The Final Destination [2009]

January 4, 2010

You simply had to be there, back in the year 2000 when the original movie tore through the theaters offering a refreshing take on the slasher subgenre. Since then, we had the pleasure of watching two more sequels that were a bit weaker. The movie we’re going to be talking about today is a soft reboot of the franchise. The Final Destination, 2009 edition, is a highly entertaining but poorly written stand-alone horror movie. It’s also the first movie in the franchise to be shot in 3D, a trend a lot of movies seem to be following now.

Just to be perfectly clear, you can fully enjoy The Final Destination in 2D but in 3D, it apparently shines. Mostly because it puts you right in the center of the action. So, you already know the deal, we have a bunch of teenagers who are going to end up dead in the most bizarre ways possible. The movie kept its R rating, short running time (80 minutes), and fast pacing. People will be crushed, sliced, burned, dismembered, and killed in the most horrific ways imaginable. It’s funny to think that a movie like this is now mainstream.

And while these juicy scenes of death and destruction were creative and entertaining, the rest of the movie wasn’t as good. The main plot is effectively simple and it just works but I think they needed to create better characters. The cast did what it could with these cardboard cutouts but that’s about it. It would be also nice if we could see at least one familiar face. That would give the movie a bit of credibility although I understand their decision to cast mostly unknown actors.

Nick was not enjoying his day at the race track when a sudden feeling of dread came over him. He senses that something horrible is about to happen and talks to his girlfriend about it. Along with their friends, they quickly leave the stands only to hear the sound of explosions and metal creaking in the background. Something horrible indeed happened and all of them should be dead now. However, they are not and Death is not very pleased about that. So, in the coming days, it’s coming to collect what it requires.

I think that everyone who decides to check out The Final Destination already knows what it’s about. This isn’t some intelligent and thought-provoking movie but a brutal yet surprisingly casual slasher movie. A slasher movie without the actual killer, a recipe first discovered by the original. The concepts of premonitions and freak accidents are quite prevalent in our society today. Every now and then you read about some poor fucker who lost his life when a fridge fell on him or he slipped on a banana peel.

The movie taps into these fears and makes them come to life. I don’t want to reveal what they are as this is half the fun. Finally, The Final Destination, 2009 edition, may not be the best movie in the franchise but it’s definitely worth watching. And I’m guessing we’ll be seeing a lot more of them since the movie made more than $190 million on a $40 million budget. I just hope they won’t be in 3D.