Final Destination 5 (2011) Reviews

• My review on Final destination 5

  rosst182011-08-12

  I had low expectations when I entered the theater to see the 5th installment of the FD series, because the 4th movie was such a disappointment. But after watching it, I was surprised. First off,this movie was way,( and I mean), way better then the last two movies were. It was darker and had a lot of elements from the first movie, which I loved. I don't want to give away too much, but I do want to say that the last scene of the movie will leave you speechless. It had me thinking, "OMG, that was AMAZING how they came up with that twist." One last thing I loved about this movie was that it was well planned out and thought of, unlike the forth movie which was a joke and in my opinion, shouldn't have never been made. The deaths weren't rushed as opposed to the deaths in the forth movie, and it gave more screen time to introduce us to the characters. Note: I will say that there is one death scene in the movie that I didn't see coming, besides the ending. I recommend you see this movie. It might have the same theme as the first four movies, but unlike the first four, it's on a much higher scale.

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• Gruesome and impressive

  birdieleigh2011-08-12

  I'm a huge fan of the Final Destination series. They aren't Oscar contenders, but they are certainly quite entertaining. However, after hearing a lot of negative feedback on the 4th FD, I decided not to watch it and hung my head in disappointment. I genuinely thought my favorite deadly franchise had finally bit the dust itself, and in a bad way. But when I heard about this fifth and final Final Destination, I decided to give it one more chance. Because hey, I hadn't been to the theater in awhile and if it sucked I'd at least have a good laugh. But, I am very happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised by Final Destination 5. The story, as other reviewers have mentioned, really sets FD5 up to good prospects. It feels a lot more like the first FD, much darker without being too complex. I honestly liked the 2nd and 3rd ones a lot, but they were missing the creepy factor that the first installment had. This fifth episode really brings it back. The characters are surprisingly believable. Granted, you have the gratuitous hot chick and ladies man, but the characters never feel contrived or forced. Kudos to the actors for keeping this from being a $5-bin campy horror film. The effects, even in 2D, were just as I think a film's effects should be: realistic enough to avoid the fake-factor, but not so excessive that they drown out everything else in the film. Yes, one could argue that these movies are all about death, but what always made them different for me from other horrors was the focus on build-up. The FD franchise has it's fans trained to watch for every little thing in a scene that could cause someone's demise until your skin crawls--and FD5 gives the audience this "detective" feeling perfectly. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much out of this movie. However, from the very beginning, I was impressed. A few points of warning: it is very graphic, but anyone who has seen any of the other FD films should know that already. Also, you will not enjoy this film as much if you haven't watched at least the 1st FD, if not the 2nd and 3rd as well. When you factor in the story and characters, the death and mayhem we've all come to love, and one of the best plot twists I've seen this year, FD5 is very worth watching. Go on, have some fun. But you all just be careful, now. ;)

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• Death has never been closer.

  moviewizguy2011-08-11

  Death is just as omnipresent as ever and is unleashed after one man's premonition saves a group of coworkers from a terrifying suspension bridge collapse. But this group of unsuspecting souls was never supposed to survive, and, in a terrifying race against time, the ill-fated group frantically tries to discover a way to escape Death's sinister agenda. - - (C) Warner Bros If you're going in to see FD5, it's because you know what you're expecting. Although I'm a fan of the series, I'll admit it did show its staleness after FD2, which is arguably the series' high point. As expected, the formula hasn't changed, although there are a few new tweaks here, the main one including the addition that the survivors can now kill someone to take their life and maybe, just maybe, escape Death's clutches. It's interesting to note that this new twist is the opposite of what was offered in FD2, in which new life can defeat Death, but taking life is much more readily apparent and dramatic than creating new life. Not only do they have to worry about Death, but they also have to worry about what they are willing to do to survive, which provides some very tense external conflict between the characters. As you guys might have figured out from the above, yes, FD5 has a plot this time around. There's also an unexpected ending that you will make you go OMG or WTF, if it isn't already spoiled to you, of course. It's also good to know that Eric Heisserer's tight script devotes some time to the survivors that are getting picked off. You start to feel for them as they are about to die. As much as I'm thankful for this, it's obvious that people still see these films for the opening disaster and death sequences, and they do not disappoint. Without spoiling anything, the opening bridge disaster is a nasty piece of work, utilizing the 3D to the fullest extent. I'm a huge horror fan, but even I found it very hard to watch, jerking my hands back as each character is killed off in grisly ways. Without a doubt, it's the best opening disaster since FD2. And the death scenes. Wow. They are disturbing, funny, and shocking and sometimes all at the same time. This is because newcomer director Steven Quale plays with the audience's expectations. He lays out so many things that can kill off a character in a certain scene and when you think this sharp object will impale them, they die in a completely different way. The build up is what makes these films fun to watch (apart from the last one). I also liked the fact that this film returned to the original film's serious roots, which isn't to say that it takes itself too seriously because there's an underlying sense of dark humor that's strangely entertaining and self-aware of itself. The ensemble cast is a mixed bag for sure. Our protagonist, Nicholas D'Agosto, doesn't really live up to his character's dramatic arc. He seems to overact his lines although he was much better in the second half. Emma Bell is a bit better although she wasn't as good as she was in FROZEN. Miles Fisher also doesn't live up to his character's internal struggle when giving off a whiny performance. However, the other supporting castmembers are quite good, including Ellen Wroe, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, and Arlen Escarpeta. P.J. Byrne, in particular, is someone you should look out for, providing some of the film's biggest laughs, playing a character you just love to hate. David Koechner also provides some great laughs. I was disappointed with Courtney B. Vance though because he had little to do. Tony Todd is back since he was last seen in FD2 and he's like the American version of Snape (from Harry Potter). I love the way he delivers his lines with one...word...at...a...time. Visually, the film has some above average production values. As said before, the bridge sequence is like something from a $100 million budgeted action flick. The 3D is the best that has been offered so far this year, which comes to no surprise seeing that Quale has worked with James Cameron on AVATAR. Even from the film's ingenious and original opening credits, we have shards of glass, knives, bodies, and blood flying at us in amazing sharpness. Yet the 3D gimmick can only go so far, and Quale knows that so he doesn't overdo it by providing us with scenes of depth. Honestly, it's the best of both worlds. The soundtrack by Brian Tyler is great as well and is definitely different from the previous entries. All in all, FD5 brings unexpected new life to the dying franchise. The plot is handled well and most of the performances are good. If anything, this sequel proves that with new blood working behind the scenes can come a refreshing film. If you want to see the film, by all means see it in 3D because it is worth every penny. FD5 is shocking, entertaining, suspenseful, funny, disturbing, and is probably as good as FD2. It seems to be a good year for 5's (FAST FIVE included).

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• The Best Sequel Yet!

  cadillac202011-08-12

  Most likely, you're not reading this unless you're a fan and already plan to see the film. And if you are, then know that my review is based on my fandom and in relation to the series itself. Therefore, it will be in the context of horror films, slasher films, and more importantly, the series itself. With that out of the way, who would have though the fifth film would be the one. Ever since the original, the series has sort of meandered around, trying to recapture the initial wonder of death playing the part of a slasher and killing off a group of people. Yes, Final Destination 5 is truly the best sequel since the first. There hasn't been this much tension and creativity since the original, and practically every scene is filled with an uncomfortable level of anxiety. This is what the film has truly been missing, whether spoiled by the trailers before it or just a lack of creativity. For the most part, Final Destination 3 and 4 (TFD) lacked the necessary level of creativity and menace that was present in the first film, and even in the second. However, we have plenty of that here and a few nice twists as well. While the kills are also pretty ridiculous, most are plausible and, unlike TFD, should please fans with their level of gore and brutality. The filmmaking qualities here reach above the standard the film has set. It looks great, with plenty of swift and enticing editing that will make your skin crawl with anticipation. The acting, while still not of any award winning caliber, or even really all that great, is decent enough here. The portrayals are more realistic this time around. While the film had though to settle into the I-found-the-answers-on-the-internet routine, here we have a smooth flow in which characters sort of lose their mind trying to figure things out. And while some might have called the main couple's relationship cringe worthy, I actually found it to be quite well played out as the couple has real issues they work through on top of everything that's going on. Suffice to say, it's nice to see the FD series making better attempts at developing it's characters. Still not great, but better. With that said, this is Final Destination, and problems persist. Despite better attempts at character development, the majority still play fodder for death's machinations. Sure, we learn a little about them, but it's not any more than the bare minimum: this guys a jerk, that girls wild, etc etc. There is also one kill, in particular, that, while brutal, defies logic. Sure, it's FD, but there is a certain point of ridiculousness where the line is drawn. The characters trying to figure out what's going on is also getting old. There's certainly a reason here, which I won't spoil, why our characters don't know about what is happening in the same way characters from previous films know. But this leads to the problem of it being explained too quickly. This might contradict what I said above, but what I mean is that Tony Todd's character if far too quick to reveal information and the new twist. In comparison to FD1, where things had a slow, natural pacing, here we get a couple death scenes, and explanation, and then more death scenes. The progression is better, but still not as good as the first two films. Fans will truly enjoy this solid sequel. There are a couple twists, and the final scene will blow everyone away. It's beyond what you would expect, and very nearly worth seeing the film alone. But with a handful of creative and brutal twists and a decently put together film, this should certainly warrant a decent box office and, maybe unfortunately, another sequel or two.

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• About standard but a nice way to wrap it up (if they do)

  jtindahouse2013-01-17

  Final Destination, when it was first released in the year 2000, was my favourite film for a number of years, so I've made a point of seeing all of the sequels. Very few film series get this privilege on my part (Saw and Paranormal Activity are some of the few that come to mind for me). And if there's one thing I've learnt along the way from the Final Destination films, it's that there isn't a lot of areas to continue to be creative in. In fact for me the only interchangeable area is really how the characters die. And fortunately that's been enough to keep some of us coming back. So was Final Destination 5 inventive enough with the death scenes? Not in my opinion no. It all felt very 'seen it all before' and while they were able to shock us occasionally with the resulting method of death, there still wasn't enough surprise there. I think Final Destination 5 needs to be the last film in the series. And not just because it's all getting a bit stale, but also because it was a really good way to wrap it up. At the end of the film we are treated to a twist that the whole film was in fact a prequel to the first Final Destination. And no they didn't cheat, there were indeed hints to it throughout the film. This was a nice touch and would mean that the fourth film in the series 'The Final Destination' was actually still somewhat true to its title. A really great series that I will remember for a long time, I just hope it stops here.

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