>>REVIEW
FINAL DESTINATION 3
STARRING Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Merriman
DIRECTED BY James Wong
Opens Friday, February 10
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The first Final Destination (2000) was a horror movie about a group of high school students who escaped a plane crash because one of the kids foresaw the others’ deaths and they all got off the plane before tragedy could strike. Not to be outdone by mere mortals, Death came back to finish what it started by killing off the survivors in the order they would have died had they stayed on the plane. Substitute a plane crash for a rollercoaster and you have Final Destination 3 (FD3). The only difference is – well, actually, there is no real difference. None at all.
As I was watching FD3, I kept thinking, "I’m kind of enjoying myself, yet I feel a little hollow inside for I feel like I’ve seen this wickedly innovative gruesomeness before" Then I wondered, "Who is this film for, exactly?" Fans of the first one might get bored of this retread that offers nothing new and fans of the second one – who am I kidding, there were no fans of the second one.
Then it occurred to me, FD3 is for all the younger brothers and sisters who weren’t allowed to see the first one six years ago and had to endure endless taunting from their older siblings who went on and on about how cool and gory it was. Well, rejoice young ones. Now you, too, can brag to your younger sibs just how cool and gruesome this horror movie is.
FD3 is the kind of film where you actually cheer for Death and applaud when people die. I know it sounds sick, but to be honest, Death is the only interesting character in this flick. Writer and director team Glen Morgan and James Wong (who helmed FD1) put such detail into the death scenes that we’re not really applauding the horrific violence but rather the intricate setup of each fatal situation. The young cast do a fine job, I suppose – I can’t really remember. It’s not their fault they are constantly being upstaged by morbidity.
Final Destination 3 was originally supposed to be in 3D. That would have been a lot more interesting, seeing as Morgan and Wong didn’t give us anything we hadn’t seen before. Maybe they thought 3D would be cheesy? Personally, I think it would have breathed new life into this franchise of Death. |
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