With a plot that tends
to ignore most of the previous sequels, this tenth film in the overly long "Friday the 13th"
saga starts with a somewhat different storyline. Psycho killer Jason Voorhees (played once more by
stuntman Kane Hodder) has finally been captured, and being held at an underground research facility
near Crystal Lake.
Unable to kill him, they decide to keep him out of trouble by cryogenically freezing him until a more 'permanent' solution can be found. Unfortunately, things go a bit wrong (as they always do) and the facilities administrator Rowan (Lexa Doig) gets frozen along with him.
Flashing forward some 450 years into the future, and the Earth is now a barren wasteland. A salvage team from 'New Earth' sets down looking for scientific curiosities amongst the dust and rubble, and stumbles across the old Crystal Lake Research Facility (you can see where this is heading).
Having discovered the two frozen bodies, they take them back to their spaceship where they successfully revive Rowan, who seems none the worse for being asleep for 4 and a half centuries. But, she is alarmed to discover that they are currently busy thawing out Jason as well. They assure her that Jason is dead, and has no chance of being revived, but of course we know better and it isn't too long before a bloodbath ensues, as Jason carves his way through the ships security team, and then the rest of the crew.
Whilst the film is an interesting spin on what was becoming an otherwise worn out series, complete with some great in-jokes about the previous films (particularly the hologram scene near the end). Unfortunately, the plot is little more than a reworking of some of the "Alien" films. But, there are some nice death scenes (particularly the "death by corkscrew") and it's great to see Kane Hodder back in the role of Jason.
Look out for cult director David Cronenberg, who makes a cameo appearance near the beginning as a mad scientist.
