Final Destination

[cfr1970]

This is one of my favorite horror films that I always enjoy on rewatch. I first saw it in theaters when it was released and I must have seen it about half dozen times since and each time is just as good as the first.

What's interesting is when I first saw it I took all the deaths serious and found them all scary....but now when I watched tonight, I laughed when the characters met the intricate and unusual circumstances of their demise.

The chaperone of the trip who died in her house is my favorite scene (other than the opening plane crash of course). Back when I first saw it, I was terrified at all the steps taken that led to her death and gasped in horror when she reached for the rag and the knife falls from the counter. Tonight....I laughed.

I guess with age comes an appreciation for darker humor? And when Alex arrived and was about to help her and something falls to push the knife further into her gut that finished her off I LOL'd.

Maybe I just didn't see the humor back then because I was too scared.

I love the concept of being hunted by death itself because a serial killer you can at least make a run from....but you can't with death and that makes it all the more frightening.

The suspense with each of the deaths is the fun part....when you see little things start happening in the scene, you wonder how they're going to meet their demise.

I loved both the bathroom and chaperone lady deaths. The girl getting hit by the bus is startling, but also the worst death because it comes off too fake. You see the small town they're in and there's absolutely NO way a bus would be speeding down the street like that without hearing and seeing it coming way in advance.

That part always irked me and I wish that girl had a more inventive death than that because it made no sense. I can drop some amount of logic when watching these types of films, but that scene was asking for too much from me.

Speaking of logical....I do wonder if death is an entity that carries out these "designs", then why not just give them instant heart attacks to do them in if they escape their fate? (I know, it wouldn't be a fun horror film lol. But I can't help wondering why Death doesn't just make them die in their sleep.)

And speaking of the "designs", every time I watch this film, the whole thing about the seat arrangement, where the explosions went, and who was supposed to die in order always confuses the hell out of me that I don't even bother trying to figure it all out.

I would have to stop the movie and draw diagrams like in the film to understand it. The plane blew up so wouldn't everyone pretty much die at the same time?

How Alex figured out there was this plan who would die by order was far fetched. I know the Candyman (love him!) told him about death's design...but I always wonder how he took it as there being an order to the survivor's deaths. I don't think that was something that could've been figured out.

These films aren't meant to make you overthink them but the logical part of me always questions things. Still it's such a fun movie that never gets old on repeated viewings.

And after 20 years, it really hasn't aged at all and holds up incredibly well. I think the next one if the highway one which I really enjoyed, and then comes the amusement park in part 3 I think...and part 4 is the racetrack...and part 5 is the bridge?

I don't want to look at the Wikipedia pages to confirm because even though I seen them all, I don't want to be spoiled. I think you can be spoiled on films you've seen because there can be scenes you forgotten until you see them again, and i'd rather remember them while watching than reading it.

But I THINK I got them all in order...did I?

I now wonder if they ever have plans for another one. This is a series i'd love to see continue on.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

The chaperone of the trip who died in her house is my favorite scene (other than the opening plane crash of course). Back when I first saw it, I was terrified at all the steps taken that led to her death and gasped in horror when she reached for the rag and the knife falls from the counter. Tonight....I laughed.

I guess with age comes an appreciation for darker humor? And when Alex arrived and was about to help her and something falls to push the knife further into her gut that finished her off I LOL'd.

Maybe I just didn't see the humor back then because I was too scared.

My favorite from part 1 is the bathroom scene. It really brings to light all the safety hazards in there It made me paranoid always checking for leaks and the outlets not sparking when plugging things in.

I didn't like the teacher lady so I didn't mind when she died. She was mean to Alex who was trying to help everyone. Her death scene is comical with the way she portrayed it. Her neck gets cut by the monitor breaking and she has this facial expression while walking to the kitchen like she's becoming possessed. Then when she slips in the kitchen and pulls the rag with knives stabbing her in the chest, Alex stupidly pulls the knife out of her putting his fingerprints on the handle They didn't think how dumb that was when writing the scene.

Originally Posted by cfr1970

The girl getting hit by the bus is startling, but also the worst death because it comes off too fake. You see the small town they're in and there's absolutely NO way a bus would be speeding down the street like that without hearing and seeing it coming way in advance.

That part always irked me and I wish that girl had a more inventive death than that because it made no sense. I can drop some amount of logic when watching these types of films, but that scene was asking for too much from me.

One of the reasons the bus scene may seem fake is because a lot of movies and tv shows imitate that as one way to kill someone. It's been mention so many times and acted out. It gets old.

Originally Posted by cfr1970

The plane blew up so wouldn't everyone pretty much die at the same time?

Not necessarily. As we saw, some people died before others on the plane. Death had a schedule of which ones died in order. That's why death came after them in the order they would have died on the plane.

Originally Posted by cfr1970

How Alex figured out there was this plan who would die by order was far fetched. I know the Candyman (love him!) told him about death's design...but I always wonder how he took it as there being an order to the survivor's deaths. I don't think that was something that could've been figured out.

Well when the survivors started dying, Alex and Clear were trying to figure out what was happening. It was making sense that death was coming after them for cheating death. There was an order in how they died on the plane so death was following that specific plan to keep things how they were meant to be.

Originally Posted by cfr1970

I think the next one if the highway one which I really enjoyed, and then comes the amusement park in part 3 I think...and part 4 is the racetrack...and part 5 is the bridge?

You are correct.

Originally Posted by cfr1970

I now wonder if they ever have plans for another one. This is a series i'd love to see continue on.

Part 5 was a wrap up on the series. The ending was made as a finale so if they make another one, it would probably be a reboot. I hope they don't because I like how this series ended. We saw with Freddy, Jason, and Michael the reboots are never as good as the originals. They either try new things to make it different but fail or they keep it the exact same as the original which is a waste of time because the original is always better. I haven't read anything about a new Final Destination movie so I hope it's done.

[Torgo]

This is one of those franchises I introduced to my daughter when she was younger, she now owns them all. A couple of years ago I re watched the entire franchise. I think they're all fun. The highlight of course is the big opening showing where the characters should have died, my favorite is the one from part 2.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by Torgo

This is one of those franchises I introduced to my daughter when she was younger, she now owns them all. A couple of years ago I re watched the entire franchise. I think they're all fun. The highlight of course is the big opening showing where the characters should have died, my favorite is the one from part 2.

Part 2’s opening is my favorite as well. I usually avoid highways if I can because of how graphic that wreck was The racetrack in 4 is my least favorite opening. Part 3 was ok. 5 was pretty good with the bridge. Here’s my rank of the opening disasters:

Part 2
Part 5
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by Christopher

My favorite from part 1 is the bathroom scene. It really brings to light all the safety hazards in there It made me paranoid always checking for leaks and the outlets not sparking when plugging things in.

Whenever I finish these films, for a while i'm hyper aware of the surroundings at home. I think it's in part 2 where the guy dies while cooking in the kitchen and that one made me afraid of the kitchen for a while.

Originally Posted by Christopher

I didn't like the teacher lady so I didn't mind when she died. She was mean to Alex who was trying to help everyone. Her death scene is comical with the way she portrayed it. Her neck gets cut by the monitor breaking and she has this facial expression while walking to the kitchen like she's becoming possessed. Then when she slips in the kitchen and pulls the rag with knives stabbing her in the chest, Alex stupidly pulls the knife out of her putting his fingerprints on the handle They didn't think how dumb that was when writing the scene.

In previous viewings I too didn't like the teacher, but watching this time, I understood her more. She's suffering from incredible guilt for telling the French teacher to take her place on the plane, and Alex's premonition scared her as she told him at the memorial.

I think her behavior was normal and this time I didn't find her mean, but terrified. Remember when Clear told Alex when he was kicked off the plane after his vision, she said she felt what he was feeling too. She couldn't explain it, but while she didn't see his vision, she felt what he was feeling.

I think on some level the teacher felt it too and it scared the crap out of her. She probably knew his vision was real and that she was going to die soon. This time watching I felt bad for her...though I still laughed when that final push of the knife did her in.

I agree Alex pulling the knife out of her was dumb. She was dead so why bother doing that?

Originally Posted by Christopher

One of the reasons the bus scene may seem fake is because a lot of movies and tv shows imitate that as one way to kill someone. It's been mention so many times and acted out. It gets old.

The bus scene is the only part of the movie that's weak. Not just because it seems fake, but it's completely implausible. On a small street like that, a bus wouldn't just come out of nowhere at 60mph lol.

Had it been a NYC street where traffic is crazy, then it would've been more believable.

Originally Posted by Christopher

Not necessarily. As we saw, some people died before others on the plane. Death had a schedule of which ones died in order. That's why death came after them in the order they would have died on the plane.

Well when the survivors started dying, Alex and Clear were trying to figure out what was happening. It was making sense that death was coming after them for cheating death. There was an order in how they died on the plane so death was following that specific plan to keep things how they were meant to be.

This always confuses me. Even if I accept that they figured out there was an order to who died first and last on the plane, one person saving another and messing up Death's plan then makes Death skip over them and goes to the next person or breaks the chain is so confusing.

It makes me start thinking of who died here and who saved who there and now who's next on Death's list that i'd need a notepad just to keep up.

It's all fun but a lot of thinking to do while watching the movie. Like in the end where the sign fell and Carter pushed Alex out of the way. He broke the chain but made Death skip over Alex and got Carter next when the sign came back. So did the sign get Alex too?

I remember in Part 2 Clear is in a rubber room and I think Alex is dead. (BTW I never understood why they named this character that because I always think they meant Clare lol. "Clear" is not a name!)

I saw the alternate ending on You Tube after watching and it was interesting but I prefer the regular ending with the sign. And all these years, I never got that the sign said "180" on it (same as their flight number) until reading the comments below the YT video. That's pretty cool.

Originally Posted by Christopher

Part 5 was a wrap up on the series. The ending was made as a finale so if they make another one, it would probably be a reboot. I hope they don't because I like how this series ended. We saw with Freddy, Jason, and Michael the reboots are never as good as the originals. They either try new things to make it different but fail or they keep it the exact same as the original which is a waste of time because the original is always better. I haven't read anything about a new Final Destination movie so I hope it's done.

I have a vague memory that part 5 wrapped up where part 1 begins like it all comes full circle. But I forget the specifics of how they connected it all so I can't wait to get to that again to see. (Please don't explain it to me! You know I don't like spoils! )

I Googled "Final Destination Part 6" and saw an article from this year saying a new film is in the works. I definitely welcome it because this is such a fun franchise that can easily be rebooted with endless new stories to tell.

Unlike the Friday or Freddy films, there's no killer needed to come back since Death is an unseen entity. Even though the whole series came full circle in 1 to 5, it can definitely be rebooted because Death is ongoing in this world so it's totally logical that others escape their fate and Death comes to reclaim them.

The article didn't give too much specifics, but did mentioned EMTs, Police, and Firefighters would be the focus. I wonder if they're going to go down the route that people saving lives is interfering with Death's design. That could be interesting and fun.

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Part 2’s opening is my favorite as well. I usually avoid highways if I can because of how graphic that wreck was The racetrack in 4 is my least favorite opening. Part 3 was ok. 5 was pretty good with the bridge. Here’s my rank of the opening disasters:

Part 2
Part 5
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

Add me to Part 2 being a favorite. I remember seeing it when it came out and scared to drive home on the highway afterwards. I think it's the most suspenseful and realistic opening of the series.

I need to see the others again to rank them, but I think I also liked the bridge a lot too.

[JamesG]

I know I’ve seen the first 3 and I should get to the rest. I have the original DVD in those old WB snapper cases and it had this cool game where you can predict the year of your death. You don’t see many companies do things like that anymore... especially putting the DVDs in the computer for CD-rom features.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Part 2’s opening is my favorite as well. I usually avoid highways if I can because of how graphic that wreck was The racetrack in 4 is my least favorite opening. Part 3 was ok. 5 was pretty good with the bridge. Here’s my rank of the opening disasters:

Part 2
Part 5
Part 1
Part 3
Part 4

Yes, the racetrack one looked too cartoony. I'd say that's pretty close to how I'd rank them.

[Torgo]

Originally Posted by JamesG

I know I’ve seen the first 3 and I should get to the rest. I have the original DVD in those old WB snapper cases and it had this cool game where you can predict the year of your death. You don’t see many companies do things like that anymore... especially putting the DVDs in the computer for CD-rom features.

I miss those interactive DVDs. I think the Harry Potter ones let you tour the school and make spells. And the Yellow Submarine, the submarine on the menu was interactive, by clicking various parts of it different things would pop out make noise.

[dakert]

I enjoyed the first 2 movies. I liked the first one because they took it so serious. Whenever I am driving behind a trailer loaded up with timber I think of the 2nd movie.

[cfr1970]

Well, no movie this Saturday night.

The 5 pack dvd collection I have doesn't have any Subtitles or Closed Captioning for the Part 2 film which I only found out when I sat down and got all comfortable to watch tonight.

I always check the back of the case for the CC or SDH logo before buying dvds, since I need them and this does show both logos on it, so I feel gypped now because it doesn't say "except for Part 2". Shame on the studio for false advertising and misleading viewers. I should write them and demand a refund.

After that happened, I popped in the other discs to check the remaining films and parts 3, 4 & 5 are subtitled. So i'll have to shell out 4 bucks and stream Part 2 on Amazon next week. Grrrr.

[Christopher]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

Well, no movie this Saturday night.

The 5 pack dvd collection I have doesn't have any Subtitles or Closed Captioning for the Part 2 film which I only found out when I sat down and got all comfortable to watch tonight.

I always check the back of the case for the CC or SDH logo before buying dvds, since I need them and this does show both logos on it, so I feel gypped now because it doesn't say "except for Part 2". Shame on the studio for false advertising and misleading viewers. I should write them and demand a refund.

After that happened, I popped in the other discs to check the remaining films and parts 3, 4 & 5 are subtitled. So i'll have to shell out 4 bucks and stream Part 2 on Amazon next week. Grrrr.

Instead of demanding a refund, ask for a copy of part 2 with subtitles or closed captioning. Part 2 has to be available somewhere with subtitles or closed captioning. It's not that old of a film. I'm glad the remaining films have subtitles for you.

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Instead of demanding a refund, ask for a copy of part 2 with subtitles or closed captioning. Part 2 has to be available somewhere with subtitles or closed captioning. It's not that old of a film. I'm glad the remaining films have subtitles for you.

Oh it definitely exists because years ago I rented part 2 and it had them. I even see on e bay listings the CC logo on the back of the box for Part 2.

This 5 pack has been accused of being bootleg or burned copies according to some Amazon reviews I looked at last night. The films aren't even on separate discs except for Part 5.

You have 1 & 2 on the same disc as well as parts 3 & 4. (The Nightmare Collection I have did that too though) If you go to Amazon, the first review showing for the FD 5 pack has pics of the discs and the menus. I then went to Warner Bros. website to check for it and they don't even sell this 5 pack even though their name is listed as the distributor on the box.

On Warner website they only sell the individual films. But I will shoot them an email to request a copy of Part 2 with the CC and see if they comply.

In a nice coincidence though, Redbox sent me a $1.00 off streaming rental this morning, so with that, I can rent Part 2 for just $1.99.

[cfr1970]

Warner Bros. replied to my e mail already:

Thank you for your email and my apologies for the inconvenience you have experienced. Please note that our offices are closed due to the current events; however, once I am back in the office, I will start the exchange process for you.

Kind regards,

Sherri Bogard

Warner Bros. Customer Service



My only concern is who knows when these "current events" will put her back in the office and even then, will she remember to ship the captioned dvd to me? I won't be holding my breath for it.

[cfr1970]

Watched Part 2 tonight on Redbox streaming and it reminded my why it's my absolute favorite of the series. (though my feelings could change after I rewatch the next 3 parts---but I doubt it)

The car crash scene is so much fun to watch, though I was reminded by a small nitpick i've always had with this scene.

In the girl's vision, the accident occurs well after they're driving on the highway from the on ramp. Like a good 5 to 10 minutes of driving until the accident happens...yet when she wakes from it and doesn't get on the highway, the accident literally occurs immediately past the exit.

This inconsistency always bothered me and I don't know why they filmed it like this. They could've easily showed the explosion burst up into the sky from further away to be in line with her vision.

Unless they were trying to convey that death's design altered things when she didn't get onto the highway? It's all I can come up with to justify the change.

I also wondered why the people in the cars behind her would have to go to the police station afterwards. I know they had to come together for the story to evolve, but there just seemed no logical reason for the other car passengers to be taken to the station too. Wouldn't they have just turned around and went on their way?!

And I had forgotten how they tied the victims in part 2 to part 1. I actually love how they did this and think it's pretty clever.

Since the people who were supposed to have died on flight 180 lived, their continued existence then caused other people, who were supposed to have died to wind up living and therefore messed up death's plan for them I think that's actually brilliant storytelling and totally forgot that part.

On the other hand, it also made me wonder about the people who wound up dying in the highway crash that wouldn't have had everyone on the ramp got on the highway. With those cars out of the equation now, surely other cars had filled their spaces in the crash and died when they shouldn't have?

I love the kills in this one. They're all full of suspense and the one with the kid getting crushed by the crash always makes me cringe. It's so horrible and disgusting, but it's also hysterical when they showed the flat body bag on the stretcher. I felt terrible for laughing at that though.

And that kill wasn't really Death's fault but the girl's for screaming out "PIGEONS!" like a hysterical idiot which only turned the kid's attention to them and go "Here pidgy pidgy pidgy"..splat!

I had forgotten that Clear died in this so when she opened the door and the oxygen blew up and fried her to a crisp I was shocked. Before that happened I was trying to remember what happens to her in this one....I almost thought she was the one person who survived the series.

I do question the ending though. I get that a new life that wasn't supposed to be born cancels out death's design, so how does the girl purposely killing herself to be brought back in the hospital count as a "new life"? Technically, she's just brought back to continue her existing one.

I think I would've rather had the ending as the one they fooled us to think it was coming to, which was the pregnant woman giving birth. But they had to toss a stupid twist in there regarding her instead (I won't say what that is in case those who haven't seen it are reading this).

Where they were going with that was logical and made sense. Being born is a new life, but being resuscitated isn't imo.

But even with the nitpicks, this is my favorite one and I hope Warner makes do on their promise to send me a replacement dvd because this is definitely one I want to have in my collection to watch again and again.