New Review: Final Destination 5 3D

So, after Christmas, a hungover and cranky Santa brought me a belated gift in the form of a new 59" 3D television.  Though initially ambivalent about the 3D feature, I have found it to be universally better than 3D effects in the theater.  I tell you that to tell you this - Final Destination 5  is better than you think it is.  After watching every 3D movie I could get my mitts on, I came to the conclusion that, not only do I like this technology, but horror movies are having the most fun with it.  So, for you 2D-centric folks (and you people sicken me), some of the positives in this review will relate to the 3D.  You've been warned.

The Final Destination franchise has a pretty basic formula: vision of a crazy accident, manic protagonist (in this case Sam Lawton as played by Nicholas D'Agosto) has a hissy fit and saves himself and his friends/colleagues from the disaster in the vision.  Then, Death, who hates to get short shrift, stalks the stinking cheaters and kills them in elaborate ways.  Pretty basic, very utilitarian, but it works. 

In this installment of the Rube Goldberg-esque series, Sam witnesses the collapse of a suspension bridge while he and his co-workers are off to a company retreat.  He and his recent ex-girlfriend, Molly (Emma Bell), survive the devastation along with Best Friend, Best Friend's Girl, Hot Friend, Black Guy, the Office Jerk and the Boss.  We're not here for razor wire-sharp characterization are we? 

As you would imagine, the pretty young co-workers begin dying in horribly elaborate ways, which leads to the biggest downside of the film - the characters' discovery of their peril.  This is, admittedly, difficult to manage, and it doesn't take long for them to grasp the nature of their dilemma, but it is a bit of a slough for the Final Destination-initiated viewer.  When we know far more than the characters on screen, it drains some of the tension from the movie as a whole.  There is a nice wrinkle I don't recall from other entries in the franchise in which, if you happen to have someone die near you when your number is up, you get the rest of their life.  That presents a new dimension of morality, where one could, theoretically, kill a stranger and have Death pass by your door.

Speaking of slowdowns, the final confrontation between Sam and Molly and another character determined to live, by which I mean kill Molly to steal her remaining time, is a letdown.  While much of the film displays a morbid ingenuity, this third act showdown feels less energetic and clever than the previous two acts, but is redeemed by a fun little twist in the film's final moments.

But let's talk about the mayhem.  The initial bridge scene is a doozy and one of the more epic-feeling disasters in the series.  The best since, perhaps, the insane car pile-up of FD 2.  With the film shot natively in 3D, and with director Steven Quale at the lens, who shot second unit for a little 3D movie called Avatar, the effects truly do enhance the chaos of the bridge collapse, including one 'comin' atcha' gag that brings a smile to the face.  The following death scenes are an exercise in teasing the viewer.  We know that, when Best Friend's Girl begins doing gymnastics on those parallel bars with the loose screw, Death is about to come knocking.  But Quale and writer Eric Heisserer know we know, so they play with everything in the environment, giving us these deadly ingredients and toying with how these elements will ultimately come together.  The same move was used in FD 2 to equally good effect.

At the end of the day, you've seen this movie.  You know people are going to die in freakish ways, you know that these characters will meet their makers in a particular order and your job is to sit back and be entertained by it all.  And, you know what?  I was.  Thoroughly entertained.  The acting is a step up from the previous film, the effects are fun and the 3D actually does enhance the viewing experience.  If you enjoyed the first two in the series, give this one a spin.  It's a perfect compliment to the series, but let's not overstay our welcome, okay, Final Destination?