User Reviews

Final Destination, when it was first released in the year 2000, was my favourite film for a number of years, so I've made a point of seeing all of the sequels. Very few film series get this privilege on my part (Saw and Paranormal Activity are some of the few that come to mind for me). And if there's one thing I've learnt along the way from the Final Destination films, it's that there isn't a lot of areas to continue to be creative in. In fact for me the only interchangeable area is really how the characters die. And fortunately that's been enough to keep some of us coming back.

So was Final Destination 5 inventive enough with the death scenes? Not in my opinion no. It all felt very 'seen it all before' and while they were able to shock us occasionally with the resulting method of death, there still wasn't enough surprise there.

I think Final Destination 5 needs to be the last film in the series. And not just because it's all getting a bit stale, but also because it was a really good way to wrap it up. At the end of the film we are treated to a twist that the whole film was in fact a prequel to the first Final Destination. And no they didn't cheat, there were indeed hints to it throughout the film. This was a nice touch and would mean that the fourth film in the series 'The Final Destination' was actually still somewhat true to its title. A really great series that I will remember for a long time, I just hope it stops here.

Death is just as omnipresent as ever and is unleashed after one man's premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death's sinister agenda. - - (C) Warner Bros

If you're going in to see FD5, it's because you know what you're expecting. Although I'm a fan of the series, I'll admit it did show its staleness after FD2, which is arguably the series' high point. As expected, the formula hasn't changed, although there are a few new tweaks here, the main one including the addition that the survivors can now kill someone to take their life and maybe, just maybe, escape Death's clutches. It's interesting to note that this new twist is the opposite of what was offered in FD2, in which new life can defeat Death, but taking life is much more readily apparent and dramatic than creating new life. Not only do they have to worry about Death, but they also have to worry about what they are willing to do to survive, which provides some very tense external conflict between the characters.

As you guys might have figured out from the above, yes, FD5 has a plot this time around. There's also an unexpected ending that you will make you go OMG or WTF, if it isn't already spoiled to you, of course. It's also good to know that Eric Heisserer's tight script devotes some time to the survivors that are getting picked off. You start to feel for them as they are about to die. As much as I'm thankful for this, it's obvious that people still see these films for the opening disaster and death sequences, and they do not disappoint. Without spoiling anything, the opening bridge disaster is a nasty piece of work, utilizing the 3D to the fullest extent. I'm a huge horror fan, but even I found it very hard to watch, jerking my hands back as each character is killed off in grisly ways. Without a doubt, it's the best opening disaster since FD2.

And the death scenes. Wow. They are disturbing, funny, and shocking and sometimes all at the same time. This is because newcomer director Steven Quale plays with the audience's expectations. He lays out so many things that can kill off a character in a certain scene and when you think this sharp object will impale them, they die in a completely different way. The build up is what makes these films fun to watch (apart from the last one). I also liked the fact that this film returned to the original film's serious roots, which isn't to say that it takes itself too seriously because there's an underlying sense of dark humor that's strangely entertaining and self-aware of itself.

The ensemble cast is a mixed bag for sure. Our protagonist, Nicholas D'Agosto, doesn't really live up to his character's dramatic arc. He seems to overact his lines although he was much better in the second half. Emma Bell is a bit better although she wasn't as good as she was in FROZEN. Miles Fisher also doesn't live up to his character's internal struggle when giving off a whiny performance. However, the other supporting castmembers are quite good, including Ellen Wroe, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, and Arlen Escarpeta. P.J. Byrne, in particular, is someone you should look out for, providing some of the film's biggest laughs, playing a character you just love to hate. David Koechner also provides some great laughs. I was disappointed with Courtney B. Vance though because he had little to do. Tony Todd is back since he was last seen in FD2 and he's like the American version of Snape (from Harry Potter). I love the way he delivers his lines with one...word...at...a...time.

Visually, the film has some above average production values. As said before, the bridge sequence is like something from a $100 million budgeted action flick. The 3D is the best that has been offered so far this year, which comes to no surprise seeing that Quale has worked with James Cameron on AVATAR. Even from the film's ingenious and original opening credits, we have shards of glass, knives, bodies, and blood flying at us in amazing sharpness. Yet the 3D gimmick can only go so far, and Quale knows that so he doesn't overdo it by providing us with scenes of depth. Honestly, it's the best of both worlds. The soundtrack by Brian Tyler is great as well and is definitely different from the previous entries.

All in all, FD5 brings unexpected new life to the dying franchise. The plot is handled well and most of the performances are good. If anything, this sequel proves that with new blood working behind the scenes can come a refreshing film. If you want to see the film, by all means see it in 3D because it is worth every penny. FD5 is shocking, entertaining, suspenseful, funny, disturbing, and is probably as good as FD2. It seems to be a good year for 5's (FAST FIVE included).

I had low expectations when I entered the theater to see the 5th installment of the FD series, because the 4th movie was such a disappointment. But after watching it, I was surprised.

First off,this movie was way,( and I mean), way better then the last two movies were. It was darker and had a lot of elements from the first movie, which I loved. I don't want to give away too much, but I do want to say that the last scene of the movie will leave you speechless. It had me thinking, "OMG, that was AMAZING how they came up with that twist."

One last thing I loved about this movie was that it was well planned out and thought of, unlike the forth movie which was a joke and in my opinion, shouldn't have never been made. The deaths weren't rushed as opposed to the deaths in the forth movie, and it gave more screen time to introduce us to the characters.

Note: I will say that there is one death scene in the movie that I didn't see coming, besides the ending.

I recommend you see this movie. It might have the same theme as the first four movies, but unlike the first four, it's on a much higher scale.

It goes for a darker edge and leaves out the comedy of the previous instalments. This results in a lot more character development. A lot more for a Final Destination movie that is. The survivors seem to actually care about living, which at least gives us some connection as an audience. Unfortunately it lacks in the kills department. It sets up these elaborate death sequences on cartoon proportions, but decides to suddenly throw in something you didn't see coming. Usually this is something dull, like falling down or something falling on them. It kind of makes it an anticlimax. Again it tries to add a new rule to the franchise, where killing people adds their life to yours. Some kills are fun, but I actually stopped caring about how they were going to die. The only death that had me flinching was the gymnastic scene. The acting was fairly credible, but with so many deaths I still think people would act differently, possibly manic. Saw a little bit of this with the Christian Bale/Tom Cruise crossbreed guy. If you still want more after the last four, by all means you should see this.

Final Destination 5 is the same movie you may have seen four times prior and of course if you have not then don't bother (with the exception of the very first film).

FD5 brings one new minor plot device to the series, kill or be killed, but this isn't nearly enough to distract the viewer from the fact every other sequence of events unfolds exactly as they have in the previous films. The acting here isn't anything special at all and the film is so predictable the only thing you're watching it for is how people die. If you're a gore-hound I could see you having some enjoyment from this film but otherwise skip it.

Final Destination has not been reinvigorated with new life, it has no promising future, and at this point it is simply being created because it can be "milked" for a decent profit.

Steven Quale was the second unit director of Titanic and Avatar before getting to make his own movies. He jumped into the Final Destination franchise, which had by now pretty much done it all when it came to brutally wiping teenagers out of existence. He was joined by Eric Heisserer, who wrote the remakes of A Nightmare On Elm Street and The Thing, as well as Lights Out, Arrival and Bird Box.

They did what had never been done. They made a prequel instead of another story.

Sam Lawton is about to cross the North Bay Bridge when he sees the bridge collapsing and only his ex-girlfriend Milly Harper surviving. So he keeps everyone off the bridge, which soon collapses. In case you haven't seen any of these films before, Death will make them all wish they had just become ex-people then.

Luckily, Tony Todd is back as Bludworth. He takes a more involved role this time, telling the survivors that if they wish to live, they should kill someone who was never meant to die on the bridge.

Only Molly and Sam survive and they go to Paris together. Of course, they board Flight 180 and...we're right back to the first movie.

Another major part of these films is the references to horror personalities. The fifth film references William Friedkin, Tobe Hooper and William Castle.

Well, that was five movies from one franchise in a few days. We did it! We made it! Oh no, the computer is glowing! Instead of seeing my death coming, I'm just going to take whatever comes next. I've learned so much from these movies. Good bye, readers!

After the train wreck that was The Final Destination, it's nice to see they've returned to their roots - so to speak. The deaths were thrilling and creative, and the story was very suspenseful (both key ingredients for any good thriller/horror movie franchise).

I also admire how the directors and producers tied the current events into previous ones; the logging truck at the beginning, the plane at the end, the ticket that reads "flight 180". For any long-standing fan of the movie anthology, it's a must-see that can be splurged over and over again with all the blood, guts and gore you could ever want.

Enjoyable, thrilling and a great surprise ending for original fans.

Warning, spoilers MIGHT be ahead. The "Final Destination" franchise began going downhill rapidly from the third movie. But, will the fifth movie help the franchise go back up or will it continue going downhill fast? I saw this movie about a month ago, and I must say that, in my opinion, this is the most brutal, the most gruesome, and the most clever movie of the entire franchise. It has many well-thought out death scenes, and one death scene in the movie made me cringe and look away, and trust me, I watched A LOT of slasher/gornography films. One of the most famous scene is the lasik surgery which I thought was pretty good. I'm not going to spoil it for you. First off, this movie has a very interesting plot line. As you heard from the trailer, you know the new death rule, and I think it is pretty clever. But, why didn't Bludworth tell it to the others? Hmmm...? Second of all, the characters are very very relatable. You can actually tell if one hates the other, and one is friends with the other for a long time. Plus, you will also feel bad if one character dies. You will actually say "Oh, why did he/she die? NOOO!" Not just a typical "Oh, he/she died. Who's next?". The acting is very impressive, hence the professional and experienced actors. I think this is one of the reasons why this movie made it to my highest rank of the "Final Destination" franchise. Third, what is this franchise famous of? Exactly, the unique death scenes that happens from the materials/places we see/go to everyday. There are some death scenes here that are very gruesome that if I picture it, I either cringe or smile on how good the death scenes are. One death scene made it to my top 15 most brutal death scenes I have ever seen. Some of you might know it, some of you might not. One thing for sure is, you will know it when you see the movie in August. Lastly, the ending of the whole movie. The ending that made me gasp and left my jaw dropped open for the rest of the movie. It is a pity that many people know it already and spoiled it for everyone, because thy will not be as surprised as everybody on the screening when we reached the ending of the movie. All I gotta tell you is re-watch the whole franchise and soak in every scene you see.. :) So, this review might not be as long as you want it, or as detailed as you hoped for. But, all I have to say is watch the movie. It is way worth your money and your time.

I'm a certified EMT-B and trained as a Medic with the United States Army. I don't say that to try and "impress" some anonymous face on the internet, I say that because I think my training may have ruined this movie for me.

*SPOILER* The first death (after the initial catastrophe) is a girl, about 100-120 lbs, falling no more than 6-7 feet onto a padded floor, and ending up with a compound fracture of her everything. Seriously? Even being generous, the most she'd get is a c-spine injury resulting in a less-than spectacular death caused by her spinal cord being severed. I get that's not a very glamorous death scene, and that the audience needs a lot of gore to be "impressed", but the way her body was contorted and pulverized left me sitting in my seat resisting the urge to shout "THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN!" and pissing off the other movie goers. */SPOILER*

I'll spare everyone any further spoilers since, well, there's just too much to count. I can still say, though, that the rest of the death's, including the original catastrophe, were mostly just like the one I described in respect to unrealistic body mechanics. It's as if everyone in the universe of Final Destination is naturally born more fragile than those from our own Universe, and to be honest that ruined the sense of immersion I got from earlier movies.

It's still a very intriguing concept, and the ending really threw me off and made an impression that I liked. However, the previous movie, named "The Final Destination", I thought named that way to indicate that it's the final movie in the franchise, completely prepared me for the end of that franchise. The fact that they're still making movies, and hinting that there will be more, mixed with the poor body mechanics, saddens me. They might as well be milking it for all it's worth when it should have, and, in my mind, as an initial fan, WAS ended.