(Mangled bones and severed limbs and rusty hooks, oh my!)
Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema have teamed up to take on the fifth installment of the Final Destination franchise, lead by Director Steven Quale.
It feels somewhat redundant at this stage to outline the plot of the film as it is almost exactly the same as the last four features. However, for the benefit of those new to the concept, a short synopsis:
A group of teens narrowly survive a gruesome accident on a collapsing suspension bridge due to an unexplainable premonition that a member of the group, ‘Sam’ (Nicholas D’Agosto) experienced moments before. After expressing his horrific concerns, eight people are able to get off the bridge before his fears are realized and everyone else plummets to their unsuspecting deaths. Returning to their everyday lives after their narrow escape, the lucky few soon discover that you cannot cheat death without him coming back to claim…
Those familiar with the previous films will be no stranger to the hole-ridden plot, stereotypical characterization and diabolical script that comes attached. However, FD5 does offer its fans a notable increase in brutality. Going out of its way to be the absolute ‘grossest’ it could be, this movie definitely trumps its predecessors. The already farcical deaths of features past are outdone by an horrific gore-fest that has now teetered over the precarious border into the entirely ludicrous.
What has resulted will prove surprisingly entertaining for horror fans, with ‘squirming in your seat’ discomfort throughout as the film forces you to wait for each and every character to be systematically slaughtered in obscenely far-fetched ‘Itchy and Scratchy’ style freak ‘accidents’ that each surpass the last. Indeed the overwhelming sound that came from the audience was not of screams but of laughter. Though completely absurd, there is an element of fun and hilarity in nervously awaiting the next implausible fatality.
FD5 suffered from amateur acting in some points by certain members of the cast and one-dimensional, (quite a feat of achievement in eye popping 3D) stock characters. The jock, the girlfriend, the slut, the teacher, the hot-head and even, dare I say it, a single ‘token’ black guy in the mix that turned the film almost into an homage to old horror B- Movies.
While quality may be something this film lacks, unfortunately, it certainly does not skimp on quantity, managing to drag a brutally murdered horse for what is now an eleven-year span.
It is clear that the film must not be subject to review as a movie in its own right, instead, a more favourable opinion will result from comparing FD5 within the ‘Final Destination’ world.
In this case, kudos must be awarded to some clever alterations. A painstakingly familiar storyline was marginally alleviated by the induction of some new ideas. In this scenario, a morality clause was added. In order to escape the wrath of Death, you can take the life of another and live in his place for the years he was supposed to. This was an interesting addition, as it allowed for some characters to struggle with their morality and for the emergence of villainy within the ranks. Fans of the previous films are also rewarded for their loyalty with subtle references to previous events in the chain and by the repeat appearance of ‘William Bludworth’ (Tony Todd), the unsettling coroner that we see in each release, reminding us here of his trademark creepiness, as he warns the survivors; “Death doesn’t like to be cheated”. Fans will also enjoy the morbid ‘sizzle reel’ celebration of the favourite deaths over the years during the end credits.
Another positive attribute were the red herrings. With many scenes showing almost every object as a possible weapon and every situation a possible hazard, forcing a collective groan from the audience as they began to cover their 3D goggles. Indeed there were some very questionable locations and shoddy building work that would violate every health and safety code anyway. You would think they’d have learnt by now not to put the unstable water cooler next to those pesky exposed electrical cables. However, credit where credit's due, there is an element of surprise in that most deaths do not follow what they have shown you in the trailer and they certainly do not turn out how you expect them to.
Most notably, those who pay attention will be rewarded with a very clever twist at the end that added an element of skill to the storytelling.
Arguably not one for the traditional horror fans, instead appeasing the gore-porn generation which spawned the likes of Saw, (though that series hit our screens with a far more intelligent and versatile thread) and equally with those who enjoy horror comedies like Scary Movie. FD5 confidently straddles the mid point between torture porn and spoof.
One would think the second unit director of Avatar and Titanic and the screenwriter behind Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) and the highly anticipated upcoming horror remake The Thing, could have between them come up with something a little more impressive. It may be that they were intending to stay true to the pattern that the other films followed, in which case they did an excellent job.
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