It would be easy to dismiss Final Destination 2 as just another tragic teen flick. Such movies rarely win critical acclaim in their first outings, let alone with a rehashed sequel to continue the franchise. But while the sequel to the 2000 hit wins no prizes for covering new ground, it certainly ... Read review
For every beginning there is an end...Final Destination 2, the sequel to the hit 2000 ... more
supernatural thriller, finds Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) the only survivor of the crash of Flight 180. Locked away by her own choice in the perceived safety of a psychi...
Lets be realistic. No one is ever going to make the case that either of theFinal ... more
Destinationfilms should be laden with awards and awash with critical acclaim. Yet in their own ways, both punch above their weight. This welcome double pack, released to coincide with the theatrical release ofFinal Destination 3, offers ample evidence why.The first is the better of the two, and it sets the premise up well. After a dramatic near-death experience, correctly foreseen by one of their number, a group of young friends soon find that not all is as it seems. Death, it seems, is coming back for them one at a time, and thats an excuse for some intricate set pieces as the group find themselves in immense danger, as they try to puzzle out how to alter deaths plans. The second works surprisingly well too. Okay, it does little more than photocopy a winning formula, but its set pieces are that bit more over-the-top to compensate, and while it barely has an original moment in its running time, it is a genuine hoot.Both films have a handy selection of shock moments, and both motor through at enough speed to paper over any cracks. And the end result in both cases is an enjoyable, sprightly ride, best enjoyed with the brain switched to neutral.--Simon Brew
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Advantages: Well paced, never loses direction and surprisingly intelligent Disadvantages: An unknown and redundant cast with minimal character investment
...would be easy to dismiss Final Destination 2 as just another tragic teen flick. Such movies rarely win critical acclaim in their first outings, let alone with a rehashed sequel to continue the franchise. But while the sequel to the 2000 hit wins no prizes for covering new ground, it certainly lives up to the expectancy bestowed on it by its core fans.
The premise is simple. You don't mess with the plan of death. What is death's plan? ... ...startling introduction to what the Final Destination series is all about. In kicking off with Kimberly's premonition, we're greeted to a adrenaline pumping blitz of GFX and high octane action that you'd usually find in the final quarter of a movie. At the crescendo of the madness, we're hastily brought back to reality and Kimberly's ghast at the chain of events beginning to unfold is our own. It's something that has taken on new meaning given the ... more
It would be easy to dismiss Final Destination 2 as just another tragic teen flick. Such movies rarely win critical acclaim in their first outings, let alone with a rehashed sequel to continue the franchise. But while the sequel to the 2000 hit wins no prizes for covering new ground, it certainly lives up to the expectancy bestowed on it by its core fans.
The premise is simple. You don't mess with the plan of death. What is death's plan? This is the question that Final Destination poses and answers over the course of a hundred action packed, and often violent, minutes. The thing which seperates this franchise from the rest in its throwaway genre is that the movie has no intention of exceeding its own expectations. A slasher breed movie in every sense of the word, yet with an absent villian who exists only in cutaway camera shots as we watch the acts of a higher being unfolding through visual suggestion.
One year on from the ill-fated Flight 180, and your token good girl, Kimberly (A.J Cook), is experiencing frightening premonitions of her own. Just like her predecessor in the first movie, a nasty vision of the fate that awaits brings a trail of devestating destruction...before we snap back to the present, midway through the chain of events which will take our characters to their deaths. Naturally, Kimberly is startled by her vision of the highway accident in which dozens are about to perish. Even more startled when the very truck which causes the pile-up surges past her on the road. As death would have it, Kimberly was never supposed to make it off the highway on this particular day. Her natural reaction is to avoid the hell that awaits, and in the process, deny death its insatiable appetite for mass suffering which plights the first scene.
You have to admit, whether you're a fan of the movie or not, the opening sequence makes for a startling introduction to what the Final Destination series is all about. In kicking off with Kimberly's premonition, we're greeted to a adrenaline pumping blitz of GFX and high octane action that you'd usually find in the final quarter of a movie. At the crescendo of the madness, we're hastily brought back to reality and Kimberly's ghast at the chain of events beginning to unfold is our own. It's something that has taken on new meaning given the events in society since the turn of the milenium. We do possess a slightly dystopian taste for the mass disaster, and such an incidence where we're shown it about to unfold would naturally raise the hair on the back of the neck.
And there lays the major selling point of Final Destination 2. We know what awaits the cast, and we witness the seeds being planted as death conspires against them. The writing has deliberately geared itself to laugh in the frailties of its own genre. Most teenage horror flicks are designed with such character pecking orders that we can decide for ourselves withinn minutes just who's going to make it, and who's going to have their guts cleaned off the floor. Final Destination holds no cards up it's sleeve. It tells us straight up who's next in line to meet their grissly end, and we're left to sit back and watch it happen.
The trademark kill-offs all take place in the same fashion, from a production standpoint - although in nature, there's a hell of a lot of inventive execution going on. The camera will cut away from the character in danger, and show us the chain of events towards their demise being triggered in relatively innocent fashion. Prepare to speculate over what's going to be the killer blow as Death closes the net on its victim.
We're treated to some truly gruesome scenes where the would-be victims of the opening car crash meet their ends. There's a freak appartment fire, a pigeon inspired decapitation and a whole host of bloody collisions which i won't spoil. To reveal too much would be to rip the heart out of the movie. This is a film which thrives on serving up the unexpected.
The cast itself is relatively unkown, which is probably a better thing in this case. A superstar lead would have undoubtedly taken away from the premise that anybody can die at any time. The acting is passable but it should be noted that the cast are rarely asked to push the boundaries of their craft within the script. The directing is such that too much character background would detract from the thrills at stake. Indeed, even the latest death of a central character is brushed under the carpet and forgotten within moments, and we're soon plunged in to the next chain of events.
The ending is quite clever when you look at the options that were available to them. With a movie such as this, in dealing with Death itself, how do you make the final ten minutes seem reasonable without over-stepping the mark? I was left unsure of the final outcome until the actual payoff, which is more than can be said for most of Final Destination's rivals.
At the end of the day, Final Destination 2 has to be judged on its ability to deliver to the target audience. If psychological horror and subtle plot twists are your thing, then you're probably not even considering this movie. So why judge it on that? The movie is in no way revolutionary. But it takes an almighty stab at a relevant fascination which most people share in death itself, and translates it for a teenage audience who will - and have - lapped it up in abundance.
Leave your brain at the door, and your dinner too. Final Destination 2 offers more than its share of gross out moments, and a few mild scares. The script, although not as sharp as the original, delivers in catering for the job at hand. We're not forced to invest interest in to faceless characters, and the action carries the movie through most of its running time. Compared with the genre that it finds itself representing, Final Destination 2 is a surprisingly well paced flick with the intelligence in knowing what its cinema viewers have paid their money for, and delivering it.
Extras on the DVD include:
- Audio commentary track. - 'The Terror Gauge' featurette - 'Cheating Death: Beyond & Back' featurette - 'Bits & Pieces: Bringing Death To Life' documentary - Deleted and alternative scenes. - Fact track trivia - Choose your fate game - The usual array of trailers and music features.
Advantages: Very innovative, elaborate death scenes Disadvantages: Mini Premonitions
...their other two sequels with Final Destination 3 being released in 2006 and The Final Destination released at cinemas in 2009. The significance with the time gap being that it enables people to possibly forget the early twists that occur in the movie, making it a more tense atmosphere when you witness the horrific accidents towards the beginning of the film. This sequel is a little different than most as it follows the exact same premise that the ... ...all sounds relatively simple but Final Destination adds something very innovative and intriguing to the mix enabling audiences to be captivated by each individual film and not be caught up in the ‘it’s all the same’ attitude. Of course with the sequel following the same foundation as the original film you’d be very naďve to think that it’s going to all be fresh and new but luckily because of the ingenuity and shrewdness of the Final Destination films ...
Great_reviewer07 03.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Final Destination 2 (DVD)
...surprised that they’d made another Final Destination movie – after all, it’s an easy franchise to continue, even without the tenuous link provided in this instalment. I’m glad they did though, as this movie gets straight down to the business of giving you exactly what you want in a horror movie – killings!
I was trying to decide how this managed to get away with a 15 certificate rating – especially after watching the bloody introduction. People ... ...Loner, Kid. Now, Final Destination didn’t exactly inspire me to give a rat’s bum about the lead characters – but they were interesting enough to follow around, as they mugged in disbelief at the surreal deaths all around them. The lead character in this movie has very little involvement in the attempted heroics. FD has the wacky Alex going mental and obsessing over the ‘death list’ that he theorised. The heroine here just kind of ambles around, and ...
peppersinclaire 22.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Final Destination 2 (DVD)
Advantages: Still a greatly entertaining horror romp!!! Disadvantages: Not as good as the first film and maybe too gory for some...
...would continue to review the Final Destination trilogy - so here goes with my review of the second film in the franchise...
I missed 'Final Destination 2' when it hit the cinemas back in 2003. It got pretty reasonable reviews despite it giving us more of what the first film delivered - but maybe not quite as well as the original.
That said, 'Final Destination 2' is still definitely worth a look.
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THE PLOT:
On the one ... ...original 'Final Destination' and my previous review on it), Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) and her friends head out on a road trip. Just as they're about to head out onto the highway, she has a premonition that there is going to be an horrific multi-vehicle pile-up so she pulls over and blocks the access to the highway.
It is worthy of mention that the pile-up as seen in her premonition is absolutely incredible and is very intense. It all starts when ...
ultrafrosty 08.09.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Final Destination 2 (DVD)
Advantages: suspense, ingenius death scenes Disadvantages: -
...doubt the brilliant and morbid Final Destination. Once Devon Sawa has a premonition that the plane he’s about to board will crash, he ensures that he and numerous others survive the fateful tragedy and live to fight another day. However, as it goes, that ’another day’ is much closer than they think. Slowly but surely the surviving cast members are killed off in sick ways each worse than the previous, but boy is it fun. Yes I’m morbid and a strong ... ...she’s soon cheating death again. Final Destination took the genre places it hadn’t dared go previously, the question however, was how much further could the sequel push it ?!
“For every beginning there is an end….”
Having seen this film upon it’s cinema release, it shows you the effect that a true piece of suspense can have on an audience. Numerous people either jumping from their seats or clinging to the person in the next seat, all because one ...
ManUtdBoi 12.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Final Destination 2 (DVD)
Advantages: Thrilling, adrenaline filled and disturbingly exciting Disadvantages: Nightmares may occur!!! You may be watching your back!!!
Of course it is impossible to cheat death. You never know when your time is up! But this is probably the closest you’ll get to actually accomplishing it. Who knows, you may have already found a way. If you have, I’d be interested to know!
This film is not for the squeamish or light-hearted! If you want to experience the adrenaline rush you normally feel when on a rollercoaster, no doubt this is the film to do it!
“A slash above the original” – ... ...Usually, I am a bit cautious to sequels after making the unwise decision of purchasing ‘Legally Blonde 2’, but after reading the quotes of two somewhat reliable newspapers (shown above), I decided to give this film the benefit of the doubt.
For those who haven’t watched ‘Final Destination’, I suggest you do so before watching this sequel, because unlike some sequels you do require vital information of the first. For those who have, lets remind you ...
louloutrixabelle 02.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Final Destination 2 (DVD)
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Advantages: Entertaining thriller Disadvantages: Some confusing bits
in Ripper and thought she was really good. As Kimberley, she gave a convincing performance - she does a lot of freaking out, which she managed to do without annoying the pants off me, so that is definitely a plus. This is though a film that concentrates on action rather than character development, so Cooke doesn't really have the chance to show us what she's made of. Ali Larter returns from the first FinalDestination as Clear Rivers and again gives a good performance bearing in mind the limitations to her role. I like her because she is not the usual perfect beauty that directors tend to pick, which makes her easier to identify with and therefore more realistic.
I spent ages trying to work out where I had seen Michael Landes, who plays the part of Officer Thomas Burke. He has recently been on our screens in Love Soup, along ...
Advantages: has u sitting at the edge of your seat, very good Disadvantages: some parts are very un-realistic
arguing, the a sudden shake of the airport lobby and the shattering of the big glass windows prove that Alex was right leaving him, his friends and his teacher shocked as they watch a huge explosion of the plane they were about to fly on fall from the sky. As the days pass, more of Alex's friends are killed in horrific ways, It is then that Alex finally realises that he is the only one who can stop his friends from being killed. Time is running out so he decides he has to work out the plan that death is taking in order to save who is left before its too late?..
FinalDestination2
A few years have passed since the terrible deaths of the teenagers in FinalDestination 1. Everything seemed to be back to normal and the survivors were beginning to get their lives back on track. Kimberly and her friends decide to take a road ...
Advantages: Great film Outstanding characters Disadvantages: none
arguing, the a sudden shake of the airport lobby and the shattering of the big glass windows prove that Alex was right leaving him, his friends and his teacher shocked as they watch a huge explosion of the plane they were about to fly on fall from the sky. As the days pass, more of Alex's friends are killed in horrific ways, It is then that Alex finally realises that he is the only one who can stop his friends from being killed. Time is running out so he decides he has to work out the plan that death is taking in order to save who is left before its too late?..
FinalDestination2
A few years have passed since the terrible deaths of the teenagers in FinalDestination 1. Everything seemed to be back to normal and the survivors were beginning to get their lives back on track. Kimberly and her friends decide to take a road ...
Kimberly survives a car crash but her friends all die brutal deaths. After the accident other survivors start dying and Kimberly has to find a way to stop death before it's too late...
Filmmakers Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Scenes, Music Video Trailers, Beyond The Movie, Documentary
Sound
Dolby Digital EX 5.1, DTS-ES 6.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital EX 5.1 DTS-ES 6.1
Professional reviews
Review
"...It is a clever display of cinematic virtuosity..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C12, 31/01/2003)
"...A smooth and sharp slice of teen-gothic cheese....An apt -- perhaps even a therapeutic -- entertainment for these jumpy times..." (New York Times, p.E8, 31/01/2003)
"...This follow-up gets the balance just right....There's a neatly mordant touch throughout..." (Sight and Sound, p.37-8, 01/04/2003)
"...Shirley Walker's score displays a thorough understanding of horror jolts..." (Variety, p.33, 03/02/2003)
DVD Description
In FINAL DESTINATION 2, the basic notion of cheating mortality is further refined with an even more gripping plot provided by Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber, the duo behind the film BLUNT. Director David R. Ellis revels in film as an entertainment vehicle and the result is a no-holds-barred raucous good time. Ellis' background as a stuntman and stunt coordinator helps him build electric suspense through a chain of seemingly simple actions that in fact loaded and lethal. In the original, FINAL DESTINATION, a group of students avoided the tragic crash of Flight 180 when Alexander Browning had a premonition. Death, however, didn't like being outwitted, and one by one the survivors died in freak accidents. The sole survivor was Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) who voluntarily checked into a padded room at Stonybrook Institute. FINAL DESTINATION II takes place on Flight 180's one-year anniversary. Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) is joyriding with some friends on Route 23 when she "sees" herself, her friends, and other drivers involved in a massive multi-car pileup. The scene is so artfully executed, it physically hurts to watch. She and police officer Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) save a group of people who would have otherwise died in the crash. But, as ever, death approacheth, taking the likes of Evan (David Paetkau), the Trans Am-loving lottery winner who puts up a good fight but is ultimately impaled on a fire escape ladder; and Tim (James Kirk), who almost chokes to death at the dentist and is later flattened by a piece of industrial glass. Clear Rivers busts out of the psych ward to help the remaining survivors pool their efforts and read the signs of impending death before it claims their lives.
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