Jason X (2001) Review – Jason Goes to Space

By the time Jason X was released, the Friday the 13th franchise was on a knife edge. Jason Takes Manhattan had kicked the process into gear, while Jason Goes to Hell had blown the entire thing up.

Something had to change.

Dropping the numbered title was probably a good start. Friday the 13th Part 10 was becoming a bit of a mouthful, so Jason X was a much better option. Unfortunately, somebody decided that the natural progression was to send Jason Voorhees into space.

Yep. Jason in space.

The film kicks off with Jason captured and held at a research facility, which is studying his amazing ability to withstand any form of attack. Kane Hodder returns, and I actually quite like Jason’s appearance here. He’s still bulky, with scraggly grey hair and a decomposing, supernatural look, but he does seem a little more recognisable than the bloated monstrosity from Jason Goes to Hell.

Naturally, Jason escapes and begins killing everyone around him. Scientist Rowan LaFontaine (Lexa Doig) manages to trap him inside a cryogenic chamber, but unfortunately for her, she ends up frozen inside it.

Fast-forward to the year 2455, and Earth has been transformed into an abandoned wasteland. A group of explorers spot Jason and Rowan when exploring, and take them aboard their spaceship before heading off into space.

What could possibly go wrong? well, lets see.

At least, to its credit, Jason X remembers that people watch these films because the killer is actually around to do the killing. In contrast to Jason Goes to Hell, Jason manages to do the killings himself, and there are some genuinely entertaining moments.

The liquid-nitrogen kill certainly sticks in the memory. Jason grabs hold of Adrienne, plunges her face into the freezing liquid before bashing her frozen skull against a counter. It’s a nasty, inventive death, and probably one of the best moments in the later series.

It’s also good to see a surprisingly enjoyable Aliens vibe when Sergeant Brodski (Peter Mensah) and his armed security team try to track Jason down on board the ship. Unfortunately for them, Jason has absolutely no interest in their high-tech weaponry. He simply picks them off one by one.

But it gets even more ridiculous from here on in.

Android KM-14 manages to completely obliterate Jason, blasting him apart with futuristic weaponry. You’d think this was finally enough to finish him off.

Nope.

Jason’s remains end up inside the ship’s medical regeneration system, where the nanotechnology rebuilds him into something considerably worse.

Uber Jason.

Or, as far as I’m concerned, fucking Terminator Jason.

He’s now covered in metallic armour, is bigger than ever and is virtually indestructible. It’s definitely a memorable look, but it’s also where the film begins to disappear up its own backside.

The virtual Crystal Lake sequence is good fun, though. With Jason preoccupied inside a simulated campsite, we get to see a hilarious recreation of the famous sleeping-bag kill from The New Blood. It’s an amusing little tribute to one of Kane Hodder’s most memorable moments as Jason, even if the whole thing is completely bonkers.

Brodski’s final showdown with Uber Jason is less impressive. After another fight, Jason ends up outside the ship, floating around in space before launching himself towards the escaping survivors. Zero gravity Voorhees hurling at an escape pod.

Imagine looking out of your spacecraft window and seeing Jason Voorhees flying towards you, machete in hand.

Scary stuff, Imagine having Jason floating in space.

Brodski eventually manages to intercept him, and the pair hurtle down towards Earth 2, where Jason presumably crashes into a lake. The ending suggests he could return to start another killing spree on Earth 2.

But did we really need that?

We’ve gone from a killer stalking teenagers around Crystal Lake to a cybernetically enhanced Jason heading off and potentially beginning another killing spree on Earth 2.

It’s fucking ridiculous.

There are things I enjoy about Jason X. Kane Hodder remains entertaining, the liquid-nitrogen kill is fantastic, and the virtual Crystal Lake sequence is a genuinely funny callback. It’s certainly more watchable than Jason Goes to Hell, which barely made any effort to feature Jason during his own film.

But that’s not saying much.

The characters are largely forgettable, the futuristic setting wears thin and Uber Jason feels more like a gimmick, rather than something the franchise really needed. What began as a fairly straightforward slasher series has become increasingly desperate to find somewhere new to take its most famous character.

Jason X has its moments, but it feels more like a cash-in than a worthy continuation. It isn’t the perfect bookend to the franchise, and I certainly would have preferred not to see another film concerning Terminator Jason roaming around Earth 2.

Sometimes enough really is enough.