The Final Destination (2009) Review

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Sometimes, the formula doesn't work when you add a new ingredient. 


PLOT


The Final Destination is another standalone story in the franchise. The story follows college student Nick O'Bannon who goes to an auto race during a semester break with his girlfriend Lori Milligan and their friends, Hunt Wynorski and Janet Cunningham. The event doesn't become fun as they hoped due to Nick having a premonition of a crash in the racetrack so severe that people will die from its debris on the grandstand. Just as he panics, he and his friends get into a scuffle with other spectators that leave the stadium with him. The others include: security guard George Lanter, housewife Samantha Lane (Krista Allen), tow truck driver Carter Daniels (Justin Welborn), mechanic Andy Kewzer (Andrew Fiscella) and his girlfriend Nadia Monroy (Stephanie Honoré). The crash does happen as Nick foresaw and Nadia would be the first in the group to die as a stray tire flies out of the stadium and decapitates her. A few nights after the tragedy, Carter would express racism by intending to burn a cross outside George's home, but that doesn't go as planned due to being the next victim planned for Death's design. When a gust of wind dislodges his horse shoe, it turns on the radio and causes the truck to drive by itself. And when the chain unravels, he gets stuck after he trips, resulting in him being dragged down the street. The sparks of the chain would then cause an explosion that kills him. The following day, Samantha gets struck in the eye from a rock that was unintentionally by a lawnmower moments after walking out of a beauty salon with her sons. When Nick hears about these deaths, he suspects him and his friends will be next. As he and Lori investigate the crash site to look for clues, George shows them camera footage to confirm Andy was in front of them, confirming he is next. They do go to the mechanic shop he works at the next day, only for him to be launched through a fence by a carbon dioxide tank. Nick then gets another vision that the victim could die from water. Lori & George save Janet from a malfunctioning car wash, but Nick doesn't get to Hunt in time. At a country club, he unintentionally activates the pool drainage system and get disemboweled by the drain pipe. Because of saving Janet, the group believes to have escaped Death for good. Nick & Lori become so inspired of their second chance in life that they plan to go to Amsterdam for vacation. Four days later though, the former gets another vision to confirm the design is still in motion for Death. He sees the news that reports that Jonathan Groves (Jackson Walker) survived the vision as well and was rescued from the rubble. Because he never moved seats due to Nick's original interference, he suspects him to die next. Nick & George rush to the hospital to try saving him but upon arrival, he is crushed by an overflown bathtub from the ceiling. The protagonist gets another vision that Lori & Janet will die in an explosion at the mall. Just as he heads out, George is accidentally ran over by an ambulance truck. When he gets to the mall, a fire is started at a nearby construction site and he is able to stop it despite getting pinned to the wall by a falling nail gun, in turn saving everyone at the mall. Two weeks later, Nick celebrates at a cafe with the girls, but more omens worry him that Death's real design was for them to die at the cafe instead of the race track. When a scaffold outside collapses on the road, the film ends with a truck swerving and crashing into the cafe, killing the remaining three characters.


THOUGHTS


I know horror sequels aren't guaranteed to match the preceding classic, which is why I went into this with low expectations. I honestly assumed there would be nothing to worry about with David R Ellis directing again since he helmed the second one, but sadly, I was so wrong. What quickly pulls me away apart from the fact that actor Tony Todd has no involvement at all, as in not having a cameo as Bludworth or a clever voiceover, the 3D effects that dub over the practical stuff that were done for the creative over the top deaths. I can buy that being disemboweled by a drain pipe is disturbing and racetrack accidents are real, but I'm losing interest when it came to how they don't look real. You even have a callback with the sudden hit & run, but that looks faker than the first one. And I don't need a bottle cap of champagne to pop up in my face like Friday the 13th Part III. It doesn't really feel like Death is there when the set up comes from people's mistakes, which happens more consistently than before. If people die from their own doing, then it doesn't feel like there is a real grim reaper out there. The recurring theme is to appreciate second chances and it won't easy to make the changes you want, but it's hard to appreciate the message when there is not much people to root for. Nick was somewhat likable because Bobby Campo shows him to be a resilient guy that is selfless enough to put his life on the line to save everyone else, but there is nothing else about him that is interesting. Shantel VanSanten and Haley Webb both did well in making Lori & Janet loyal and supportive friends, but we don't even understand why they're friends in the first place. The same can be said with Hunt since Nick Zano dials it up at every given opportunity in making him a prick. Like it was his own doing, his own lack of observance that led to his demise just like Carter. Mykielti Williamson does do his best in sparking an interest out of George, a guy coping with grief as his alcoholism led to losing his family in a car accident. You sympathize for him, but the connection with the other characters that give him meaning to keep on living was so rushed that it was pointless to make that development. Because the characters are not so interesting compared to the past batches, it can be easy to be distracted of all the decisions they make that don't make much sense upon rewatching. Like for starters, why the hell would Samantha give her sons tampons to put on their ears at the racetrack? She knew the place was gonna be loud, so she should've brought headsets instead. Moving on, how did the stylist not smell the burn from the hairspray? She should've unplugged the straightener when she was done with it and it's pure luck that didn't kill Samantha. And how did Nick not recognize the logo on Andy's jacket when it was folded halfway? I mean looking at it from security footage wasn't different from seeing it from in person, so I wasn't convinced here. Also, why didn't the ambulance see George crossing? I can believe those things are always in a rush to save people but if someone is crossing, slow the fuck down. On top of that, why did the nurse overflow the tub and forget to turn it off? The fact his coworker didn't notice is embarrassing because despite having a hectic schedule for such an intense work setting, that should've been handled. Lastly, why the fuck did Nick & George talk about Death in front of strangers on an elevator who have no idea what they're talking about. It's incredible luck that no one reported them before the latter died. Ignoring these things are such a challenge because there ain't enough good things to defend it. To get this over with, The Final Destination is the worst entry of its franchise for failing to take advantage of whatever momentum the studio thought they had. If you are a fan, good luck getting through this one.