The latest chapter in this sadistic yet highly entertaining horror series is the cinematic equivalent of a slow and painful death. Absent is the charm, shocks and ingenuity of what has come before and instead we are left with a bore of mind numbing proportions. Admittedly this is a
Final Destination film and looking for substance would prove futile but the plot and characters are so poorly developed you’ll probably find more entertainment in the unintentional laughter coming from your fellow cinemagoers. With the coming barrage of 3D films this just proves that what sucks in two dimensions, will surely suck in three dimension.
The Final Destination 3D follows almost identically the much loved story structure of the previous three entries. You know the deal; teenager has a premonition that everyone is going to die, teenager cheats death and saves his friends, teenager and friends are hunted by death and killed in ever increasingly imaginative ways, the end. Rest assured dear reader that the new entry does not vary on the core idea in the slightest, making every single plot turn predictable to the finest detail.
The great:
This is a 3D film and while infinitely inferior to
My Bloody Valentine 3D, there is a novelty factor that may appeal to less discerning viewers. There are a few impalements throughout the film that make excellent use of the burgeoning technology and use it to great effect.
The good:
As fans of the series will know every movie has a large disaster scene that sets up the events for the rest of the film. This time around we are treated to an introductory chapter of brutal carnage in a speedway that gets the film off to a great start. This is by far the most visceral and gruesome set piece of the series and will surely please fans of the genre.
The not so good:
After the clever introduction and opening credits the film falls to the depths of mediocrity and never recovers. The cast is quite possibly the most uninteresting group people ever put to film. This is a combination of a script that fails in every respect to present a single interesting character and the horrible excuse for acting on display. The death scenes that make the series so memorable require the viewer to care or at the very least hate the character in question and unfortunately indifference just makes the whole experience immediately forgettable.
I have always been a big fan of the series as it took the standard teenage slasher film of the late 90s and added an interesting nihilistic and existentialist subtext. The sequels managed to build on this idea while creating new and interesting ways to dispose the unwitting cast. This supposedly final chapter brings nothing new and takes the once great series down the tired and boring path tread by too many of the great horror franchises.
The Final Destination 3D opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday, October 15.
You can view The Final Destination 3D movie trailer here on TheVine.