Tommy’s history with Jason sets up an exciting character arc.
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Introducing a new killer hadn’t worked in A New Beginning, and Jason Lives brings back the central slasher in a fun way that acknowledges the reversion Jason even gets his version of the James Bond gun barrel intro.
#FRIDAY 13TH FILM SERIES#
(A direct homage to Frankenstein.) While the series had always been playful with its canon, this was straight-up science fiction that imbued Jason with superhuman strength. The knowing silliness is apparent within the pre-credits sequence, in which Tommy digs up Jason’s grave, only to inadvertently resurrect him through a fence post struck by lightning. RELATED: Every Single Jason Kill in the 'Friday the 13th' Franchise Ranked 35 years after its release, Jason Lives hasn’t been topped, and it's unfortunate that the later installments abandoned its cheeky quality. Jason Lives is self-referential it breaks the fourth wall to spoof the saga’s recurring elements, and it was the perfect way to justify the confused continuity and appease longtime Friday the 13th fans. However, Jason Lives didn’t just pull off the recurring storyline-it changed up the franchise’s tone for the better. Graham-which saw him facing off with his old nemesis Tommy Jarvis, now played by Thom Matthews.
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Thankfully, the masked killer made his welcome return in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives-played in this film by C.J. Most importantly, though, A New Beginning dropped the series’ most important element: Jason himself. Unfortunately, the fifth film Friday the 13th: A New Beginning failed to keep the momentum going, suffering from a ridiculous twist, lack of inventive kills, and characters too obnoxious to invest in before they meet their grizzly fate. The original 1980 film established the backstory of Jason Voorhees’s death at Camp Crystal Lake, Friday the 13th Part 2 introduced Jason as the main killer, Friday the 13th Part III debuted Jason’ iconic hockey mask, and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter featured the best set of characters in the series yet, including the young Tommy Jarvis ( Corey Feldman). The first four installments had gradually defined the series identity. By the time it reached its sixth entry, the Friday the 13th franchise was in the midst of an identity crisis.