all the screenshots in this post were taken directly from the movie by me.
Although it had been abandoned for over 10 years, with the recent release of Bloodlines in theaters, it seems that the Final Destination franchise is on everyone's lips for the first time in a long time, creating a perfect opportunity to revisit the five films in it, irreverent gems of the slasher genre that blend creative, violent sequences with surprisingly existentialist themes.
Personally, my favorite of the series has always been Final Destination 2, a film I hold dear since I saw it with my parents at a time in my life when I should have been consuming slightly more "childish" content.
And while the modern me is much less susceptible to being shocked by fictional displays of violence, I am amazed by the ability of the film directed by David R. Ellis to generate tension in its viewers, while also entertaining its ability to generate extremely creative sequences that will be burned (yes) into our minds forever.
It may seem superficial to focus on this when talking about the film above all other aspects (cinematography, direction, acting, script, etc.), but we generally associate Final Destination with the deaths that occur in each film, and not so much with the (empty) nature of most of its characters, characters who are generally nothing more than a canvas for the blood and guts spectacle that is likely to unfold.
Of course, I understand that the viewer of 2025 is infinitely more cynical and indolent than that of 2003, and the car accident sequence around which the entire film revolves is an aberration against the laws of logic and physics. However, there is something brilliant about the way each of the moments that comprise it were directed, and it's easy for fascination to mix with frustration at seeing how fragile the human body is when a couple of unfortunate coincidences come together.
In terms of plot, there's a lot of narrative potential, and the idea of death doing its best to ensure we serve out our time to go still terrifies me as much as it did when I was 8, yet Final Destination focuses more on being a simple, fun movie, with intentionally ridiculous moments and a relatively satisfying ending.
Score taken from my Letterboxd account.
Twitter/Instagram/Letterbox: Alxxssss
