Freddy vs. Jason is ridiculous, idiotic, high-concept garbage...98 minutes of gratuitous nudity, over-the-top violence, bad dialogue, and stupid teenagers who mostly exist just to die. But what's great about the movie is that it's made by folks who know they are making ridiculous, idiotic, high-concept garbage. Even die-hard fans of the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises have to admit there's no possible way to take this clash-of-horror-titans seriously. Still, this decade-in-development opus was arguably the most anticipated horror film in recent memory, mainly because the idea of taking two modern pop culture icons and sticking them in the same movie is awesome in its simplicity, and more importantly, hasn't been attempted in decades. Since both individual franchises have withered on the vine, I personally appreciate the what-the-hell-let's go-for-it attitude on display here. And truth be told, it's one of the few films released in 2003 which seems hell-bent on pleasing its audience, giving genre fans exactly what they have been waiting so long to see. What's really surprising is the fact that New Line could have simply pumped out yet another generic DVD with minimal extras, but instead took the time and effort to present the film as a double-disc set, absolutely loaded with a ton of informative and fun extras that fans of both franchises will love.

It seems almost redundant to summarize what little story there is, since it's nearly worthless, but I'll try. Undead child-killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), currently residing in hell, would love nothing more than to continue attacking teenagers in their dreams, but no longer has the power to do so. Instead, he summons legendary serial killer Jason Voorhees to do his dirty work for him; it's ever explained why Freddy can't kill kids, yet has the formidable power to resurrect Jason...nor would any explanation really suffice. All that really matters is that Jason returns to hack & slash any pot-smoking, sex-starved teenager who happens to cross his path. The problem is, however, that once Freddy is strong enough to resume his usual business, Jason isn't ready to give up his murderous ways (funny...one would think there are plenty of dumb, over-sexed teens to go around). Meanwhile, several assorted hot-looking youths discover what Freddy is up to; despite the fact these kids are as stupid and oblivious-to-danger as the average carpenter ant, they are almost immediately able to correctly theorize Freddy's agenda and formulate a plan to defeat him, which involves drawing Freddy into the real world in order to confront Jason (yes, believe it or not, Jason's pretty-much the hero in this movie). I never liked the Nightmare on Elm Street series much, and only enjoyed the Friday the 13th series when the films began to grow steadily cartoonish (culminating in the logic-be-damned Jason X), but I truly appreciate the attempt by Freddy vs. Jason to preserve all the elements which made both series so endearing to fans: lame characterization, badly acted by great looking teenagers, plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, and the conceit that either franchise is still scary (the script doesn't even attempt to throw in a single unique character or plot twist). But nobody interested in this disc is gonna care about any characterization or exposition anyway, and everyone involved in the making of the film knows this. The sole purpose of the entire movie is getting to the third act, where Freddy and Jason square off and hack each other to pieces. It's this fight between horror titans, which is well-executed and rousing, that makes the whole film worth watching. The violence is so extreme (with each slash of a blade, blood spurts from wounds like geysers) that it becomes surreal and cartoonish. In fact, the only real difference between the gore in Freddy vs. Jason and the critically lauded Kill Bill, Volume I is that the latter proudly declares itself an homage. And because both Freddy and Jason have proven to be nearly indestructible in previous films, this battle goes on and on, like a gory Road Runner cartoon, and neither of them realize the utter futility of fighting each other. The filmmakers get around declaring an actual winner with an final shot that's as dumb as they come, but leaves the door wide open for both film franchises to continue.

New Line has done a great job with the DVD transfer. The picture is offered in both fullscreen and 2.35:1 widescreen, and it looks really good. For the most part, the black tones are accurate and the colors are sharp; there are, however, a few scenes in which the blue hues look a bit overwhelming, such as when two of the characters are talking inside a van. But other than that, the transfer's as good as any other recent disc I've watched, with no artifacts. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the soundtrack, though, which is rendered in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and 2.0 Stereo Surround, and free of hissing and distortion. It's well balanced...and loud! Graeme Revell's music score (as well as several accompanying heavy metal tunes) sounds great, as do the creative (and icky) sound effects.

At least New Line knows its audience, and has loaded this release with extras fans of the film will savor. Disc one features a full-length audio commentary by director Ronny Yu, Robert Englund & Ken Kirzinger (who replaces Kane Hodder as Jason, much to the chagrin of many die-hard fans). The commentary is filled with lots of interesting details and anecdotes, though sometimes I found myself wishing Englund would shut up after awhile and give the other two a chance to talk. There's also a "Jump to a Death" feature, so you can simply skip to the gory parts. Disc 2 is also packed with fan-friendly features. There are a buttload of deleted scenes, including an alternate ending, with optional commentary by Ronny Yu; most of the scenes run less than two minutes, and it's easy to see why they weren't used. Also included are several behind-the-scenes featurettes which, unlike many so-called documentaries, really go behind-the-scenes, providing a lot of detail about the make-up, stunts, set design and photography. Another gem is the inclusion of promotions for the movie's release, including a great Las Vegas "press conference" in which the fighters weigh-in and trash-talk each other; also included in this section are several trailers, including older films from both series, a music video, and footage of an outdoor premiere of Freddy vs. Jason, which took place in Texas. But I think the best feature is the text-only history of the development of the film. Originally an article in Fangoria Magazine, it covers the movie's entire decade-long history, from initial inception to its completion, including proposed storylines which were never fully developed. All-in-all, a great plethora of extras, obviously aimed at those who love the film. Similar films: Halloween, Friday the 13th (parts 1-8), A Nightmare on Elm Street (parts 1-6), Jason Goes to Hell, Jason X, Scream, Scary Movie, Shocker Useless trivia: ? For the original Friday the 13th, creator Sean S. Cunningham concieved the title and print ad, then placed it in Variety Magazine before a script was even written. ? A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, besides spawning countless sequels, also inspired two short-lived TV series, Freddy's Nightmares and Friday the 13th - The Series. ? Jason didn't don his trademark hockey mask until Friday the 13th Part 3.

Whether you're a fan of the series or not, you can't say Freddy vs. Jason doesn't deliver on the promise of its title. If you never liked any of the previous films, this one won't change your mind, and you'll likely roll your eyes at the utter stupidity of it all. But this movie was never made for you people, anyway. It's a movie for fans, lovingly made by folks who appear to be fans themselves. If you're in the right frame-of-mind, the film offers a ton of blood-dripping, mindless fun, and this DVD release is sure to please.