Final Destination 5

I was surprised to see a part 5 of this movie franchise, but it was a welcomed one though. And it was with some anticipation that I sat down to watch it.

Initially, the story here in part 5 is the same as in the previous four movies. Despite liking all movies, seen with a reviewer's eyes, the story has been abused a tad too many times now. I mean, seriously, it is just the same story over and over in all 5 movies. But what makes it worthwhile and worth watching is the inventive and cruel ways that people meet their demise at. At least that is it for me, it is what drives me to keep watching these movies. I want to see what ways people die, and I want to see the effects.

If you are a fan of the series, you definitely want to check out part 5 as well, as it is every bit as entertaining as the previous four, and the ways people die in this movie was cool - as in the previous movies as well. And the effects were quite nice, and it had just enough gore to keep most gorehounds well-fed as well.

Despite enjoying the movie and the deaths, five movies cooked on the same broth is just getting too thin. You know the story already before you sit down to watch the movie, it is not a matter of if they die, it is a matter of how they die.

One thing that was awesome in part 5 was the way they made it come full circle with the first original movie. That was a very inventive stroke of genius on the writer's part. Thumbs up for that twist, it was well worth it.

The cast in "Final Destination 5" was pretty good. Again, lots of nicely talented young actors and actresses, and people here did a great job with their roles and bringing their characters out on the screen.

"Final Destination 5" is well worth a watch, if for nothing else, then for the death scenes alone.

The fifth "Final Destination" film is not only a return to form for the franchise, after the previous entry's misstep, but also connects to the rest of the series in a creative way that strengthens the series as a whole.

From the grand opening scene on the bridge to the uniquely creative deaths that will make viewers think twice before scheduling LASIK or acupuncture appointments, "Final Destination 5" returns the series to its roots of being an enjoyable horror franchise with over-the-top deaths.

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.

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.

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. ;)