FINAL DESTINATION 5 is much better than any horror franchise with the number 5 in it has any right to be. In fact, it may just be the best horror film since 2009’s HOUSE OF THE DEVIL. It’s easily one of the most suspenseful films I’ve seen in some time. The plot, for those of you still unfamiliar with the franchise, involves a young man who has a vision of a horrible accident. This protagonist is able to get several people out of harm’s way. In this case, it’s a bridge collapse and the young man is Sam. Death begins picking off the survivors one by one through complex, Rube Goldberg-esque setups. In FINAL DESTINATION 5, the survivors also learn that if they kill someone, they get to live out however long that person would have had left.
The key point of these films is the setup. The climatic disaster is incredibly riveting, and makes good use of 3D. Death sets traps in such a way that you never know if the character is going to die, or how it will happen. The first two traps in particular are riveting and incredibly suspenseful. These are more brutal and intense than any others in the franchise.
When the film dwells on the characters for too long though, the movie starts to drag. Sam and his girlfriend go through far too many scenes of break-ups and getting back together. Sam’s friend Nathan has a character arc that’s bland and somewhat unbelievable. The pre-accident scene sets up characters so quickly that it forces them upon the audience.
Overall these are small issues and only slightly mar an otherwise good film. Horror buffs like myself have no excuse not to check this one out. While there shouldn’t be any problem for people who haven’t seen the previous films, there are a couple fun winks to the franchise’s past.
4 out of 5 stars
The producers have brought the franchise back to basics with more gruesome deaths and a twist that will have the audience wanting more from the series. However, as fun as the death scenes are, everything else feels tedious and cheesy. Good Review! Check out mine when you can!
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