Final Destination 5

The first "Final Destination" movie in 2000 was a rather innovative 'Dead Teenager Movie' in that the killer was Death itself, an invisible spirit. A group of people, mostly youths, escape a great tragedy due to a premonition of one of them and the rest of the movie involves the Grim Reaper systematically slaying the kids who cheated Death in various creative ways, usually an unlikely chain of events. The opening tragedy in the first film was a plane crash, in the second a highway pile-up, in the third a rollercoaster mishap, in the fourth a racetrack calamity. In this fifth and most recent film (2011) it's a spectacular bridge collapse and it's probably the best opening tragedy of the franchise.

All of the movies in the series tell the same basic story with different characters and minor nuances; all of them are of the same high quality of technical filmmaking. Whether you prefer one or another depends on your preference for cast members and the death sequences (and the locations). Other than these factors they're all basically the same.

"Final Destination 5" features Nicholas D'Agosto as the main protagonist with Emma Bell as his blonde girlfriend. Tom Cruise lookalike, Miles Fisher, is also on hand while Ellen Wroe plays the gymnast. Meanwhile Tony Todd returns as the creepy coroner who seems to know more about the situation than he should.

While it's true that you know exactly how this film will play out if you've seen the first four installments, or any of them, there are some highlights beyond the females. For one, this movie has a superb score and soundtrack, at least on par with the previous installment. Aside from featuring the most thrilling opening tragedy, there are several creative death scenes involving a gymnast accident, an Asian spa, eye surgery, a factory mishap and a restaurant altercation. This entry also throws in a unique twist that I'm not going to give away (but if you've seen the trailer you already know what it is). There's an additional surprise at the end, which nicely wraps up the five-movie franchise.

The film runs 92 minutes and, like the first three films, was shot in the Vancouver area (the fourth film was shot in the East).

GRADE: B+

To say the Final Destination series is a mixed bag would probably be an understatement, as this series has some great moments and truly terrible ones. This film edges out the other ones in the franchise and is probably the second best overall behind Bloodlines.

For one thing, the CG is either good or passable. The disaster sequence at the beginning is well done and has some great kills. Beyond that, the film twists the lore of the franchise to create a more unique ending. A lot happens in the last ten minutes that is both intriguing and weird. I particularly like the ending of this film over the endings of most of the other films, but despite that fact it makes very little sense how it's written.

Final Destination 5 has some of the more creative deaths in the franchise, with some very laugh out loud funny moments to go along with the gore. These movies are best when they are tongue in cheek and self aware, and this one works in that manner for the most part. There is some boring and unnecessary dialogue among the characters, but there are also some who are morally bankrupt and pure evil to mix things up and make the situation more interesting.

The Presage Paper employees take a bus to spend the day in a retreat. Sam (Nicholas D'Agosto) is an aspirant chef and his girlfriend Molly (Emma Bell) has just ended their relationship, since he intends to take an internship in culinary art in France. While crossing a suspension- bridge that is in maintenance, Sam has a vision where everybody in the bus including him dies after the bridge collapsing. Sam asks the driver to open the door and he leaves the bus with Molly.

His friend Peter Friedkin (Miles Fisher) and his girlfriend Candice Hooper (Ellen Wroe) follow Sam and Molly asking them to return to the bus. Olivia Castle (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), Isaac Palmer (P.J. Byrne), Nathan (Arlen Escarpeta) and their boss Dennis Lapman (David Koechner ) also leave the bus. When the bridge collapses, they all do not die. The Federal Agent Jim Block (Courtney B. Vance) suspects of Sam, but sooner he receives the technical report concluding that the bridge collapsed due to natural causes (wind).

During the funeral of their friends, a creepy man tells to Sam that death does not like to be cheated. Sooner Candice, Isaac and Olivia die in a stranger way and Sam recalls that the survivors are dying in the sequence that they had originally died. The next victim would be Nathan, but he accidentally causes the death of the rebel worker Roy. The survivors learn that if they trade spots with another victim, they receive the years left in the live of the victim.

When I see the franchise "Final Destination, I know exactly what I am going to see: a group of teenagers escaping from death in a first moment and then death chases each one of them since the storyline is always the same.

"Final Destination 5" has excellent CGI and very creative deaths and never disappoints; therefore the intention of the director is accomplished. The sequence with the collapse of the bridge is very impressive. The acting is also good and in the end I liked this film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Premonição 5" ("Premonition 5")

I was surprised to see a part 5 of this movie franchise, but it was a welcomed one though. And it was with some anticipation that I sat down to watch it.

Initially, the story here in part 5 is the same as in the previous four movies. Despite liking all movies, seen with a reviewer's eyes, the story has been abused a tad too many times now. I mean, seriously, it is just the same story over and over in all 5 movies. But what makes it worthwhile and worth watching is the inventive and cruel ways that people meet their demise at. At least that is it for me, it is what drives me to keep watching these movies. I want to see what ways people die, and I want to see the effects.

If you are a fan of the series, you definitely want to check out part 5 as well, as it is every bit as entertaining as the previous four, and the ways people die in this movie was cool - as in the previous movies as well. And the effects were quite nice, and it had just enough gore to keep most gorehounds well-fed as well.

Despite enjoying the movie and the deaths, five movies cooked on the same broth is just getting too thin. You know the story already before you sit down to watch the movie, it is not a matter of if they die, it is a matter of how they die.

One thing that was awesome in part 5 was the way they made it come full circle with the first original movie. That was a very inventive stroke of genius on the writer's part. Thumbs up for that twist, it was well worth it.

The cast in "Final Destination 5" was pretty good. Again, lots of nicely talented young actors and actresses, and people here did a great job with their roles and bringing their characters out on the screen.

"Final Destination 5" is well worth a watch, if for nothing else, then for the death scenes alone.

Anyone familiar with the Final Destination franchise knows what to expect: hot chicks, the ever-present menace of ordinary objects, and gruesome scenes of graphic death. Well, with Final Destination 5 you get all that, and in incredible 3D! I was initially concerned with the 3D during the opening credits, which feature cast and crew names on panes of glass being shattered by objects from past FD movies complete with showers of CGI blood, where the 3D would be the usual "in your face" gimmick that only makes you flinch. But in the opening bridge scene, the 3D effect dramatically enhances the frightfulness of the dizzying heights of the action and the horrifying dimension of the scene. I mean, I'm deathly afraid of heights but I was riveted.

Otherwise the death scenes were so intense and sudden that I shrieked at first but then found myself and the people around me laughing in relief and self-awareness.

FD fans will get a huge kick out of the final scene, as well as the ending montage of past FD death scenes.