Spooky Season 2022: Final Destination 5 Review

If the title was of any indication, The Final Destination was intended to be the final installment in the franchise but like anything in Hollywood, money talks and with how highly successful it was, it wasn’t long before a sequel was rushed into production. Final Destination 5 had virtually everything going against in leading up to its release. It was coming off the worst installment in the franchise, had the shortest amount of time between releases which wasn’t a good sign after how lazy the last film was and felt extremely unnecessary. But to everyone’s surprise not only is Final Destination 5 arguably the most well put together film in the franchise but it also might be the very best and has most certainly become a fan favorite in the years following its release.

Once again Final Destination 5 follows the same formula as the rest of the series where Sam Lawton (D’Agosto) is on his way to a company retreat with his co-workers when he has a premonition that the bridge their bus is stuck in traffic on is going to collapse and kill almost everybody on it. Just like the other films, a select few are able to escape the tragedy and then start to realize death is hunting them one by one. This film adds a few new twists and turns to the story that thankfully don’t convolute it and add a much-needed breath of fresh air to the franchise.

This film offers the rare instance of filmmakers actually listening to the complaints about the last installment and fixing almost all of them. The deaths in this are a huge step up from its predecessor and some are in contention for the best in the franchise. The tension in the death sequences has never been higher or more effective and successfully sets up so many red herrings before executing the death. The gymnasium sequence and the laser eye surgery scene are this franchise at it’s very best. This film had the same budget as the last film and has almost as much CGI but thankfully it is greatly improved this time around. The CGI is thankfully used far less during the deaths (although it is still there) which have reverted back to mostly practical gore effects that look expectedly gnarly. The bridge collapse sequence rivals the highway sequence from Final Destination 2 as the best opening in the franchise and thankfully feels different from the rest.

The acting still isn’t great especially from the lesser-known actors in the cast but it is still a big improvement from The Final Destination as these films work better when the characters involved in the accident know each other beforehand. The characters receive some improvement this time around and feel unique in their own ways. The cast all have good chemistry together and it’s very easy to buy them as friends and co-workers. D’Agosto makes for a capable lead while David Koechner and P.J. Byrne give the film a comedic edge that’s surprisingly very welcome. It’s also nice seeing Tony Todd back once again especially for more than a single scene and although he’s mostly just dumping exposition again, it actually works for the story and feels necessary.

Final Destination 5 won’t convert anyone who’s not already a fan of this franchise but for those who are, it delivers the best and most fun experience since the original. Almost everything that has been criticized in the past has been greatly improved this time around, all culminating with a final twist that is as equally shocking as it is gleefully-twisted. The film also serves as a better final installment than the one they intended to be with a great montage of every single death shown during the credits. It’s a shame it took them so long to make another film after the high everyone was on after this came out but at least it’s finally coming soon.

still courtesy of New Line Cinema

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Connor Carey

www.connorsmoviereviews.com/