Final Destination 5 (2011) Movie Review
Written By: JASR
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Steven Quale
Producers: Richard Brener, Walter Hamada, et al.
Writers: Eric Heisserer, Jeffrey Reddick
Date Released: August 12, 2011 (USA)
Cast:
Nicholas D’Agosto as Sam
Emma Bell as Molly
Miles Fisher as Peter Friedkin
Ellen Wroe as Candice Hooper
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood as Olivia Castle
P.J. Byrne as Isaac
Arlen Escarpeta as Nathan
David Koechner as Dennis
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
On the way to a company retreat with his colleagues, Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto) has a premonition that the bridge will collapse. Sam, his girlfriend Molly (Emma Bell), and a few other colleagues escape Death by getting off the bus before the accident actually happens. The survivors later learn that Death does not like to be cheated. Death stalks them one by one to give them the fate they were meant to have.
Gore Factor
Being the last Final Destination movie so far, Final Destination 5 definitely made sure that gore lovers would get what they ask for. There were even abrupt death scenes for those who are after the rapid shock. The movie did not only show us blood and organs – it showed us some bones as well. The scene where one of the characters dies during gymnastics was one of the most memorable ones because of how realistic and cringe-worthy it felt.
The Grave Review
When a movie franchise starts having a lot of installments, people tend to say that the original movie is ruined – but not for this franchise. In fact, Final Destination 5 gave so much honor to the original. Despite rumors and articles about an upcoming sixth movie, I would say that Final Destination 5 is the perfect ending to the franchise.
I highly recommend viewers to watch the first four movies before jumping into Final Destination 5. Being familiar with the previous movies allows viewers to have a higher appreciation of this installment. Moreover, one can easily see the improvement in this movie as compared to the first four.
One significant factor about Final Destination 5 is it shows us the personality of each character. Rather than simply thinking of ways for the characters to die, the writers gave the viewers enough time to get to know the people they were watching. The writers established each person’s personality without anything seeming too rushed. The audience got to know each character before their respective deaths. An example of this is when we saw how Olivia did not like wearing glasses. This leads her to have eye surgery – therefore leading to her death.
The director knew that some viewers are already familiar with how the death scenes work – which is why he added some parts where it seemed that death was going to happen anytime soon. This direction allowed all viewers to still feel uneasy – even seasoned Final Destination viewers.
A character from one of the previous movies made a comeback – which is why it is important to watch the previous movies to appreciate this one. Despite the character being familiar, he was able to add a new flavor to the story. He explained that the characters whom Death is stalking should kill someone so they could take the deceased person’s lifespan on earth. This makes the story more memorable and interesting.
Another flavor added to the story was the violence of one of the characters. This character was bitter about how someone close to him died – showing a different personality to the franchise. While we may have seen some violent or frustrated characters in the past, the character in this movie clearly showed his feelings and intentions. The personalities of angry characters in previous movies were half-baked.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Final Destination 5 (2011) three graves out of five graves.
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