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The Final Destination (2009)
Tags: (26 votes)
Rating #:
7/10
Director:
David R. Ellis
Runtime:
82 minutes
Cast:
Shantel VanSanten, Bobby Campo, Haley Webb, Nick Zano, Krista Allen, Andy Fiscella, Justin Welborn, Mykelti Williamson, Richard T. Jones By now I think just about every genre fan is familiar with, or at least should be familiar with the Final Destination series. The first and arguably the best in the series was a breath of fresh air in the late Scream/I Know What You Did Last Summer era. Granted it doesn't take much to surpass those films but it was still nice to get something different. Apparently I wasn't the only fan as the movie generated two sequels, well three now, and both were enjoyable. I will admit I like the 2nd the most in the series for the creative and jaw dropping death sequences. They really out did themselves in that one and unfortunately the 3rd film was a bit of a letdown in comparison. That being said, when word that the fourth installment was to have the same director as FD2, I was pleased. Being the fourth film in the franchise I knew better than to expect a whole lot, but I headed out to the theater in hopes of seeing and enjoyable flick anyways, and that's exactly what I got.
As everyone knows the Final destination series is formulaic and always starts with some sort of horrible accident, resulting in the deaths of the small group of people, whom are usually all friends. The same holds true this time around, a group of friends, a trip to the race track, and a nice healthy dose of death! To be completely honest I knew I wouldn't be getting anything as spectacular as the freeway scene in the 2nd, but had high hopes they'd one up the lackluster roller coaster incident from the 3rd. Luckily they did just that, and made good use of the 3D to boot. The audience gets treated too some pretty sweet deaths involving flying debris to the body, people being impaled by various means, and some underwhelming crushing scenes. I am sure there is a way to make 5,000lbs of concrete falling on someone pretty gory, but no, not here. Making matters 
worse, the same kind of death scene is unwisely reused later in the film. Beyond that, the opening calamity delivers the goods and had the all the people around me cheering.Like in the previous films there is one person (Nick O'bannon) who see's the events unfold before they actually occur. Naturally Nick flips out and starts prophesying about the immanent doom on its way to claim all of them. His friends and girlfriend are skeptical as usual, but they all end up leaving the race anyways, and the horrendous accident ensues right on cue. From here on out the story is pretty thin and everyone immediately catches on to the fact death is hunting them, thanks to a Google search. I wasn't too thrilled with that weak setup, but since we've all been down that road many times before it's excusable.. After the startling Google discovery, Nick and his girlfriend Lori are on a mission to alert the others and attempt self rescue. As expected one or two of the survivors
are believers and try to help the couple and themselves, but others refuse to believe the Grim Reaper is out to get them. Their mistake is our gain though!!Like I said the plot really isn’t developed a whole hell of a lot, instead we get a small group of fairly likable characters and a fast pace. The movie does a good job supplying brutalized bodies for the bonfire of death. Sporting some well timed and somewhat comical deaths, like a stone through the eye, and the token racist getting a dose of his own medicine, where they made pretty good use of a tow truck and fire. A few of the deaths were pretty bland and downright cheap, showing zero flair and less gore. The car-wash scene is also a mixed bag in my mind, being both cool and a waste simultaneously. Most of the kills come at you fast and furious, delivering in your face gross outs and gore, thanks to the wicked 3D effects. The 3D itself stole the show
and was very effective. They used it pretty frequently and it really benefited the film, especially in the film’s best scene involving an Escalator at the mall.From a technical side the films was solid, a bit restrained, but there was still enough flair to make it work. The music was completely passable as was much of the acting, it was no worse than the stuff in FD3 though. The real star of this film is the 3D, and it deserves as much credit as I can give it. Things come at you from different angles, often with sharp objects and blood-soaked bodies staring you right in the face. Everything in the realm of 3D chaos was F'n sweet and is definitely worth the price of admission. I have to admit that if this film wasn't in 3D it would have been a little underwhelming, and I would score it lower since the story and characterization basically got pitched. However if you're just looking for a good time at the movies this week I’d definitely seek out the 3D awesomeness that is 'The Final Destination'.
Final Destination 4 isn't the best in the series but it sure is a lot of fun. Gone is much of the mystery and build up of its predecessors, but brand new 3D technology and a high body count serve as ample replacements. If you find joy in a brisk pace, campy humor, and people being ground out by an unseen menace, I think you'll be pleased, I was.
| Posted on September 2, 2009 - 6:44pm | steelba |
Dates are tentative and subject to change.
- Tue, February 14, 2012 (DVD)
- Tue, February 14, 2012 (DVD)
- Tue, February 14, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, February 17, 2012
- Tue, February 21, 2012 (DVD)
- Tue, February 28, 2012 (DVD)
- Tue, February 28, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, March 2, 2012 (VOD)
- Tue, March 6, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, March 9, 2012
- Sat, March 17, 2012 (SyFy)
- Tue, March 20, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, March 30, 2012
- Tue, April 3, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, April 6, 2012 (Limited)
- Tue, April 10, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, April 13, 2012 (Chiller)
- Fri, April 13, 2012
- Tue, April 17, 2012
- Tue, April 17, 2012 (DVD)
- Tue, April 17, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, April 20, 2012 (Limited)
- Fri, April 20, 2012
- Tue, April 24, 2012 (DVD)
- Tue, April 24, 2012
- Fri, April 27, 2012
- Fri, April 27, 2012
- Fri, May 4, 2012 (VOD)
- Fri, May 11, 2012
- Fri, June 8, 2012
- Tue, June 12, 2012 (DVD)
- Fri, June 22, 2012
- Fri, August 17, 2012
- Fri, August 24, 2012
- Fri, August 24, 2012
- Fri, August 31, 2012
- Fri, August 31, 2012
- Fri, September 14, 2012
- Fri, September 21, 2012
- Fri, October 5, 2012
- Fri, October 19, 2012
- Fri, October 26, 2012
- Fri, December 21, 2012
- Fri, January 11, 2013
- Fri, February 1, 2013
- Fri, February 15, 2013
- Fri, February 22, 2013
- Fri, April 12, 2013
- Fri, May 10, 2013
- Fri, June 28, 2013
story not of the best
very nice effects
i hope this is the last one
This was the worse movie of the series. The movie tried much too hard to be like the brilliant first 3. This movie had extremely predictable deaths and without the 3D was totally lame. The trailer showed us everything that was going to happen. It moved along too quickly and clustered all the death scenes too close together. The movie tried too hard to make the 3D entertaining when even in the 2D version. The effects looked extremly fake and looked like it only took 4 minutes to make. The attempts at suspense were really sad. "Oh my god, a can of hairspray exploded and knocked a fan over, that was a close one." Honestly this was the worse installment of any series EVER MADE! The deaths in this movie cannot compare to the previous movie. Nothing in this movie lived up to the third installment or to any of them for that matter. There is also nothing frightening enough about this movie. An airplane explosion (everday use of transportation), A car accident(everyday use of transportation), A rollercoaster accident(an typically amusing experience) but how often do u hear people talking about how excited the nascar is? The only thing good in this movie was the acting and the Escalator scene, other than that there shouldn't be a movie.
This was the worse movie of the series. The movie tried much too hard to be like the brilliant first 3. This movie had extremely predictable deaths and without the 3D was totally lame. The trailer showed us everything that was going to happen. It moved along too quickly and clustered all the death scenes too close together. The movie tried too hard to make the 3D entertaining when even in the 2D version. The effects looked extremly fake and looked like it only took 4 minutes to make. The attempts at suspense were really sad. "Oh my god, a can of hairspray exploded and knocked a fan over, that was a close one." Honestly this was the worse installment of any series EVER MADE! The deaths in this movie cannot compare to the previous movie. Nothing in this movie lived up to the third installment or to any of them for that matter. There is also nothing frightening enough about this movie. An airplane explosion (everday use of transportation), A car accident(everyday use of transportation), A rollercoaster accident(an typically amusing experience) but how often do u hear people talking about how excited the nascar is? The only thing good in this movie was the acting and the Escalator scene, other than that there shouldn't be a movie.
......says the intentional posterboy for NAMBLA... dude, get that fruity avatar away, before victor salva tracks your IP address and tries to buy you a teddy bear.
Let me save evryone a lot of time here:
(What a waste of time + a waste of $11.50)
I will have to unfortunately say that this is by far the weakest entry of the series, the most predictable, corny and even the 3D technology wasn't that great and I think they have alot of room for improvement on the 3D technology because it's just underwhelming alot of the times, make it intense! I thought the characters were ok and weren't that annoying and were pretty likable but the acting wasn't that great either. The kills this time around weren't that impressive at all and were predictable and the special effects is the weakest of all movies and it's a shame that they didn't really embrace the 3D technology and it's pathetic that the 3D part didn't do it justice and make it rise above the other sequels and it still ended up being the under performer. This is the hugest disappointment of the summer to me because it makes me lose faith in the series and if this is the closure of the series it definitely didn't go out with a bang by any means. The only thing it still kind of has is that entertaining, fun charm about it that the other ones had too but it's definitely fading away and it's just becoming pointless and not worth your time. Wait for rental!
This movie was a freakin trainwreck. Absolute worst of the four FDs hands down. Part 1 had a good authentic overall feel to it. Ali Larter and Devon Sawa played their parts well and you kinda gave a crap about their characters. Part 2 may not have been as good, but the deaths were pretty decent. Who could forget the elevator decapitation and Kat being impaled in her SUV?Even the clashing of Kat and Rory's characters was convincing. Part 3 may not have been a 10 star movie either but again the deaths were kinda awesome(tanning bed scene will never be forgotten) and the actors seemed to be giving some kind of effort. Part 4 had absolutely no kills that were worth mentioning once the movie was over and the acting was almost too embarassing to watch.And there was absolutely no time given to grow attachment to the chracters.The ex-alchoholic in the movie inspired more sympathy than the 2 main chracters.The fact that it was in 3D didn't add to it either.It was just crap closer to your face. In my book, The Final Destination was a huge disappointment.
I agree with u...Didn't like those actors and actresses...they are not very convincing at all...I like the 3d thing..the death scenes are superb but the story is same old same old thing... let me say that FD 4 is better than the two and 3 but the FD1 is still the best among the FD....
Agree with most of your review. Was fun and campy and better than I expected. 3-D FX were great. I gave it a 6 though just because it wasn't as frightening as the others...still a fun watch.
my wife and i are fans of this series and knew what to expect going in so we really enjoyed the final destination. great 3-D effects and some interesting kills and little in jokes for horror movie buffs. as for character development you don't really expect that form this kind of movie, the actors are pretty much cannon foder. in the theater i was in people where bringing there kids to this and then complaining to the management about the film. it isn't there fault your a crappy parent! like i said it was good for what it was, a good 3-D film with a little fun thrown in. just grab some popcorn and enjoy!!
i don't understand how people can take a child to a horror movie and then complain about the violence...the kind of person who takes a young person to such a movie (where the violence and grisly deaths are the key ingredients) should have to pay more if they want to drag a child along with em. the ratings are readily available; the previews spell out what happens, and there are 3 predescessors as a point of reference as to what the movie is about.
and the irony behind it all, is that the kind of people who are dumb enough to take young ones to horror movies, are the same kind of people who expose their young to violence at an early age in their own goddamn homes anyways!
think about it...If anyone is THAT stupid, or that much of a beggar, and in turn wants to roast some poor teen at the theater to try and get a refund, then they deserve the punishment they paid for...and...their scumbag offspring will likely be just like them anyway, so it's a moot point...THAT guy is the same guy who barters food stamps for pills or smack...fuck man, that's why he wanted his money back. that kind of person gets pissed at himmself just for paying for anything at all.
I saw it the day it came out, I thought it was alright. Like I thought it was so obvious on what would happen next and it was not as good as everyone made it to be.
This movie was decent. It doesn't pretend to be anything more than a fun-filled flick. I was entertained throughout and enjoyed most of the death scenes. It's obvious that the movie doesn't take itself too seriously (the ending was made for pure laughs) and people shouldn't expect a serious flick like the first one. Overall, this was fun with not much substance.
wolfdog27, are u serious!! You really think FD4 was better than FD3!? No, no, it was not, not at all. There was so many things horrific about FD4. The acting was horrible, obviously the casting director just threw unknown people with pretty faces in front of the camera, beside Krista Allen, Nick Zano and Mykelti Williamson they did a good job. Also the deaths in FD4 were not good, they recycled a lot of them from the pervious films. All around it wasn’t a great movie. In FD3 they had unknown actors but there acting was really good and it was a lot of character development.
I'm not trying to be an ass, It just baffles me when people say that FD4 was better than FD3.
FD3 was forgettable on a good day. It baffles me that any FD fan would consider character development and acting. Most horror movie actors are no-names; if you like Tarantino then go watch dialogue on a screen for 2 hours. Watch your copy of FD3 again. No, the 3d version was not great, but it was very watchable, and, FD3 really, really sucked
Sorry about upsetting you with my opinion. I am just expressing how I felt about fd4. You have your opinion and I have mine. Not everyone is going to see the same film in the same way.
Better than the third movie, but still not the best. The film makers should not just focused on 3d too much.The death scenes were okay, but they could of done better at developing the characters. If the characters were better developed, I would liked this movie better. I do not think it was 100 percent the acting, but how awful the script was writen. Personally, the first two were great but hopefully this will be the last film as it seems like they are running low on ideas of making a great final destination film. However, I did like the mall scene though but just wish they made the characters interesting.
As a hardened fan of the FD series, I can happily say I was genuinely let down by this dismal last effort.
The acting from some of our main characters was poor (Bobby campo looked pepped up on drugs), there was not enough time to get to know the characters enough to like them, and it was so damn fast movin' if you'd have blinked you would have missed it
The majority of the deaths were pretty poor and lacked imagination, with what seemed like a lot of people either getting crushed or blown up, and the end felt like a cop out! It even felt like some of the deaths were just re-worked from their predecessors.
All in all a complete waste of my time and a real sad end to what was an exciting franchise.
This was the worst film i have seen for along time. My friends made me watch this over Halloween 2 because they thought it would be a 'fun' film to watch. Even they thought it was bad. It made F3 look brilliant. The 3D wasnt as good as my bloody valentine and the plot was shite.
There is no way this film should have a seven star rating. It has killed the final destination series. Im not sure what i expected from this film but i got nothing from it. The deaths were the worst in the series and the 3D distracted from them. The whole film looked like a cheap straight to DVD film on the same level as Urban Legend Blood Mary only with more money spent on it. The film did not flow and it ended without a climax to it. I have honestly never left the cinema thinking i have wasted my time and money before.
The plot is the same in every FD movie...A fan of the franchise ought to know what to expect from such a movie. You didn't just waste your time and money; you wasted it 4 times...good stuff
nope didn't waste my money, i enjoyed the first 3 films and own them. for me the 4th film just didnt work like the others.
i don't own any of them. i remember liking them though. since you're a fan, i'm sure you had big expectations. i didn't, but if i had big expectations the movie would have been deflating to me; the way F13 was incredibly disappointing when i saw it in the theater...i can see where you're coming from
gotta check this out this weekend
im a huge fan of final destination keep them coming.ps this movie was the fucking shit.
Wasn't a big fan of this one. Aside from the opening scene there was nothing innovative or interesting about the filmmaking style. Very standard and flat. Since 3D started coming around my biggest fear was that the filmmakers would be so preoccupied with the 3D effects that they would get lazy in every other aspect and I think that's what happened here. Really dissapointed me coming from the guys who made the mean spirited and campy second installment. Horrible acting and atrocious dialogue as well.
Wow Steelba, I wouldn't expect you to have liked this one at all! Kudos for the accurate and fair review. I agree, the 3D stole the show, and everyone: Make sure you are seeing the 3D version!!! At least here in the south theaters are showing the plain version AND the 3D version. Frankly, I don't know if I could have sat through this if it were not in 3D...Without the 3D, this movie to me would be very average; maybe barely that. This movie was truly a thrilling experience. I would strongly recommend seeing this in theaters in 3D; it is the quintessential summer horror movie, hands down. Sure there are some flaws, unbelievable scenarios, silly plot-holes, and occasional write-offs--but as a whole FD3D delivers the goods.
Come on!! Seven stars? At least the 3rd had mild character development and fun death sequences! This film did nothing for me, and the 3D did not help. The acting was just dreadful. It made me want to be one of the victims in the film. Open your eyes and step up your game, Steelba. I apologize for any harshness, I do. But this film certainly does not deserve such a high appraisal.
<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>When I go see a movie where it is openly obvious that everyone dies, character development is not high on my list of things that help or hurt the movie. Actually, if I were to have a list at all for this kind of flick, character development wouldn't even be on it period. You must have really loved Titanic man!
Hahahahaha, that was my thinking going into this flick aswell Coward.
And character development is usually a big deal to me, just not in a final destination setting. the premise alone nullfies any character development. still, the pool scene was a straight up rip off from a Chuck Palanuick book; a short story called guts.
I hated every single character in FD3 and wasn't thrilled with any of the death scenes outside of the nailgun. The tanning bed scene was good too but for several reasons.. Like I said without the 3D i'd slap it with a 6, but it's not one of the worst horror films i've ever seen, which is pretty much what a 3 rating would be.