man with a burlap sack over his head (as seen in Friday the 13th Part 2) to a hockey mask-wearing killer (from 1982’s Friday the 13th Part III forward). With various wrinkles added to the story and appearance of Jason throughout the ‘80s era, by the seventh sequel in 1989, they were clearly running out of what to do next with Jason, so they opted to head out to the Big Apple in Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. The first Friday the 13th film ever to not take place solely at Crystal Lake, in 1993, they opted to have Jason return home, but only to have his homecoming dampened by an inevitable trip to Hell in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday.
What many had thought would be the last of the Friday the 13th films, many were hoping the rumors were true that a Freddy vs. Jason was possible, but nearly a decade went by with nothing to show for it. So, while that concept was in limbo, a brand new Friday the 13th film in the early 2000s called Jason X was seemingly out of nowhere.
Hoping to retain the interest of Friday the 13th fans after a nearly decade-long gap without a sequel, Jason X saw original Director/Producer Sean Cunningham back as the producer. At the same time, his colleague Jim Isaac (who had worked with Cunningham on 1987’s House II: The Second Story) handled direction. This is while First-time Writer Todd Farmer (who went on to write for 2007’s The Messengers and 2009’s My Bloody Valentine remake) dealt with the script for what would be the tenth overall Friday the 13th film.
These factors interested the core followers of Friday the 13th, but unfortunately, Jason X had many issues in some people’s eyes. First, it probably threw many off that the title did not feature ‘Friday the 13th’ in it, but one of the many reasons was that Paramount Pictures owned the rights to it. A bummer, the name recognition was not entirely there, much like 1993’s Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, so this presented some confusion. Only selling the rights to the character of Jason to New Line Cinema and not the title ‘Friday the 13th,’ there is also the disconnect in the plot of Jason X. Completely ignores that Jason was supposed to be in Hell after the last film, Jason X is the first in the entire series inconsistent with prior plotlines. Perhaps this tactic was intended to develop an alternative story, but in all truth, most fans appreciate consistency.
Nonetheless, the boldest problem with Jason X was the plot itself. You want him to take a trip to Manhattan, alright, but now you are transporting him into space in 2455? This was a bit of a stretch even for the most avid Friday the 13th fans. Regardless, most took a deep breath, rolled their eyes, and watched the film. Initially premiering in Spain toward the end of 2001, and in April 2002, Jason X hit US theaters. So, how was Jason’s return fair? Sadly, not too well. In fact, it is only second to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan in terms of box office performance, and in truth, when Jason went to NYC, it was a bit more enjoyable. Still, commercial success aside, Jason X falls flat on numerous fronts.
Breaking it down, Jason is frozen in a cryogenic pod sometime around 2010. Then, over four hundred years later, he was discovered by an intergalactic class on a field trip to the now dead planet Earth. Ignorantly excited to find him, they take him aboard their spaceship back to humanity’s new habitation on Earth II. Thawing out his body, we all know what will happen next.
The storyline is fair enough, but when Jason is rebuilt into a cyborg, we have Mega Jason… and it becomes a bit much. As absurd as the cinematic idea of Super Shredder in 1991’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, this is where Jason X completely loses you. Match this with an almost low-budget Syfy Channel original movie production; it is hard to defend much about Jason X.
However, this is not to say that Jason X does not have fans or is entirely unwatchable. Something you should go into with extremely low expectations is the type of film you pop on late at night when you do not feel like overthinking. Going into it with the right frame of mind can be entertaining and amusing, giving you the Jason fix you want.
Considering this, it should be of interest to many that Jason X is coming to 4K Ultra. It arrives in the format on May 20, 2025, through Arrow Films, which presents it in a 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) and the original unrated form. Awarding fans the first-ever globe release of the film in this ultra-clarified and uncut presentation, it is the best you will get with Jason X.
This limited-edition release also includes fantastic features such as new audio commentaries and interviews, joined by a cool Outta Space: The Making of Jason X documentary. To bring it all together, you also get a nice reversible sleeve with the original art and a newly commissioned piece created by Gary Pullin, a double-sided foldout poster, and a collector’s booklet.
So, if you are a fan of Friday the 13th and the character of Jason Voorhees, plus have a soft spot for Jason X despite all its flaws, this 4K Ultra HD Limited Edition release from Arrow Films is an absolute no-brainer. For everything involved, Cryptic Rock gives the release 4 out of 5 stars.
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