The most anticipated sequel to a horror film never made it to the big screen but instead was relegated to the four color world of comics. After the huge success of the film Freddy Vs. Jason there was takes about a sequel, the most talked about being the proposed Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash story that would combine the two kings of the slasher genre with that of the hero of The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness films. This never fully materialized (for various reasons) but the treatment for that proposed film was the outline for this six issue limited series that makes up the graphic novel. Published by Dynamite Entertainment and Wildstorm the story of Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash is one that every fan of any of the series would have loved to have seen as a film.
The story begins after the events in the Freddy Vs. Jason movie where Freddy finds himself trapped in the mind of Jason. Freddy’s only hope of getting out is through the help of the Necronomicon, The Book of the Dead which currently resides in the old Voorhees home (as witnessed in Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday). At this same time S-Mart is opening a new Super S-Mart on the former stomping grounds of Camp Crystal Lake and Ash is on hand to help the store get in shape before the grand opening. Ash, being the hunter of deadites that he is, believes that he is being lured there by the Book of the Dead for some nefarious reasons. It is not long before Ash encounters what’s left of some of Jason’s victims and he believes it is his destiny to rid the world of Jason (whom he thinks is a deadite). It doesn’t take long before Ash realizes that Jason is only the tool of a greater evil, Freddy, who with the Book of the Dead will be able to meld the dream world and the real world together so that he will have total reign. In true Army of Darkness fashion, Ash will blunder and kill anything and everything that gets in his way from destroying the Book of the Dead once and for all.
One of the reasons why this story works so well is the care with the story (Story by Jeff Katz & Script by James A. Kuhoric) and art (by Jason Craig) given to book which references all three film franchises both in terms of story and visuals. For The Evil Dead fans there are a lot of visual nods to The Evil Dead II, which just allow the comedy to flow. Surprisingly, Freddy is wisely not seen as the comic element in the story (although he does have his moments) but instead he is the grand mastermind behind an elaborate plot that’s more complex then anything seen in his films. Jason is given plenty of room to kill…well, just about everybody as this series has more blood flowing then any of the films (thank the heavens). This is definitely a Hard-R rated comic with plenty of surprises by the end.
Having only read a handful of the various comic book series based on these characters now being released by Dynamite Entertainment and Wildstorm it was a relief to know that I didn’t have to have read any of those series to enjoy this story. In fact, you don’t really need to have seen the film Freddy Vs. Jason as the series gives a quick recap of the events of the film for those readers just familiar with the characters.
This is one of the few books I think should have been made into a film but if all I have is this graphic novel then I’m not really going to complain any more.
CITY GARDEN - "The Old Woman & The Park"
On the set of the short film "A Gift"
Showing posts with label Jason Bateman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Bateman. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
HANCOCK on the IMAX
For a film that’s meant to be bigger then life the new Will Smith film HANCOCK does not translate over as well to the IMAX format. Don’t get me wrong, the film HANCOCK is the best comic book genre film of the summer easily surpassing the timid IRON MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK and several others simply because it tried to do something different then all the other superhero films made thus far (in the wake of the superhero film boom).
There’s a joke that my friends have told me a hundred times while growing up in reference to the fact that why doesn’t Superman just throw Lex Luther into space to ultimately be rid of his arch nemesis. Back when Superman was the most popular franchise of films Luther kept coming back and Superman kept putting him back into jail leaving many people to believe that there really is no originality in the superhero genre film anymore. They are all pretty basic and predictable (thus my lack of appreciation of either of this years Marvel film adaptations). Seeing Superman throw Luther into outer space thus killing him is completely unpredictable and would rid Superman from his otherwise bland villain and allow the filmmakers to explore other aspects of the character (although I love the film SUPERMAN RETURNS it’s anything but original). A little more of this “unpredictability” is needed in the new crop of superhero films or they will all become timid exercises of studios just wanting to make a quick buck with great SFX-expensive films.
Bringing focus back to HANCOCK, this film is anything but predictable as there are many plot turns in the film that are unexpected and the film is genuinely funny from beginning to end. The humor is derived from character rather then bad jokes (i.e. IRON MAN). There is great drama between all the main characters but not too much to be a distraction (i.e. either version of HULK films) and the action is top notch. A lot of this goes to the excellent script by Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan, who worked on “The X-Files” and “The Lone Gunmen” television series (which is probably why the script is so strong in both action, drama, and humor). Lets not forget the actors, either, as Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman have great chemistry on film which is brought to glorious life by director Peter Berg (THE RUNDOWN, THE KINGDOM), a director great at mixing and balancing both action and humor.
The only thing that disappointed me is that the film really wasn’t as dynamic on the IMAX format screen as many of the other films I’d already seen. Having viewed such films as SPIDER-MAN 3, SPEED RACER, and U2 3D on the IMAX (which were all an astounding theatre going experience), HANCOCK was just…well, HANCOCK. It’s the first film I’ve viewed on this format that wasn’t truly a great experience which is okay since the quality of the film more then made up for this mishap. Unlike viewing U2 3D (which costs a whopping $16.00 on the IMAX), HANCOCK was much cheaper (at only $12.00 which is only a $2.00 difference from the regular screens) so I didn’t feel like I was cheated too much. I do recommend this film as one of the highlights of the summer but just don’t bother watching it on the IMAX unless, of course, you’ve just never seen a film on the format before.
There’s a joke that my friends have told me a hundred times while growing up in reference to the fact that why doesn’t Superman just throw Lex Luther into space to ultimately be rid of his arch nemesis. Back when Superman was the most popular franchise of films Luther kept coming back and Superman kept putting him back into jail leaving many people to believe that there really is no originality in the superhero genre film anymore. They are all pretty basic and predictable (thus my lack of appreciation of either of this years Marvel film adaptations). Seeing Superman throw Luther into outer space thus killing him is completely unpredictable and would rid Superman from his otherwise bland villain and allow the filmmakers to explore other aspects of the character (although I love the film SUPERMAN RETURNS it’s anything but original). A little more of this “unpredictability” is needed in the new crop of superhero films or they will all become timid exercises of studios just wanting to make a quick buck with great SFX-expensive films.
Bringing focus back to HANCOCK, this film is anything but predictable as there are many plot turns in the film that are unexpected and the film is genuinely funny from beginning to end. The humor is derived from character rather then bad jokes (i.e. IRON MAN). There is great drama between all the main characters but not too much to be a distraction (i.e. either version of HULK films) and the action is top notch. A lot of this goes to the excellent script by Vincent Ngo and Vince Gilligan, who worked on “The X-Files” and “The Lone Gunmen” television series (which is probably why the script is so strong in both action, drama, and humor). Lets not forget the actors, either, as Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman have great chemistry on film which is brought to glorious life by director Peter Berg (THE RUNDOWN, THE KINGDOM), a director great at mixing and balancing both action and humor.
The only thing that disappointed me is that the film really wasn’t as dynamic on the IMAX format screen as many of the other films I’d already seen. Having viewed such films as SPIDER-MAN 3, SPEED RACER, and U2 3D on the IMAX (which were all an astounding theatre going experience), HANCOCK was just…well, HANCOCK. It’s the first film I’ve viewed on this format that wasn’t truly a great experience which is okay since the quality of the film more then made up for this mishap. Unlike viewing U2 3D (which costs a whopping $16.00 on the IMAX), HANCOCK was much cheaper (at only $12.00 which is only a $2.00 difference from the regular screens) so I didn’t feel like I was cheated too much. I do recommend this film as one of the highlights of the summer but just don’t bother watching it on the IMAX unless, of course, you’ve just never seen a film on the format before.
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