| The Final Destination |
| Director: David R. Ellis Writer: Eric Bress Staring: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano, Haley Webb, Mykelti Williamson, Krista Allen Released: 8/28/2009 Rating: R Studio: New Line Web Site: www.thefinaldestinationmovie.com |
| *******WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS******* I really wanted to like this movie. Being a fan of the first two films I was hoping this would return the franchise to what made it great. Nope. Now I must admit I did not see it in 3D. Had I seen it that way it might have helped, not much, but it couldn’t have hurt. What made the first films good was that they were cleverly written and believable, albeit far fetched, they “could” happen. The characters were relatable and I actually cared weather they lived or died. Not the case at all in this film. It has become apparent to me that what the series is missing is the original writer Jeffery Reddick. A good horror film has at lest one person you can root for. Weather you are rooting for if they live or die doesn’t matter as long as your rooting. In The Final Destination I didn’t care what happened to anyone. It’s not that the acting was that bad but there is only so much you can do with poorly written conversations. None of it seemed believable and it all sounded forced. When the main characters tried to get philosophical it was, well, just comical. The group on friends felt more like strangers that were forced to be together. And everyone was just a bland stereotype. It’s a final destination movie so you know they will all die. Normally this fact might cheer me up, especially with these characters. However the deaths were so ridiculous and with not much pay off. They did nothing to help me care. Whoever wrote these scenes must have been playing “Mouse Trap”. Take this for example. A construction worker sets his glasses down and the sunlight is focused thru them to light a pile of saw dust on fire. Then a wind comes up and blows a tarp down. As it’s falling, an eye-let catches the on switch of an industrial fan. The fan blows a cart of flammables toward the fire. I mean come on, really!? Then someone thought it might add to the tension by having these crazy set ups with NO pay off. That made things just frustrating and disappointing, i.e. the carwash scenario. There were three deaths in the film that did make things worth while. The first was right at the beginning. A very annoying girl get taken out by an airborne tire. Nice and graphic. The second was a fun homage to the first film. While walking across the street someone is talking about Deja-vu and WHAM! Ambulance takes him out. The third, and the best in the film, was death by escalator. This one did in fact make my skin crawl. It was soured by the fact that it didn’t really happen, but at this point I will take what I can get. Other then these two, the deaths were uninspired and overly CGI. Maybe the 3D would have made it less noticeable but with out it, it just looked bad. What also looked bad was that this film was far too bright. Maybe it’ s just a pet peeve but I like my horror to be at night or at least on a cloudy day. The final nail in this poor films coffin was the ending. The, “They made it out alive” trick is a staple for Final Destination. This film couldn’t even get that right. They give us a tag on screen that say two weeks latter. Two weeks dose not suggest any false since of security. It suggests that two weeks have passed. I was waiting for more plot to unfold not for it to end. It left me with the feeling of “That’s it? That’s the end?” Not only that but they chickened out on the gore! When the truck slams into the coffee shop the film cuts to x-ray vision. We get treated to seeing skeletons being mangled. That was a HUGE let down. In closing, The Final Destination is a good film to see on cable with friends so you can have a good laugh. I hope this is The Final Destination. If not, please bring back Jeffery Reddick. Maybe he could give it a new spark. Instead of just doing more of the same. Reviewed by Darkest Jack |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
