Title: Final Destination Quadrology
Actors/Director/Anything Worth Mentioning Right Away: Devon Sawa is in the first one, Ali Larter is in the first two, Tony Todd is in the first three (The third one as voice only) and the second and fourth installments were directed by David R. Ellis (Snakes On A Plane)
Introduction: I only ever saw the first Final Destination when it came out on DVD probably, so the other three are new to me. I got them all as a four pack from the library.
Location: They take place in various locations and, yes, they had good budgets and were in theaters.
Plot: All four movies follow the same plotline, only with certain elements changed. In the first, Devon Sawa’s character envisions a plane crash he was supposed to be on. However, he- and several other students- got off the plane right before it actually did explode. The rest of the movie is spent with death trying to catch up to them. Ultimately, they all die. The second is with a giant pile up car crash rather than a plane. The third is about a rollercoaster. The fourth is centered around, yes, NASCAR.
Acting: The first and fourth movies both feature male characters who have the premonitions, whilst the second and third are female character orientated. Interesting to note. There is also an actor in the third movie named Battle Texas. I am not making this up.
Production: Again, these movies were in theaters and were also actually quite successful at the box office.
Sex/Nudity: Most of this occurs in the fourth movie.
Special Effects: The scenes look as realistic as they should, which is both magnificent and terrifying.
Overall Verdict: Toward the end of the second movie, I realized that these were all playing out the same way. I then also came to the realization that I- like most people probably- was watching these movies fully knowing that everyone was going to die and not looking for some secret to cheat death but rather just to see how the victims die. Plus, as the movies go on the characters get more annoying and you want them to die more horrid deaths. So what I’m going to do now (And my only real reason for writing this review) is provide you with my Top 4 Favorite Death Scenes, one from each movie and in order.
1) The teacher aka Valeria Lewton aka Val Lewton the famous movie maker. The first movie wasn’t nearly as over-the-top with the death scenes as the others became. They really came with more of a shock value than anything else. Most of (if not all) of them were under the same idea that you thought one thing was going to happen (bathtub electrocution) and then it went in another direction you weren’t thinking about (strangled). I did read that the “alka seltzer scene” in this movie went on longer than planned because test audiences took longer than they thought to get over the shocking death I like to call “girl gets hit by bus”. I don’t know why, but seeing people smashed by cars in movies will never get old for me. Maybe it is how I am destined to leave this world. In any event, the teacher dies by first having a piece from the computer slice her throat open, and then when she’s trying to grab the phone for help she ends up bringing down a large kitchen knife right to her chest. I read that they actually had her head coming out of a hole with a rubber body on the floor to simulate the stabbing. That, in some form, must still be kind of freaky for the actress.
Unanswered Question in the First Movie: If you are an actor like, say, Sean William Scott (Who does not spell his name that simply) and you have a scene where you’re decapitated, which warrants a fake head being made for you, at the wrap party do you get to keep the head? I think it depends on the actor/director/film company etc., but I do remember Lucy Liu saying she had her props from Kill Bill. I don’t know. I’d get in movies just to die and keep my body parts. Does that sound wrong?
2) The addict who gets sliced into pieces. Okay, most of the deaths in this movie, admittedly, weren’t that cool. I don’t know what David R. Ellis was doing exactly, maybe the studio told him not to go too overboard or something, but really, this movie was kind of tame other than this death. Sure, there was the shock factor of the kid blowing up with the barbeque at the end, but you know, again, all shock factor. When the addict guy died, it was one of the coolest things I’ve seen in all of cinema. As barbed wire ripped through him like you would pan for gold in the 1940’s, first his left arm fell off and then the rest of his body just kind of slumped over and fell to the ground like he was made of Play Doh. It was just awesome and a sight I believe everyone needs to see IN A MOVIE at least once in their life.
Unanswered Question in the Second Movie: When the one guy tried to kill himself, the gun wouldn’t do the job even though it had six bullets in it. So were they really duds or did they just have death’s magic powers over them? I mean, if the cop had tried to shoot someone later would the bullets have worked?
3) Texas Battle’s Head Gets Smashed In the Gym. Okay, first off, a lot of the characters share last names with movie directors throughout this entire franchise. That being said, Texas Battle (Yes, that is his real life name) is named “Lewis Romero”. If you don’t understand that reference right away, please don’t read my blog. Kthanxbye. In other news, after several twists and turns, he finally got his head smashed which was just a gruesome and “AWWHHHHH” inducing scene. Clearly the best part of this movie, though when the one random girl gets harpooned I thought it was kind of neat.
Unanswered Question in the Third Movie: In Japan, this movie’s title translated to “Final Deathcoaster”. Can someone find me a reasonably priced poster that says that on it?
4) Girl Who Gets Killed in the Beginning by a Flying Tire. Yes, I know, she didn’t have a very big role, but it was still one of the best deaths in this movie. The guy who got stuck to the bottom of the pool was all right, but I like to swim so that doesn’t count. Drowning isn’t as funny to me as it used to be, but really, I never thought drowning was an effective way to show death in movies because it’s so boring.
Unanswered Question in the Fourth Movie: Why was the racist guy simply known as “The Racist”? Is it because if they gave him a name, then that name would forever be associated with racism? I’m not saying he’s worthy of a name, since he did use the n-word, but how does that actor take that job and then audition for other roles. “Umm… Yeah, I was the racist in The Final Destination” “What? You’re racist? NEXT!”
My final piece of advice for you to make your movie viewing experience that much better is that when someone is about to die (and you can tell) in any of the movies, simply say “Well, at least she’s leaving this world the same way she came into it—in a tanning bed”. It makes it funny, even if just that little bit more.
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