Spotlight on: FINAL DESTINATION

Well, this Friday the forth entry in the supernatural horror franchise Final Destination, ingeniously named The Final Destination (what pt 4 was already taken?!) opens up. Lame and lazy title aside (should we thank Fast and Furious for this?), I am looking forward to it, in particular thanks to the 3D gimmick, which if any franchise would benefit from it and work well with it, it would be this one. Anyways, here are my thoughts/ reviews of the first three. All reviews are out of 4 stars.

- A dude (Devon Sawa) gets a premonition of the plane that he and his classmates are getting on will blow up. He, along with his hottie teacher (Kristin Cloke) and a few of his classmates, get kicked off the plane. The plane blows up. Soon, there after, they begin to die one by one, as there is no escape from death.
The idea of death as a supernatural entity that kills and has a predestined and inescapable fate for all is an interesting and original one. The creative deaths are cool, with the gory and shocking bus accident death of an annoying blonde chick being the highlight. Out of all the accidents this plane one freaks me out the most, probably cause I ain't a big fan of flying to begin with. The characters, for the most part, are likable, and the acting is solid. The movie also gave introduced me to the beautiful Ali Larter, who has been a favorite of mine ever since. This remains my fav entry in the series. ***1/2

- A pretty, young girl (A.J. Cook) has a premonition of a horrible car pile-up accident (THE series' best accident scene, so far), and soon she and a group of others escape death. But, as they begin to die, she, along with a cop (Michael Landes), seek help from the only remaining person still alive from the first film, Clear Rivers (the gorgeous Ali Larter). They try to figure death's plan this time, and, of course try to beat it in the process.
There are less likable characters in this one, but the acting of the lead and Larter are good. And, the deaths are far gorier this time around. An impressive death by falling glass and a barb wire one are especially memorable. The pace is fast and the plot fun and well done. The movie has a wicked sense of humor and proves to be sick fun. A great time to be had for sure, this is my favorite sequel, so far. ***1/2

- This time around a cutie (Mary Elizabeth Winston) gets the premonition and thus her and her classmates get off a roller coaster before they all die. Of course, she has to figure out death's plan to keep them alive.
No one comes back from the first two films, except Tony Todd (who played the creepy corner in the first two), but he is only a voice. Regardless, this is a super fun time. There are even less likable characters in this one. In fact other than the leads, and the cute airheads, everyone is kind of a dick in this film. But, you won't care. It is so much fun to get through. The pace is fast and the deaths are extra gory and creative. Nailgun to the head, impaling, crushed body, motors to head, and most awesome of all, a killer head crushing. The accident scene is the weakest in the series due to it all happening to fast, but the climax is fucking killer an blew me away. That wicked sense of humor returns and keeps things rocking. There are lots of cute girls and some nice nudity thrown in. Truly a killer ride that confirms this as one of the best and most fun horror franchises in the last few years. I love this fucking series! ***1/2

I won't be seeing the new flim this weekend but hope do so very soon. And, FYI, I am even more pumped up about Rob Zombie's Halloween II. For my thoughts on that series go here: http://themastergio.blogspot.com/2008/10/spotlight-on-halloween.html

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