Okay, stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a group of people finds themselves on a bus, one of them has a vision of disaster and begs them to get off the bus, some leave, some stay, disaster occurs, they all die … but they don’t really because it was just a warning that gets replayed in real life, and the survivors have cheated death. Except Death always wants what it was supposed to have and they all begin to die, one-by-one, under mysterious and bizarre circumstances. Yes, if you’ve seen any of the Final Destination movies, you know the plot. The first movie’s set-up featured an airplane disaster, the second was a spectacular multiple vehicle accident, the third was a rollercoaster and the fourth took place at a race track. Now we have a bus and a bridge. In 3D!
We had a post here a while back about the regretful use of 3D in just about every movie that comes out nowadays, and I argued in the comments that in the right hands and used properly, 3D can enhance a movie immeasurably. In the case of Final Destination 5, the only way you should see this movie is in 3D (yes, it’s real 3D and not some sloppy conversion). You want to see metal rods practically poking you in the eye (after they’ve just poked someone’s eye out on screen)? You get that and more. It’s quite graphic with gallons of blood practically dripping off of your 3D glasses, but it’s all pretty comical as well (not that death is funny, but these movies are all about how creative each death can be).
The cast, from young stars Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell and Miles Fisher to seasoned vets David Koechner and Courtney B. Vance, acquit themselves well for this type of movie. It’s certainly not a movie you go to for the acting, but they all manage to bring some gravitas to their roles. It’s also great to see Tony Todd reprising his role once again as the coroner who seems to know much more about what’s going on than he let’s on, and this time out he even manages to impart some new information on how those who cheated death once can actually cheat death a second time.
The special effects, from the spectacular bridge collapse to the final moment are awesome and look even better in 3D. If you have a serious fear of heights (or bridges), you really feel like you’re looking forty feet down into a river. Director Steven Quale certainly knows his way around a 3D shoot having worked with James Cameron on Aliens of the Deep and Avatar. The script by Eric Heisser and Jeffrey Reddick keeps things moving along at a brisk pace and they’ve managed to uphold the tradition of giving characters last names associated with famous genre directors like Castle, Friedkin and Hooper this time around. Besides the new twist mentioned above, the final moments of the film will definitely blow the minds of long-time fans of the series.
Let’s be honest here … Final Destination 5 is not meant to be anything but pure entertainment. It’s not going for any awards glory (at least not mainstream awards), but it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. I had the best time at the screening with an audience that was fully engaged by the movie. I expected a lot of chatter during the film, but they were generally quiet, on edge, waiting for the next victim to fall. It’s great to share that experience with a crowd; to scream, to laugh, to gasp, to jump all at the same time. Final Destination 5 will never be considered a “great” movie, but it delivers some great entertainment and that’s all you can ask for.
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Aug 12, 2011 @ 00:05 EST5EDT
