The third installment of the "Friday the 13th" franchise continues to pour sand into desert and doesn't bring anything essentially new. However, it is much better than its predecessor and stands shoulder to shoulder with the first film, and in some aspects it may even be slightly better.6/10

This films starts off with the climax of the second film, where Jason Voorhees apparently didn't die, but lives again to kill more campers at Camp Crystal Lake. This entry seems to be more competently made than prior entries, but overall the film is still pretty uninteresting and nothing but an excuse for Jason to kill a bunch of co-eds, this time in 3-D, so there are lots of straight-at-the-camera stabbings, impaling, popcorn popping, and balls being juggled that all looks pretty stupid when you watch it in 2-D. There are some attempts at suspense and scares that work better than the prior two films, but that's a pretty low bar. However, I did enjoy the fair amount of 80s nostalgia in the film, from vans with luxurious interior carpets, to Velcro wallets, to the fashions and hairdos. This film also seemed to be when the series started proper, with this film being the first one where Jason wears the hockey mask (Jason wasn't the killer of the first film and he wore a gunny sack in the second film). Still, if you want 80s slasher films, even though this series solidified the formula, there were quite a few knockoffs that did it much better, like "Halloween," "Torso," or even something like "Sleepaway Camp."

This Friday the 13th wasn't needed in my opinion. It wasn't original or any memorable scenes that stand out. It changes the formula a little bit by supplying Jason with a new mask and has him target a group of friends who decided to enjoy the outdoors for the weekend. The characters seemed more fleshed out with a comedian, an athlete, a princess and two hippies who look way older then anyone else in the group. How they met or if they were meant to be older then they look may never be known. It was the first to introduce a barn and gang members that will appear in different formats as the series progresses and does seem to be a staple even though it's the lamest of the bunch. Since the film was inspired by Halloween anyways they could've continued on from the second film and answered the unresolved questions it posed. But time for that has come and gone. Others may enjoy it, but it wasn't for me.

If my reviews for the previous two "Friday the 13th" films seemed overly critical, it's mainly because I know how much fun the franchise can be at its high points and I firmly do believe that those first two films are among the lesser-entries of the series. They're important for starting and building up the mythos. And they are definitely notable in the world of horror. But still... they can just never quite measure up to the insane meta-fun of "Jason Lives." Or the dopey thrills of "Freddy VS Jason."But "Friday the 13th Part III"? (Also sometimes known as "Friday the 13th 3D") This is one of the good ones!Director Steve Miner returns to captain the ship once again this time around, as Jason survives his devastating injury seen at the end of Part 2 and returns to Crystal Lake to hunt down a new group of friends who have arrived to vacation for the weekend. The blood flows red, limbs are sliced away, skulls are smashed into oblivion... now in glorious, dated 1980's 3D!Oh, and the cherry on the top? Jason finally gets his trademark hockey-mask! Huzzah! (Which ain't spoiling anything, trust me.)Part of the great joy of this film is the obvious giddiness of the production. The pacing is quick, there's a lot more attention placed on humor and jokes, the gore is ramped up and director Miner revels in the new ways that the 3D imagery can augment the image on- screen. It's just so charming to see what is obviously a director having a blast exploiting the technology available to him as much as he can. Miner seems like a kid in a candy shot behind the camera in this entry.And on the 3D. It's oh-so-gimmicky to the point of being absolutely delicious. It's used so much that it becomes frankly hilarious, with every-other-shot throwing something right in your face. While this may sound frustrating, when placed in the context of the 1980's, it does have a very endearing nostalgic quality. It's a wonderful little time-capsule of what was "cool" and "hip" back in the day, and the fun memories it brings up add even more to the charm-factor that the movie oozes all too often. (And yes, I did say a horror movie about a psycho undead-killer is charming. Because it is. Very much so.)The script is also pretty darned swell this time, and it is easily and by far the best-written entry of the series until the wonderfully self-aware Part VI. The pacing is near-perfect. There's a lot of really good elements and through-lines that run the course of the film and give it a very solid foundation. And it boasts the best- written characters... perhaps of the whole franchise. You know you did a good job writing a generic slasher movie when the obvious annoying jokester character Shelly (Larry Zerner) actually manages to make you root for him when he "defeats" a group of biker- bullies... and then tugs at your heart-strings a bit when we see him crestfallen after learning his crush might not like him the way he likes her.All this praise being said, it's not a perfect film. The first act is a bit slow to start with a few too many gags that feel contrary to the later portions of the film. Some of the effects are cheesy to the point of taking you out of the film. (I'll just say keep an "eye out" for one particularly bad gore-gag.) And while it is entertaining, I could definitely see some audience members being turned off by the constant "3D comin' at ya!" shots.But all in all, I think "Friday the 13th Part III" is one of the better entries in the franchise. It's the first one to really embrace the idea of being horror-as-entertainment instead of just horror-as-horror. And it's a great little dose of 80's cheese.I give it a pretty-good 7 out of 10.