9.5/10
Sequels to movies usually get the reputation of being lesser than the original of a series. Examples like "Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge," "The Godfather 2," etc make this point proven. But this stereotype is not always true, because some sequels end up being much better than the original. Friday the 13th is one of these series, and this second installment is a perfect example of this. Seeing this movie, you start to envision what is iconic in this series, including the first appearance of Jason Voorhees, and the over the top kills that have plagued the young teenagers of this series. On a technical standpoint, the movie may not be better than the original, but if you look at what the fans have grown to love in these movies, it is definitely superior. Critics in the mainstream may not agree with this, being the original had a 58% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the sequel was given 33% rotten. Critics are only one opinion though, because the fan base of the series more often than not calls this installment one of their favorites, and frequently as better than the original.
This film starts out very cool. Being it was released in 1981(a year after the original), the film's intro is a very well done flashback of the events that took place in the first film. I love how the original 7 sequels of the series did this, because it really treated the movies like a book, and in doing this, you remember what happened in the movie before, and then the next part of the story started right where the last film left off.
A difference in this film from the first is the sense of humor. The first one obviously had some very open jokes in it, but this one takes a different approach in humor, by making it much more subtle, and darker. I like it this way, because you really have to think about the laughs, and it has a better way about it than just regular jokes in a horror movie.
Even though the film returns to the original plot of the series, it still brings new stuff to the table. The film is once again about teens getting slaughtered at a campground by a psycho. This time though, a lot of new changes are brought in. There's not as much mystery in the film, because everyone knows that Jason is killer. With this, the movie doesn't have the same Scooby Doo feeling in the way that the killer isn't revealed until the end. This film goes for more of the jump moments, and the horrific murders for scares. The first movie was kind of tame in its kills, because they weren't too over the top, and they were basically quick kills with primary weapons like axes. So they were what you would expect in a normal slasher. Then in the second, they did much more outrageous kills. Machetes, spears, kitchen knives, violence by hand, etc were used. The kills were much more creative, and the gore and the brutality rose a lot. I personally do not get frightened, but I know for a fact that people found this move much more horrific than the original. Since I don't want to spoil any of the moments in the movie, I won't describe any of the kills, but I'll tell you right now that there are some crazy things that happen in this installment, and they make the original look like kid's stuff.
In this film, Jason is introduced as the killer, and I think his portrayal in this movie was awesome. He is not seen as the usual Jason with a hockey mask, but more as a redneck with a burlap sack in his head. I love mask Jason the best, but I think it was really cool to do this, because you really got no idea at all of what he looks like. In later films, you get a side view of his face the whole time because of the mask being small, but in this one, he is completely covered. This gives his character a whole lot of mystery. Both Warrington Gillette and Steve Daskawisz do a great job of playing Jason in this film, because they have a nice and menacing way of moving, and he shows to be a great threat to the teenagers.
One more point I have towards this movie is the lead girl in the movie Ginny. She is my favorite of all of the Friday the 13th girls, because she was more than just lucky, she was also somewhat intelligent, and was able to trick Jason a little bit. I think her scenes in this movie are some of the most memorable of the whole series. There is one scene that I won't give away, that I find to be the iconic Friday the 13th moment.
"Friday the 13th Part II" is an amazing watch. You won't regret seeing it. It is understandable to go in thinking it will be weak, because of being a sequel, but really go in with an open mind, and be prepared for one heck of a ride. This movie may be a déjà vu to the first in some parts, but I feel that a lot of the scenes were super original, and completely groundbreaking. The movie may not be a Oscar winning piece of art, but that doesn't matter at all, because it is more enjoyable than many films that do qualify for the award. This film is my second favorite of the series, and it will not disappoint you. If you're a slasher fan at all, then you must watch this movie because it is really a mold of what the whole genre became.
References
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/friday_the_13th_part_1/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/friday_the_13th_part_2/
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