Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Friday the 13th: Part 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has re-released the cult favorite 1982 Horror franchise sequel 'Friday the 13th Part 2.' The disc includes essentially the same 2-D video and audio presentations from the Shout! Factory disc (only available in the massively impressive boxed set). It includes all of the extras from Paramount's 2009 disc, which this release otherwise improves upon. No new extras are included. This disc is also included in Paramount's new six-disc, eight-film collection. At time of writing it is not being made available individually. Note that this release only includes the 2-D version of the film; there is no anaglyph or stereoscopic versions included, a shame because the film was made to be seen in 3-D and is much more effective in that format.

Friday the 13th: Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Paramount's 1080p transfer is essentially identical to the Shout! Factory release. There is perhaps some minutia for anyone who wants to dig really deep (this version appears to be ever so slightly "zoomed" compared to the Shout! release), but superficially speaking, and simply comparing what appears on the screen, from normal viewing distances, there are no obvious alterations. Below is a cut-and-paste of the relevant portion of the Shout! Factory review; it applies here (again, note that there are no 3-D versions on this Paramount disc):

The 2-D presentation is a mixed bag, obviously failing to take advantage of the various gimmick shots throughout the film but also struggling to find consistency in visual output. There are softer visuals and there are sharper visuals and the image fluctuates scene to scene, sometimes shot to shot, from pleasantly sharp, grainy, and filmic to fuzzy and flat. Look when Harold's nagging wife watches a news broadcast about the events from the second film about nine minutes into the movie. It's the first of countless examples intermixed with moments of near brilliant clarity and filmic aptitude. While even at its best it cannot match the first two films there are plenty of scenes that show firm but fine grain and sharp but effortless textures. It's quite interesting to watch the movie unfold and never quite settle on soft or sharp. When it's on it's a solid 4.0 on the scoring scale. When the softer scenes take over, it drops dramatically. Colors are all over the map, too, with the softer scenes struggling to find depth, tonal accuracy, and fine contrast while these are no particularly troublesome issues in the better scenes. There are no serious encode issues but the print does show static dirt at the 18- minute mark, again at 30:12, and at several other points thereafter.

Friday the 13th: Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is likewise little discernible difference between this Paramount DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack and the Shout! Factory disc. There are differences in bit rate and such, but just comparing with the ears yields no obvious change. Obviously this is not the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack from Paramount's 2009 disc. Because the Shout! review is built around a comparison with the original 2.0 track that is not included here, that review is not reprinted below; please click here, however, to explore the essentials regarding the 5.1 soundtrack.

Friday the 13th: Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This new Blu-ray release of Friday the 13th, Part III includes the same supplemental content found on the 2009 Paramount disc. Unfortunately, there are a number of extras -- an audio commentary track, a gallery, and a slew of promotional materials -- from the Shout! Factory release that are not included here. Below is a listing of what's included. Please click here for full reviews.

• Fresh Cuts: 3D Terror
• Legacy of the Mask
• Slasher Films: Going for the Jugular
• Lost Tales from Camp Blood Part III
• Original Theatrical Trailer

Friday the 13th: Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The bottom line with this release is that there's no 3-D option: no anaglyph, as with the 2009 Paramount disc, and no stereoscopic, as with the Shout! disc. The movie is by and far best enjoyed in that format. It's only part of the boxed set, so anyone buying for the rest of the movies will be getting this inferior version. At the very least, hold on to the old 2009 disc for the full experience.