Final Destination 5

Anyone familiar with the Final Destination franchise knows what to expect: hot chicks, the ever-present menace of ordinary objects, and gruesome scenes of graphic death. Well, with Final Destination 5 you get all that, and in incredible 3D! I was initially concerned with the 3D during the opening credits, which feature cast and crew names on panes of glass being shattered by objects from past FD movies complete with showers of CGI blood, where the 3D would be the usual "in your face" gimmick that only makes you flinch. But in the opening bridge scene, the 3D effect dramatically enhances the frightfulness of the dizzying heights of the action and the horrifying dimension of the scene. I mean, I'm deathly afraid of heights but I was riveted.

Otherwise the death scenes were so intense and sudden that I shrieked at first but then found myself and the people around me laughing in relief and self-awareness.

FD fans will get a huge kick out of the final scene, as well as the ending montage of past FD death scenes.

I'm a huge fan of the Final Destination series. They aren't Oscar contenders, but they are certainly quite entertaining. However, after hearing a lot of negative feedback on the 4th FD, I decided not to watch it and hung my head in disappointment. I genuinely thought my favorite deadly franchise had finally bit the dust itself, and in a bad way. But when I heard about this fifth and final Final Destination, I decided to give it one more chance. Because hey, I hadn't been to the theater in awhile and if it sucked I'd at least have a good laugh. But, I am very happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised by Final Destination 5.

The story, as other reviewers have mentioned, really sets FD5 up to good prospects. It feels a lot more like the first FD, much darker without being too complex. I honestly liked the 2nd and 3rd ones a lot, but they were missing the creepy factor that the first installment had. This fifth episode really brings it back. The characters are surprisingly believable. Granted, you have the gratuitous hot chick and ladies man, but the characters never feel contrived or forced. Kudos to the actors for keeping this from being a $5-bin campy horror film.

The effects, even in 2D, were just as I think a film's effects should be: realistic enough to avoid the fake-factor, but not so excessive that they drown out everything else in the film. Yes, one could argue that these movies are all about death, but what always made them different for me from other horrors was the focus on build-up. The FD franchise has it's fans trained to watch for every little thing in a scene that could cause someone's demise until your skin crawls--and FD5 gives the audience this "detective" feeling perfectly.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much out of this movie. However, from the very beginning, I was impressed. A few points of warning: it is very graphic, but anyone who has seen any of the other FD films should know that already. Also, you will not enjoy this film as much if you haven't watched at least the 1st FD, if not the 2nd and 3rd as well. When you factor in the story and characters, the death and mayhem we've all come to love, and one of the best plot twists I've seen this year, FD5 is very worth watching. Go on, have some fun.

But you all just be careful, now. ;)

To say the Final Destination series is a mixed bag would probably be an understatement, as this series has some great moments and truly terrible ones. This film edges out the other ones in the franchise and is probably the second best overall behind Bloodlines.

For one thing, the CG is either good or passable. The disaster sequence at the beginning is well done and has some great kills. Beyond that, the film twists the lore of the franchise to create a more unique ending. A lot happens in the last ten minutes that is both intriguing and weird. I particularly like the ending of this film over the endings of most of the other films, but despite that fact it makes very little sense how it's written.

Final Destination 5 has some of the more creative deaths in the franchise, with some very laugh out loud funny moments to go along with the gore. These movies are best when they are tongue in cheek and self aware, and this one works in that manner for the most part. There is some boring and unnecessary dialogue among the characters, but there are also some who are morally bankrupt and pure evil to mix things up and make the situation more interesting.

Final Destination 5 is a surprisingly decent rebound after the uninspired mess that was Part 4. It's still not that great, but at least it feels like someone behind the scenes actually tried this time.

The opening bridge collapse is intense and well-staged - overall one of the better disaster scenes in the franchise. The character though are unsurprisingly still mostly one-note (it is a Final Destination movie, after all), but the pacing is tighter, the kills are more creative again, and the buildup of tension actually works in most scenes. There's also a little more restraint eith the CGI, and the 3D - while still gimmicky - is used a lot better than in the last one.

Also, without wanting to spoiler anything: The ending has an incredibly clever twist in a way that's genuinely satisfying. It's not enough to make the whole movie great, but it definitely leaves a better impression than expected.

So, I saw FD5 at its midnight release after purchasing my tickets days in advance. Yes, I'm that big of a fan; next to Nightmare on Elm Street, the FD franchise is my favorite. I don't want to make this a long review, but I will sum up my thoughts on this movie in one word… AMAZING! FD 5 is, IMO, the best installment to the franchise, and in some cases, surpasses the original. From start to finish, the movie is full of suspense, tension, excitement, and anticipation. It's enough to keep ME, someone who has followed this movie's production for the past year and knew just about everything about the movie going into it, at the edge of my seat. Yes, I knew who'd die, when they'd die, and how they'd die even before stepping foot into the theater. But, regardless, I wasn't let down one bit. This movie, unlike the others (minus the 1st), succeeded in giving character development. The death scenes were awesome and not too overly fictional, and even managed to throw in a new rule, "kill or be killed." Which gave a breath of fresh air to the almost stale plot that we all know of. The premonition scene is definitely the best of the franchise and the acting was on par. Not Oscar worthy, but definitely believable for what it is. I just can't say enough how great this movie is. Now I won't spoil anything for anyone, but the ending was EPIC! Words can't describe how amazing it was. Steven Quale did wonders with the use of 3D as well. Should it be seen in 3D…? YES! The film was shot in 3D and Quale knew when to emphasize the use of it without shoving it in our faces (except for the extra long title sequence, and credits). Anyways, while I loved this movie and everything about it, it did have a few things about it that underwhelmed me. The use of CGI blood was a bit more than I wanted, and at some points did look a bit fake. Also, some parts of the film were a bit too comedic. The comedic level should have been toned down for a particular scene (I'm looking at YOU, Issac.) Other than that, the movie was fantastic and an excellent installment into the FD family. I really recommend this movie, but only to those at least knowing what they are getting themselves into.