Freddy vs. Jason. Too little too late?
Ok I admit it. I’m looking forward to Freddy vs. Jason tomorrow. To be brutally honest I’m almost giddy. I’ve been waiting almost 15 years for this film. I remember as a kid talking with my friends about how cool it would be to see a movie where Freddy and Jason fight. And now hear we sit on the eve of the monumental event, and I can’t help but feel that the producers of this flick missed the boat by about 5 years.
What we see happening on the big screen right now is just a reflection of what television went through a few years ago. A stab at the nostalgic in an attempt to connect with the audience. For a while it seemed like every new show on TV stared an actor from a hit 80’s show. Nostalgia can be a powerful draw. Just look at how well Star Trek did when it first hit the theaters.
The problem for Freddy vs. Jason isn’t the idea. It’s a great idea! The problem is that this project should have been put to film in 1995 or earlier when it wasn’t so far removed from when the individual titles were successful. In 2003, the younger audience hasn’t ever seen a Freddy movie, they’re only exposure to Jason was in that horrible space movie of his last year and have no sense of connection or nostalgia with the characters. At the same time, most of us who were teenagers when Freddy and Jason ruled are now in our 30’s (I’m 31) and have outgrown them (except me obviously).
The same can be said for the on again/off again Aliens vs. Predator project. This is a film that really should have been made. Someone should go to jail for holding this movie up for so long. And although I personally still want to see it, the door of box office opportunity was closed on this one about 4 years ago.
Look for this film to have a decent opening weekend, after all it’s only opening against Uptown Girls, Grind and Open Range which will attract a totally different audience anyway. But I doubt it will make much at the box office overall since there just isn’t enough of us left who are interested in seeing it.
I expect to see a pretty fun movie tomorrow. The unfortunate part is that I think I’ll be watching it in a nearly empty theater. Too little too late. Time will tell, and I’ve been wrong before.
