No, sir, I did not like it.
+++Ok, there are plenty of SPOILERS below for all 3 Final Destination films, it could not be avoided. There is also some angry ranting. Be warned.+++ Final Destination has a great premise. Hard to go wrong with it, in fact. Many of the major horror franchises thrive on original and over the top deaths and with FD the possibilities are infinite.
Final Destination 2 was a great sequel. It took much of the best features of the first film and cranked it up a notch or two.
Final Destination 3 is an example of a wonderful premise and a good franchise being squandered. The deaths, which this series lives by, were uninspiring in comparison to the previous instalments. The 'Big Sequence' of the Roller Coaster ride was fairly uneventful, in truth. Most of the deaths in that sequence were off camera (People falling out) or, due to the coaster's speed, a case of blink-and-you-miss-it. Compare that to the stellar Car Crash sequence in the second film and you realise that a Roller Coaster From Hell might sound great on paper, but it is an extremely linear ride, in all senses.
Then there are the slow build deaths. The first film had the long, drawn out death of the teacher. The second had the Kitchen -> Fire Escape sequence. Both of which kept you guessing right until the end. Extremely engaging film making. All the deaths in this came across as either 'BAM!' out of nowhere or blatantly obvious. The Tanning Sequence was indeed long and drawn out, but you could see where it was going right from the off. (And don't get me started on that 'Warning: Must'nt go over 250' Sticker. Suspension of disbelief collapsed in an instant.) The only attempts to throw you off the scent were in the Gym Sequence, however with no-knowledge of the design of that Gym Machine, I couldn't possibly have seen it coming (nor do I understand why those weights swung down like they did: Why were the wires keeping them out? What purpose would it serve letting them swing down at all? Why not bolt them?).
Is it just me or did they break their own rule when killing McKinley too? The way it seems to work is that you can only save yourself or others through premonition. The trio ducked the fireworks (Which Death had set in motion) easily and they ended up killing McKinley. So what? By ducking they skipped Wendy? No, since McKinley was supposed to kill her. They killed McKinley and so that saved Wendy? No, if anyone killed McKinley it was Death and his Fireworks. Gah! The idea of McKinley being Death's chosen method was an excellent one, but the execution (in more ways than one) was disappointing.
+++END SPOILERS+++ If you haven't seen it, this is not the comment for you. I cannot express my rage at this film without revealing details of it. Please save your money, go see something else. Go pick up FD1 & 2. Please.
+++Ok, there are plenty of SPOILERS below for all 3 Final Destination films, it could not be avoided. There is also some angry ranting. Be warned.+++ Final Destination has a great premise. Hard to go wrong with it, in fact. Many of the major horror franchises thrive on original and over the top deaths and with FD the possibilities are infinite.
Final Destination 2 was a great sequel. It took much of the best features of the first film and cranked it up a notch or two.
Final Destination 3 is an example of a wonderful premise and a good franchise being squandered. The deaths, which this series lives by, were uninspiring in comparison to the previous instalments. The 'Big Sequence' of the Roller Coaster ride was fairly uneventful, in truth. Most of the deaths in that sequence were off camera (People falling out) or, due to the coaster's speed, a case of blink-and-you-miss-it. Compare that to the stellar Car Crash sequence in the second film and you realise that a Roller Coaster From Hell might sound great on paper, but it is an extremely linear ride, in all senses.
Then there are the slow build deaths. The first film had the long, drawn out death of the teacher. The second had the Kitchen -> Fire Escape sequence. Both of which kept you guessing right until the end. Extremely engaging film making. All the deaths in this came across as either 'BAM!' out of nowhere or blatantly obvious. The Tanning Sequence was indeed long and drawn out, but you could see where it was going right from the off. (And don't get me started on that 'Warning: Must'nt go over 250' Sticker. Suspension of disbelief collapsed in an instant.) The only attempts to throw you off the scent were in the Gym Sequence, however with no-knowledge of the design of that Gym Machine, I couldn't possibly have seen it coming (nor do I understand why those weights swung down like they did: Why were the wires keeping them out? What purpose would it serve letting them swing down at all? Why not bolt them?).
Is it just me or did they break their own rule when killing McKinley too? The way it seems to work is that you can only save yourself or others through premonition. The trio ducked the fireworks (Which Death had set in motion) easily and they ended up killing McKinley. So what? By ducking they skipped Wendy? No, since McKinley was supposed to kill her. They killed McKinley and so that saved Wendy? No, if anyone killed McKinley it was Death and his Fireworks. Gah! The idea of McKinley being Death's chosen method was an excellent one, but the execution (in more ways than one) was disappointing.
+++END SPOILERS+++ If you haven't seen it, this is not the comment for you. I cannot express my rage at this film without revealing details of it. Please save your money, go see something else. Go pick up FD1 & 2. Please.