By Stephen Pytak 

     The title raises expectations.
     But "The Final Chapter" doesn't always deliver.
     However, there is one thing it will be 
remembered for.
     It's got the best "Jason." So far.
     For starters he looks like the one that scared us 
back in 1980, the boy who jumped out of the lake, 
but he's grown up.
     Savini and company have taken the child design 
they created for "Friday the 13th (1980,)" and 
aged him 30 years.
     Smart move. The reveal only lasts a few seconds, 
but it's worth the price of admission.
     I'm not sure who to credit for the rest of the 
performance, Director Joseph Zito or Actor Ted 
White. Maybe both.
     This time out, Jason's not just popping out and 
slicing throats.
     He runs. He pulls a girl out a window and 
throws her onto a car. And he charges through a 
door, throws a hammer and makes it stick in a 
wall, blunt side. BAM!
     Zito, who made Chuck Norris' "Missing In 
Action" that same year, no doubt injected the film 
with some juice.
     But White, who didn't want credit for the part 
because he reportedly felt "uneasy" about playing 
the hockey-masked killer, gave us a pretty decent 
interpretation.
     His Jason was a simple determined killing 
machine, fast and furious.
     Every actor who picked up the knife played it a 
hair differently. For instance, Kane Hodder, who 
played the role in "Fridays 7-10," played Jason 
with a bit more personality. 
     White, on the other hand,  played it dead 
straight.
     There's not much character development, but 
one little thing struck me. 
     And it's not the stupid showdown with the bald 
Corey Feldman.
     It's  the scene when "Trish (Kimberly Beck)" 
slams a machete into Jason's hand then wrenches it 
out. Then he stops, just for a second, to see if it still 
moves.
     I like that.
     Sounds stupid. I know.
     It only lasts a second. But it looks like he's 
taking into account all the damage he's sustained 
since "Part 2 (1981)." It's like, "Let's see here. 
Chainsaw scratch. Kick in balls.  Machete in 
shoulder. Knife wound in  knee…Machete in hand. 
Does my hand still work?" 
     I know.
     I've seen these films too many times.
     The only other things I like about "The Final 
Chapter," aside from the chase in the end and the 
gore effects, are some of the actors.
     Today it's kind of neat to see Crispin Glover, 
who was in this year's "Willard," as "Jimmy."
     And, look. There's Lawrence Monoson from 
"The Last American Virgin(1982)." He played 
"Ted." At the time, he was a bigger star than 
Glover. His name was above Glover's in the 
credits. What the Hell happened to him?
     According to www.imdb.com, Monoson's 
currently filming "Starship Troopers 2," due out in 
2004.
     Now let's move on to what sucked. 
     The pacing is terrible.
     It starts off O.K. We get a recap montage, a 
great shot of police, ambulances, a helicopter and 
Jason down for the count at Higgin's Haven, and 
the unforgettable murders at the morgue.
     Then you might as well set your clock and take 
a 45-minute nap.
     Aside from the skinny dip scene, and some 
revealing shots of "Tina (Camilla More)," "Teri 
(Carey More)," and "Samantha (Judie Aronson)," 
there's not much going on. You're gonna be 
tempted to snooze. Thank God for DVD and 
chapter search.
     The storyline isn't too bad.
     But the punch in the end didn't have impact.
     The idea of having a character like "Tommy 
Jarvis," a make-up enthusiast who's kind of aware 
of the local legend of "Jason," is good. No. It's 
better than good.
     But Feldman wasn't the right guy for it.
     I wished they would have cast Ari Lehman, the 
boy who played Jason in "Part 1."
     Now, if he came down the stairs looking the 
way he did when he popped out of the lake and 
attacked Adrienne King, that would have been 
something.
     The boy from "Part 1" meets the grown-up killer 
from "The Final Chapter."
     I really would have liked to see that.
     Hindsight hurts sometimes.