John’s Movie Musings

We all have our guilty pleasures. By definition, these are the things that cause us to… well, have you ever seen the face of a man caught singing Lady Gaga in his car? Yeah, that.

In film, the Final Destination movies sit at the top of my list.  If you’re unfamiliar with the series, the premise is simple:  A bunch of teens escape death in the first scene, then are picked off one by one by an invisible, perturbed Grim Reaper.  What makes these movies great is the casting of Rube Goldberg as Death.  Everyone bites it in ways that shift the series from horror to accidental comedy.  You laugh more than you scream.

For The Final Destination, the series goes 3D.  You’ll get poked in the eye from everything you expect, but little things like camera zooms through a fence also show up.  Sure, most of these are a gimmick, but hopefully that’s why you bought your ticket.  When you catch this in the theater, count how many people you see waving their hands in front of them.

Technologically, the effects show how much Hollywood still has to learn about the third dimension.  Whereas the previous movies all used fake blood, here it’s all CG.  I’m assuming it’s so they could accurately toss it in your face.  It’s not a big problem considering all the hand waving you’ll be doing, but it’ll be very annoying in 2D.

The Final Destination is for 3D viewing only.  If that’s simply not possible for you, rent the others.  They’re all the same – served on a plate of pleasure with a side of guilt.

Grade: B-