Jason X Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Jason X Blu-ray Movie Review

Note that there is a known audio glitch in one shot. Shout! Factory is offering a replacement disc with corrected audio. Please click here for information on how to obtain the replacement disc.

Scream Factory via Shout! Factory has released the 2001 Horror franchise film 'Jason X' to Blu-ray with a good quality 1080p transfer and a pair of lossless soundtrack options. A wealth of new supplements are included as well in addition to carrying over the extras from Warner Brothers' disc found in the 2013 collection. It's an excellent Blu-ray. It is currently only available in the exciting, and limited, Friday the 13th Collection which includes all 12 films featuring killer Jason Voorhees as well as two bonus discs.

Jason X Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In his review of the 2013 Warner Brothers disc, Michael discussed some of the particulars of the Jason X shoot, so please reference his review for that content. As the film presents on the Shout! Factory disc, the picture has the look of light filtering, with grain not so organic as in the previous films. The picture is inherently soft and flat, but not without solid detail around the frame, whether essentials like skin and Jason's mask (or masks, as the case may be) or the high tech futuristic odds and ends the production design team assembled for the shoot. It's pleasantly clear even if it's not so tack sharp as some other films in the series. The film begins with colors pushed to extreme gray and black but evolve into a nice assortment of softer, but plentiful, tones around the future sequences. Über Jason's silvery and black contrast nicely stands apart from the surrounding environments, though brighter colors are often relegated to support duty within a larger framework of flatter dullness and darkness. Black levels depth is solid and skin tones are fine. Print damage is practically a nonissue and encode shortcomings are nearly impossible to detect.

Jason X Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jason X beams onto Blu-ray with both 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio lossless soundtracks. Both offer viable listening opportunities. The opening title music is louder and more forceful in the 2.0 stereo configuration, but the 5.1 track offers improved clarity, some low end response, and of course greater spacing with the back channels carrying a healthy allotment of content. Moments later, the surrounds carry some high energy music and sound effects. Gunfire tears through the listening area while some heavy crashes and other action effects enjoy superior spacing in 5.1, notably in that opening sequence and later in the film when Kay-Em is blasting away at Jason in chapter nine. Additional effects are prominent in both configurations, such as blaring alarms at the nine minute mark, but the 5.1 tracks offers a more refined and convincing sense of place. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized in both tracks, found firmly center in both, even as the 2.0 must image the material there rather than simply use the provided front-center speaker. This is the disc with with the smallest gap between the stereo and 5.1 tracks. It's so aggressive in stereo that one almost doesn't miss the surrounds and subwoofer, but these added channels do enhance the experience and make it the superior presentation.

Jason X Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jason X contains a wealth of new content, which is marked below and reviewed as necessary. Please click here for coverage of the scant carryover content.

• NEW! Introduction (1080p, 0:42): Actor Kane Hodder threatens to kill anyone who doesn't enjoy the movie.
• NEW! Audio Commentary: Writer Todd Farmer and Author Peter M. Bracke.
• Audio Commentary: Director Jim Isaac, Writer Todd Farmer and Producer Noel Cunningham
• NEW! Outta Space: The Making of Jason X - Featuring Interviews with Noel Cunningham, Sean S. Cunningham, Kane Hodder and Todd Farmer (1080p, 33:09): Discussions include writing and pre-production, the influence of Scream's success on the film, early concepts for the film, settling on outer space, plot and setting details, shooting 3-perf film, visual effects, ditched concepts, über Jason, audience reaction, and more.
• NEW! In Space No One Can Hear You Scream - An Interview with Todd Farmer (1080p, 23:10): Farmer talks up his newfound appreciation for the film now, the story, the tone, David Cronenberg's appearance in the film, cast and performances, favorite kills, Kane Hodder's work in the franchise, fan appreciation for the franchise, the Horror genre today, and more.
• NEW! Kristi Is a Headbanger - An Interview with Actress Kristi Angus (1080p, 11:12): Angus discusses her initial familiarity with only the first three films, her auditions, landing the part, talking up the story, costumes, shooting her scenes, the set and budget, her death scene, her legacy as part of the franchise, and more.
• Jason Rebooted - Sean S. Cunningham on Jason Goes to Hell and Jason X (1080p, 15:32): The series' first director discusses the two standalone New Line films leading into Freddy vs. Jason.
• The Many Lives of Jason Voorhees
• By Any Means Necessary: The Making of Jason X
• NEW! Club Reel (1080p, 4x3, 3;25): Clips from the film set to high energy music.
• NEW! Vintage Interviews (480i, 4x3, 51:42 total runtime): Cast and crew speak extensively about the film, the franchise, and the production.
• NEW! Behind-the-Scenes Footage (480i, 4x3, 56:47): Fly-on-the-wall footage from the making of Jason X.
• NEW! Electronic Press Kit (480i, 4x3, 24:51): More raw footage from the set. A few minutes of interview snippets are found toward the end.
• NEW! Theatrical Trailers (1080p, 5:50 total runtime): Only a single trailer was included on the Warner Brothers disc.
• NEW! TV Spots (1080i upscaled, 4x3, 2:37 total runtime)
• NEW! Still Gallery (1080p, 8:58): The images advance automatically or with button press. There is no musical accompaniment.
• NEW! Posters and Behind-the-Scenes Gallery (1080p, 4:54): Images and ads from around the world.

Jason X Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jason X may not be high art, but it's a return to the classic Friday ther 13th style, refreshed and reenergized with a new setting and a new Jason (at least in the third act). In one of the supplements, the franchise is compared to a Big Mac, and that's what audiences get here: something familiar, comfortable, expected, and safe. It's a fun movie and it would be nice to see the franchise return with more inventive ideas wrapped around the classic concept. Shout!'s Blu-ray delivers stable video and quality audio along with a massive assortment of new extras. Recommended!