This film series has a very specific formula, one the makers have tweaked and piled onto through countless sequels. They’re not masterpieces of cinema, but they are undeniably fun in a gory, grotesque way. I still remember when the first in the series came out back in 2000: a genre-bending horror flick that made Death itself the villain. It was tense, terrifying, and fresh. The sequels, though, have leaned more toward a bloody carnival ride than a serious plunge into horror.
The formula always kicks off with a massive tragedy that the main character just happens to foresee. They’re not psychic, just an unlucky average Joe caught in death’s stare. Final Destination 5 opens with a spectacular bridge collapse, and the deaths in this precognition are gloriously nasty. Fans of campy gore will not be left wanting.
From there, the rollercoaster really begins. The characters scramble to figure out death’s design, slowly piecing together the rules while doing their best to cheat fate. Their ignorance is death’s sharpest weapon, alongside its knack for turning everyday objects into elaborate Rube Goldberg machines of mayhem.
The cast, as usual, is mostly made up of fresh or little-known actors, which weirdly works in favour of the campy horror vibe. But this film also brings back Tony Todd (of Candyman fame) as the eerie Bludworth character, a familiar face in his third appearance of the franchise. His presence adds a chilling sense of comfort, if such a thing is possible.
The big twist in this entry isn’t just the 3D shots designed to make gore fly off the screen. The real addition to the formula is a new rule: characters can “steal” more life by killing someone else, essentially becoming death’s apprentice. This injects a serial killer element into the chaos, adding a fresh wrinkle to a formula that was starting to creak.All in all, it’s a fun, bloody, and surprisingly inventive ride. The ending packs the real punch, though, when the film reveals itself to be a prequel to the original Final Destination. A clever callback that makes the whole journey worth it.