Final Destination 5 is gruesomely awesome! It’s a lot more gory than you think even when compared to the previous Final Destinations. This was my favorite since the original – and I’ve seen them all. The writers and director kept everything fans loved from the past movies and added some great new twists to keep the series fresh. For a movie with Final in the title, I hope these never end because they’re a great guilty pleasure that keep you wanting more. The original unlocked a magical formula that can be retold and retold until…nope, you can never get enough.
You should all know the story by now: a group of people escape a horrible death just to picked off one by one in their own horrible intricate deaths. They’re tipped off by some one’s premonition and they soon learn that there’s a pattern or order to their subsequent fatalities. Each death is a freak accident caused by some sort of chain reaction triggered by an eerie wind or flickering lights letting you know that death is coming for you. This time, Sam Lawton (Nicholas D’Agosto) experiences a premonition while on a bus heading to a weekend business retreat along with his coworkers. The initial massacre is sit-up-in-your seat excitement alerting the audience that you’re not just in for another Final Destination…but another good one! It walks that great line of ridiculousness and who gives a sh*t, let’s see more carnage!
I'm never getting LASIK...
There will be plenty of “ooooh”s, “aaaah”s and genuine screams as the characters get decimated in a glorious fashion. The real beauty of Final Destination is that the movie sets up each accident. You can see the deaths coming from a mile away and do nothing but tense up as you watch it unfold. But this time, the filmmakers play with you a lot more and there are some tricks that you just don’t expect! Oh, did I mention this is in 3D? Yes, the last one was 3D too, but this is the best 3D horror film yet (I know that’s not saying much). We all know that 3D is a gimmick but what better way to exploit that gimmick than by shoving pointy things in your face. Well Final Destination 5 shoves pointy things in your face through some body’s dying carcass. You will be covering your eyes, turning away from the screen or trying to push away whatever is flying at you in 3D but you won’t want to take off your glasses because you’ll be having too much of a good time.
Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Arlen Escarpeta and Miles Fisher in Final Destination 5
There are a couple of familiar faces like David Koechner (what? I know…), Courtney B. Vance (again, get yourself a better agent) and the great Tony Todd who reprises his role as Mr. Bludworth! But for the most part, the cast is a bunch of fresh faced teens. The “Lucky” 8 who escaped included 3 girls and 5 guys. There’s Sam and his girlfriend Mol (Emma Bell), Sam’s best bud Pete (Miles Fisher) and his girlfriend Candice (Ellen Wroe), hot rocker chick Olivia (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), hilarious playa playa Isaac (P.J. Byrne), abused college grad Nathan (Arlen Escarpeta) and their boss Dennis (David Koechner). Who do you think dies first? Whoever it is, his or her deaths are my favorite. How sadistic is that? Which death is your favorite?
Tony Todd is back!
I have to admit, I am a fan of the series and it is a guilty pleasure of mine. However, this one actually lifted the bar back up for the franchise…it was on a downhill slope but they put some time and effort thinking of an actual story, creative ways to kill their cast and solid production in the directing and visual effects. There were only two points in which the movie had some downtime but that was just enough to let you catch your breath and maybe go get some more popcorn. Other than that, you will be tensed up in your seat holding on to the person next to you for dear life. Also, there’s a nice touch at the end as well as a montage of all the previous movies. If they ended the series now, it would be on a high note but there will never be a Final Final Destination, right? “You all just stay safe now…”
Tags: Arlen Escarpeta, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner, Ellen Wroe, Emma Bell, Final Destination 5, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Miles Fisher, Nicholas D'Agosto, P.J. Byrne, Tony Todd
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
