Search - Friday the 13th, Part 3 3D [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

Review for the Blu-ray NOT the movie

Dave. K | Staten Island, Ny | 06/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 3-D BLU-RAY

*** ½ Out of 5

For years the Friday the 13th movies were kicked aside by Paramount pictures with lame release after another. The original DVD releases had no features at all except for the theatrical trailer, which I personally don't consider to be a feature, but the 7th and 8th installments didn't even get that. Finally after the success of Freddy Vs Jason Paramount put out a set Crystal Lake to Manhattan, which featured the first 8 movies and while at least we finally got something it wasn't much to brag about and it was good overall, but the set was clearly rushed and really was about average at best as a whole.

With the release of Friday the 13th 09, Paramount finally gave the fans what they have wanted for years and that was SE releases. February 09 saw the release of the original uncut for the first time in the States released on Blu-ray and DVD and part 2 and 3 also got Deluxe Edition DVD releases.

Fans have wanted part 3 released in 3D and we finally got it. Despite being called a Deluxe Edition since it was anything but that, there were no features at all on the disc, but seeing as it was released in 3D it was easy to get over. There were problems with the DVD release with ghosting and double images and fan reaction was mixed. Now on June 16th, 2009 Friday the 13th Part 3 makes its debut on Blu-ray (along with Part 2) and unlike the DVD it has a nice batch of features, which is unfair to those who don't own Blu-ray players. I was 3-years old when this movie was first released so I have only been able to see the movie in 2D; I like this movie a lot and while it's not a very good movie per se it achieves what it sets out to do, but knowing it was originally in 3D it did kind of suck only being able to view it in 2D even if still enjoyable it was disappointing.

So here we are with the Blu-ray release and the question is simple; is it worth the upgrade? Well that's what I'll cover as I review the disc.

FRESH CUTS: 3D TERROR (HD)- 12:51
Solid feature that explains how the movie came to be plus the original idea before it became the movie we know; the 3D process is also covered and overall this was a solid feature that gives us enough info, but does leave you wanting slightly more, but overall it's a solid feature. Interviews with Peter Bracke, Martin Jay Sadoff, Larry Zerner, Richard Brooker, Sandi Love, Douglas White.

LEGACY OF THE MASK (HD)- 9:32
Another strong feature, which explains how Jason got the mask and overall it was a fun feature and it also gets into the mask in the rest of the movies plus Jason's look through out the series; brief, but to the point; interviews with Peter Bracke, Martin Jay Sadoff, Richard Brooker, Douglas White, Larry Zerner.

SLASHER FILMS: GOING FOR THE JUGULAR (HD)- 7:06
Another strong feature, which covers quickly what, makes these movies work so well and this might be my favorite feature on the disc even if we've seen numerous documentaries and books on this subject I still always find it entertaining. My only complaint is that it's too brief; Ari Lehman, Stu Charno, Tony Todd, Del Howison, Tony Moran, Harry Manfredini, Richard Brooker, Robbi Morgan and Larry Zerner appear.

LOST TALES FROM CAMP BLOOD- PART 3 (HD)- 4:47
This is a short film written and directed by Andrew Ceperley and the first 2 parts can be found on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the first 2 movies; this one can only be seen on the Blu-ray for Part 3. Overall it was good running at under 5-minutes there is only so much that can be done, but I did enjoy this.

THEATRICAL TRAILER (HD)- 2:09
No need to explain this.

2D VERSION
Not every movie benefits from HD and this one is sort of one of those movies; the transfer while I suppose it an upgrade over the standard DVD, but I'm not really sure though. The transfer for the Blu-ray isn't really that good to be honest. After seeing the transfer for the original Friday the 13th I really got excited for this release, but there is no comparing the two at all. This one falls a bit flat in a lot of spots. The picture is a bit flat and there is noticeable grain in many scenes, and even in the standard version you can see spots of dirt on the screen, which I suppose is on the actual cameras and in HD you can see that even more; if one didn't know any better you might think it's on your TV set. Comparing the standard DVD to the Blu-ray the dirt is a bit more noticeable here and actually it can be a slight distraction at times; of all the Blu-ray's I own of flicks of a certain age this is by far the worst transfer; I heard the Deluxe Edition DVD also looked weak and in no way does this really improve. Like I said I don't think this really improves on the original DVD release. If I'm being totally honest here I think I might prefer the original standard release.

That's not to say it's a total bust there are some moments where it looks good, but overall there is too much dirt and grain to really be worthy of being called an upgrade. Some scenes the grain is cleaned up compared to the original release, but there is still enough grain and blemishes on this transfer that in my opinion keep it from really being called an upgrade.

Some scenes do stand out compared to the original DVD and look good, but never great. But there is just too much dirt and grain for this to be anything besides an ok transfer. The colors are sharp for the most part, but something just doesn't fully work here; at times the picture looks a little washed out. Again the Blu-ray in my opinion hardly looks better than the original standard DVD. In the area it might improve the look it also takes away due to the dirt. If this version is an upgrade I'd say its barley though.

3D VERSION
The Deluxe Edition had a lot of problems with ghosting and double images and that is also a problem here as well. All the 3D scenes have a bit of ghosting or double images and there is a lot more grain to be found here unlike the 2D version, which again does suffer from that, but despite that the 3D does work well mostly. No doubt these problems are annoying and do slightly take away from the movie. Obviously this won't compare to the original theatrical release and I don't think it's anywhere near as good as the Blu-ray release of My Bloody Valentine, which worked surprisingly well; but again the 3D works well despite all the scenes having ghosting or double images. A couple of scenes do lose a little bit due to that, but while most are slightly annoying it doesn't take away from the movie and finally seeing Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D adds a whole new layer to the movie and really adds to the entertainment. The stuff that works best are tree branches or leaves, dirt being blown by the wind and bugs flying around; Those are the things that play out the best, which is cool, but not really what we all want to look best.

Nothing here for the most part works great; some 3D looks cool other times not so much. The strengths are the hobo in the beginning with the eyeball despite the ghosting and or double image it looks cool the bikers that are killed in the barn also works really well and I think some of those scenes were the strongest despite the problems mentioned. Some stuff however falls flat for instance like the sphere gun scene, which is something I bet most people really want to see; and when you do see it you'll be letdown as it doesn't work that well; when Rick's eyeball pops up out it works fairly decent. The biggest 3D gags are the ones that seem to fall short.

The one scene that worked really great was after Jason gets hit in the head with an axe and he puts his arms out in front of him. Sure we have the same problems of ghosting or double images, but even that cannot take away from the scene as it actually plays out really cool problems and all. That scene really got me going since it was so cool again despite the problems. The handle of the Axe also works well for the most part and I'd say these scenes are probably the best along with the barn scenes.

So like I said the 3D doesn't work great and some really fall flat, but most work; remember though it never works great, but good enough for the viewer to not only have fun, but probably watch the 3D version all the time instead of the 2D. The 3D version does add a new layer to the movie and quite honestly makes the movie a little more fun and makes it feel a little new as well since most of us are seeing it in 3D for the first time.

Some reviews I've seen make the Blu-ray sound like perfection and some have compared it to the theatrical version. I never say this about other people's reviews, but I honestly think those reviews are by people paid by the studio or they are just seeing what they wanna see; despite what some say there is indeed ghosting and double images just like the DVD version, but regardless of those problems again annoying, yes, but still a lot of fun. As stated earlier there is a bit more grain on the 3D version, but even with the grain, ghosting and double images it cannot ruin the fun of seeing this movie in 3D. Don't go into this expecting perfection; just keep in mind the flaws I explained and you should be fine. Not every 3D scenes works and the ones that do don't work great and the ghosting and double images are annoying, but shouldn't ruin the experience of the film.

AUDIO
We have two options the first; Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Dolby Digital Mono. The sound is good, but nothing special. It never really enhances the movie at all. I hoped it would pick up sounds in the background, but it never really does that. The TrueHD 5.1 is solid in terms of the music; the score plays out great and loud and the shrieks in the music might make you jump once or twice where as the dialogue sounds good, but I felt it was a little low. You can hear everything the characters say, but I found it a little lifeless. I actually watched the movie with the original Mono track, which I felt as a whole sounded better, the score might have a little bit more of a jolt to it with the TrueHD, but overall I found the mono track to be the better of the two.

FINAL WORDS ON THE DISC
I had two TVs I tried this on; one set the 3D looked ok it pops out, but nothing really stands out. I than tried it on a plasma TV and it worked far better there. So I think it will all depend on the TV you have. Some sets the 3D may not work that well where as other TV sets it will look a lot better. The extra features while brief are enjoyable and this may not be the ultimate release, but it is a solid one. The flaws with the picture can be forgiven, but the 2D version does fall a bit flat and the ghosting and double images on the 3D can be slightly annoying, but the sheer fun of seeing it in 3D will help you get over it. Bottom line is Friday the 13th Part 3 on Blu-ray doesn't make for the perfect Hi-Def experience, but it gets the job done. If you have the Deluxe Edition the only reason to buy this is for the extras."

A fun movie with its flaws

K. Enser | Buffalo | 07/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this movie with little expectations. I have always enjoyed this series regardless of the content. It has always been a guilty pleasure for me. Having first viewed this movie a decade ago I was unaware that it had been released in 3D. Due to the small price difference between the Bluray and DVD I went with Bluray.

In the end I am very pleased. This movie is pure fun. It has its flaws and goes blurry frequently however there is something nostalgic about wearing a set of 3D glasses watching a cheesy movie.

I'll admit, it took me a bit to get into the movie. I kept focusing on the flaws in the film at first. It took me a good ten-minutes to get engrossed however once I had, I really enjoyed the film in 3D. It was fun to watch some of the effects and definitely gave a different feel to the movie.

It is not something I will do always. It is a bit cumbersome to wear the glasses and I found it annoying when any source of lighting was in the area of the television. I recommend watching it in the dark. This is when it looked best to me.

For anyone considering this movie, there probably is little difference between the Bluray copy and DVD. The film is grainy however the sound is pretty good. I purchased the Bluray because it was only $5.00 more and would do it again.

In the end. It is a fun movie. It is far from perfect however I am glad I made this purchase and got to see the film in 3D....the way it was intended."