Review of Final Destination 5

It's nice to see Tony Todd back again. 'Final Destination 5 (2011)' is a surprisingly solid 'final' entry. Despite its initial insistence on lacklustre CGI and repetitive choreography in one of the less exciting openers in its series, the film eventually settles into itself and provides a string of gleefully gory set-pieces each more disquieting than the last. It's probably the gooiest film in the franchise, with an almost cruel focus on its violence that remains painful despite its utter absurdity and the jet-black humour that acts as an undercurrent to the overall affair. There's even less of a narrative this time around, with the flick constantly feeing as though it just wants to sate its insatiable bloodlust. However, there are some nice wrinkles in the formula, primarily when it comes to the picture's superbly subversive final act that puts the human element back into its typically inhuman threat. Its twist ending is also really enjoyable, even if it's slightly inconsequential on the whole. There are flaws with the flick, though. Firstly, it has pretty much no atmosphere. It looks like a gory version of a midday sitcom, and it feels like one on occasion. Seriously, it swaps unsettling horror for broad humour at times, especially during its opening. The acting also leaves something to be desired, and the central couple have no chemistry whatsoever. Seriously, it's almost like the actors are cousins or something; when they awkwardly share a kiss, it's more painful than any of the deaths in the series. On top of all that, the story does nothing to differentiate itself from its predecessors, which would be fine if it also didn't decide to stall around the time when its protagonist is supposed to start planning how to save his friends and instead have him remain pretty clueless throughout. Thankfully, the set-pieces are really good in general and there's still a silly charm to the whole thing. It's better than its immediate predecessor, but worse than the first three entries in its series. Still, they're all about as good as each other. It's a decent effort.