OMG, 3D!

“The Final Destination” is the 4th film in the franchise and the first in 3D, which, in other words, means that the effects are pretty bad… but they’re in 3D! Watching this movie, I was reminded of watching “Jaws 3” all over again the acting is bad, the script is terrible… but it’s all in 3D! Okay, enough of that. Anyways, the first “Final Destination” movie was a fairly tense thriller with some good gore for horror fans. It had an interesting plot and included a few up-and-coming actors, including Devon Sawa, Ali Larter and Seann William Scott . This movie, however… well, it’s pretty much the exact opposite. It’s amazing how much things can change in less than a decade.

If you’re familiar with the plots of the previous films, then this one’s pretty easy to figure out, only this time the giant accident that kills a ton of people is at a NASCAR-like race. Nick (Bobby Campo) has a premonition involving the aforementioned massive accident unfolding at the track and tries to warn everyone to leave before it comes true. However, everyone thinks that he’s insane (as most people would), but a select few people are kicked out when Nick makes a fuss and are therefore saved. However, this doesn’t last long as death sets out to collect those that have escaped in intricate, unusual ways.

If the viewer is able to get past the overly recycled plot and the uber-cheesy 3D effects, they’ll find a fun little movie; it’s mighty terrible, but still fun nonetheless. Fraught with bad acting and a horrible script, the only thing it has going for it, like its predecessor “Final Destination 3” is how gory and over the top the deaths are. The filmmakers try to make the deaths even more exaggerated with the use of 3D; but those end up looking really bad, and the 3D only makes the effects’ suckiness come out with even greater clarity.

Death has gotten extremely lazy in “The Final Destination;” while it sets up a series of intricate fatalities, it generally tends to opt for the easiest one to pull off (for instance, a rock being shot out of a lawnmower). It even goes on to rip-off previous films in the series by having the involvement of a nail gun, which was a prop used in a death in the third movie; and even recycles one very memorable casualty from the first movie almost completely, merely substituting one type of vehicle for another.

The frequency with which our hero has premonitions is absolutely ridiculous and they are used far too extensively. They are way more involved than in previous films in the series. Instead of just being able to follow the signs of possible doom, he has frequent premonitions; and the plot is full of holes the size of the Grand Canyon. For instance, Nick and some of his friends seem to end up in places right as someone is about to die, which, much like in the first film, should make some people (namely the police) suspicious... but who cares? There’s no time for that!

The movies I was reminded of most while watching “Final Destination 3” were those in the “Saw” series and like I mentioned earlier, “Jaws 3.” I think the Jaws 3 comparison is pretty easy to understand, considering the 3D effects in this movie are just about as good (or bad, most will argue) as they are in that terrible (but hilarious) “Jaws” entry. However, the reason why “Saw” pops up is because of how elaborate death is in setting up crazy fatalities, only to use the laziest possible scenario to finish up the deed.

While I know this review has sounded mostly negative, that doesn’t mean I didn’t have at least a little fun. “The Final Destination” is very entertaining in that “it’s so bad, it’s good” sort of way and the filmmakers obviously know this and have a good time with the material. This is what, in the end, makes the movie entertaining. So, if you’re looking for a brilliant thriller with good effects and decent chills, I’d stay clear of this one. However, if you’re just interested in seeing a stupid horror sequel and burning two hours of extra time (in 3D!), then go for it. You won’t be better or smarter afterwards, but you’ll have had a few good laughs in the process, which, sometimes, is all that matters… oh and did I mention that it’s in 3D?