Final Destination 2

I was apprehensive when I didn't Devon Sawa in the credits or this movie, but then again, this film didn't really need him. This wasn't a sequel in the purest sense, but the film makers created methods to link all of the new characters to the old ones, creating a flow which wasn't too jarring. Unfortunately, the dialogue was the only real stinker in this film. The pretentiousness, the obviousness and the downright hokiness that came out of the mouths of the characters really detracted from the tension, turning their performances into a bunch of acting class rejects. But I digress. The only thing people are looking for is how Death will get the new set of escape artists. The sheer surprise and execution of the executions made me jump and crawl. In such a desensitized world we live in, being able to jump out of my seat means this film is a winner.

College student Kimberly Corman (A. J. Cook) sets off on the road for Daytona Beach with her friends when she has a premonition of a multicar pileup on the freeway before exiting the on-ramp. Kimberly blocks the on-ramp with her car and tries to tell police officer Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) of the pileup but it happens anyway but not before Burke pulls her out of the way of a speeding car carrier that kills her friends. While other survivors of the pileup are dubious of Kimberly's premonition, Burke is more inclined to believe her as he was involved in the cleanup of Flight 180 one-year prior which experienced similar circumstances. As survivors of the pileup begin dying off, Kimberly seeks help of the voluntarily institutionalized Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) who has isolated herself from anything and everything since the death of Alex Browning. But Kimberly has visions that could lead to them escaping death's plan.

Following the success of the first Final Destination, then New Line Cinema President Toby Emmerich approached Jeffrey Reddick to commission a sequel which Reddick agreed to do. Reddick stated his intent with this entry was to "expand the mythology" in order to avoid telling the same story over again. Previous film's director and writers James Wong and Glen Morgan were unavailable as they were busy with their respective projects of Jet Li's The One and the Willard remake respectively. The film instead was helmed by David R. Ellis whose prior directing credit was Homeward Bound II in 1996 and had more frequently worked as a second unit director and stunt coordinator with writers Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber coming on board as co-writers. Upon release, the movie had a respectable opening weekend of $16 million at number 2 opening behind The Recruit and eventually made back $90 million worldwide against its $26 million budget, a slight step down from the original's $110 million haul but still profitable. Critical reception while still mixed was somewhat improved from the first one with some like Roger Ebert who gave the original three stars only gave one and a half to the sequel. While Final Destination is fairly similar to the first movie in terms of setup with a formula pretty settled at this point, it is well made and delivers and what you expect and it does continue on from the first film.

Unlike the first film whose cast of teen archetypes were very much molded by the late 90s framework of post-Screamsploitation that defined a number of horror films in terms of marketing and writing, the characters in Final Destination 2 are slightly more likable and less grating than they were in the first film, even ones who are supposed to be kind of abrasive have some redeeming moments. A. J. Cook is no surprise here a solid lead especially for anyone who's seen her work on Criminal Minds, and I also enjoyed Michael Landes as Burke and Ali Larter's reprise of the character Clear Rivers. Tony Todd also returns as the Mortician (credited as Mr. Bludworth) and much like the first film his creepy commanding presence is welcome and is probably the closest thing we have to the personification of an antagonist. The story is still pretty thin as it is mostly a lose chain of accidental deaths that follow some kind of path, but it does try to add new elements to avoid falling into a repeat such as the characters seeking a way to beat Death's plan by way of "new life" and while it's not 100% successful at avoiding sequel pitfalls it works well enough and the fact that the film has a relatively closed ending (albeit one with a very mean spirited joke) makes Final Destination 2 feel more like the closing half of a two parter rather than something overtly cynical as you've seen with some sequels.

If you liked Final Destination, odds are you'll probably like Final Destination 2. It doesn't stretch too far from what was established and there is some sense of "deja view" as is the case with most sequels, but there are attempts at doing things differently from how they were done the last time and the ending that eschews sequel baiting was rather refreshing so take that for what it's worth.

Kimberly Corman has a terrifying vision that a highway pile up will claim her life and that of her friends. Blocking the entrance with her car, Kimberly watches in horror as the crash unfolds, thus saving her life and that of the people in the queue behind her. But the grim reaper is not impressed and he's coming to claim the deaths of all those who should have died in the crash.

For a sequel to truly work well it has to come up with something fresh, otherwise why do a sequel eh? Well the makers of Final Destination 2 choose to use the basic same formula of the hugely enjoyable first film, only adding more black humour into the crazy death design broth. Opening with a quite horrific highway pile up, FD 2 then takes us on a journey that sees an assortment of folk offed in various and gruesome ways. The story remains the same as the first film, even though writers Bress and Gruber think they are being intricate by weaving this plot into the original story, but ultimately it's just a devilishly nonsense fun picture. Ali Larter returns for a second helping, and she in turn is joined by a bunch of no mark actors waiting for death, which is perfectly fine for the genre discerning fan.

This is a riot, and as long as you don't look too deep into it (why would you really?) you may just find yourself having a real good time. 7/10

You know that feeling you get when you're watching America's Funniest Home Videos and the oblivious son hits his hapless father in the crotch with an aluminum bat? It gets a quick reaction, like, ooh, I feel your pain man. FINAL DESTINATION 2 is a 90 minute or so string of those painful shots, as each character one by one meets an unfortunate death by household appliance. Bodies are slammed by trucks, heads are impaled, and limbs fly through the air. When one of the characters dies when her car's airbag explodes out of nowhere, I blurted "Yeah! Wow, did they do that??? Yeah, they DID do that. Right on!" Although the film has a very serious atmosphere about it, what with the creepy score and people sincerely freaking out and everything, it still retains a campy humor about it buried beneath its high-budget exterior. Many movies would shy away from smashing up plastic ketchup-filled dummies, opting instead to avoid the gore. Not FINAL DESTINATION 2! This movie is an honest approach to movie-making, hearkening back to the day when you got together with friends and said, "Okay, in this scene we cut to the dummy falling off the building, it's run over by a Mack truck, and it splatters chunks of blood all over that Oldsmobile over there." As for the premise behind FINAL DESTINATION 2, how do I put it into words? A.J. Cook has premonitions that people died in a nasty pileup on the highway. Thing is, this never happened. And ... she continues to have premonitions that those same people will die in due time. Those people eventually die. Did I get that right? The universal law of nature is that, well, Death sometimes misses its mark and has to fix its mistakes (which usually involves electrical equipment getting wet and other freak accidents of home improvement). If this all sounds convoluted, watch the movie. You'll see what I mean. The premise of FINAL DESTINATION 2, as much potential as it might have, doesn't make much sense and is pretty hokey, but if you medicate your inquisitive mind with heavy sedatives, you'll be able to look past the flimsy premise and enjoy the movie. I'm definitely looking forward to a Final Destination 3.

If you loved the original Final Destination, then you will almost certainly enjoy the sequel, a virtual carbon-copy of the first film, except that everything is bigger and much, much bloodier.

This time around, a group of travellers narrowly avoid being involved in a spectacular freeway pile-up thanks to an eerie premonition experienced by driver Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) as she waits on the on-ramp. Feeling cheated once again, Death alters his grand design to try and claim the lives of those who escaped his clutches. As the survivors of the accident begin to die in the order witnessed in her vision, Kimberley realises what is happening, and tracks down the sole survivor of flight 180, Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), for help.

Despite working with material that rarely explores new territory, director David R. Ellis directs with gusto: his freeway pile-up is an absolutely jaw-dropping piece of cinema—a brutal, bloody and disturbing set-piece—and the subsequent death scenes are masterfully orchestrated pieces of mayhem that tease the audience with several possible bloody conclusions, before delivering their always impressive pay-off (gory fatalities are caused by a falling ladder, a sheet of glass, a faulty elevator, an air-bag, a flying wire fence, and a barbecue!!!).

In amongst the graphic bloodletting, Ellis also finds time to throw in some very nice visual touches (such as the tree shadows which resemble clutching skeletal hands) and lots of delightfully dark humour (gotta love that final shot!). A thoroughly entertaining piece of OTT popcorn horror, Final Destination 2 gets a very respectable 7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.