Final Destination, The

If one goes into a “Final Destination” film expecting an engaging story-line and characters they can connect with, chances are they’re going to leave very pissed off. These movies have one purpose and one purpose only: to showcase elaborate death scenes involving the characters being killed off in gruesome and bizarre ways. It’s a simple approach on the filmmaker’s behalf, but it’s one that has worked throughout four films. There’s no need for character development or complex subplots. As long as there’s a new group of young, good-looking people who’ve cheated death, the movie is already set in motion.

This time, a group of people attending a Nascar event are anxious to witness a crash, unfortunately for them, they get just that…but worse. A series of seemingly impossible events cause a horrific wreck on the track causing massive explosions and loose debris to befall the audience. As if matters couldn’t get worse, the stands begin to collapse thus killing nearly everybody attending the event.

You know the drill. Turns out, the accident was part of young man’s premonition thus he has time to warn his friends and a few others resulting in their avoiding the disaster just in the nick of time. That’s where the fun begins. While the death sequences are far more elaborate than those showcased in the three previous installments, they seem near as shocking. This is primarily because we've learned what to expect from a "Final Destination" movie. Nevertheless, the writers have certainly changed things up a bit. Rather than going straight for the kill, there are a few scenes in particular that throw the viewer off. One that comes to mind takes place in a beauty salon. The scene is extremely elaborate, setting up one hell of a way for the character to die. As it turns out, the entire string of events were only meant to get our hearts pounding. When the character actually meets her demise, the cause is so simple that viewers can't help but laugh.

While the filmmakers attempted a unique approach with the movie by shooting it in a brand new three dimensional technology, it's quite irrelevant to say the least. Sure there are times when the audience may duck when objects appear to be tumbling toward us, but most of the 3D angles take place apart from the scenes we'd rule out as important.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the entire film, however, is the main accident that takes place during the movie’s exposition. The accident does nothing to feed into our fears. Looking back on the disasters that took place in the first three installments, all of them tapped into our fears in one way or another. People are scared of flying, driving and most definitely riding on roller coasters, but how many people have ever even attended a Nascar event?

Though fans of the franchise will find some disappointment, there's still no denying "The Final Destination" is a fun, rollercoaster ride of a horror movie. It's gruesome, funny and contains all the other ingredients we've come to love from this innovative series.