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Member since:02.07.2005
Reviews:48
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* * This review first appeared on dooyoo.co.uk under my dooyoo alias of dlb74 * *
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Well - I thought I 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 year anniversary of the crash of Flight 180 (see the 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 a lorry carrying logs sheds its load when supporting chains snap. Total carnage follows as several cars are hit by the falling logs and others crash as they try to avoid them. The crashes are so nasty in places, they may just make you think twice about flooring the accelerator as much in the future!
Kimberly's behaviour attracts the attention of a cop who is driving a few cars behind her. When a tearful Kimberly is asked by the cop what the problem is, she tells him that there is going to be a terrible accident.
The cop asks Kimberly to get out of her car just as the log lorry
passes them. She tries to tell the cop that the lorry that just drove past will be the cause of the pile-up - just as the accident begins to unfold as she foresaw - with the exception that now she and her friends, the cop himself and several other people that were due to be caught up and killed in the accident are now safe at the side of the road - but how long will they remain safe?
The cop runs to his vehicle to call in the details of the accident and has to run back to Kimberly and pulls her back from her car just seconds before it is hit from the side by another lorry - instantly killing her friends. It would seem their fate was still to die in the pile-up but Kimberly, the cop and the other people have been spared… for now.
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THE CAST / ACTING:
The cast in 'Final Destination 2' are mostly pretty good - with a majority of them playing their roles convincingly. Unlike it's predecessor, 'Final Destination 2' has quite a few characters that are pretty irritating or who are simply not very nice. As a result, you don't care for a few of them but if you've seen the first film, you know that there's a very high likelihood of these characters not making it to the end of the film - and can look forward to their grisly ends!
A.J. Cook is good as the lead character but somehow, none of the characters are quite as well rounded as in the original film.
There are a couple of role reprisals from the first movie that help the feeling of continuity. Sadly, the lead character from the first film is now dead - which is revealed to us in a some-what throwaway scene where the cop looks up details of the characters that survived Flight 180 but ultimately died in the first film. On one of the following screens is a news report from a website detailing Alex's death. He was apparently killed by a brick which dislodged from a building - killing him instantly when it hits him in the face.
Alex's girlfriend - Clear Rivers (played once again by Ali Larter reprising her role from the first film) was with him at the time of his untimely fatal "accident" and has now placed herself into an institute with a padded cell - in order to keep herself as much out of harm's way as is humanly possible.
Kimberly visits Clear to tell her about her premonition and that what happened to the survivors of Flight 180 is happening all over again. Clear is initially hostile toward Kimberly but eventually decides to try to help her find out exactly what is happening before the survivors of the pile-up share the same fate as those on Flight 180.
Another role-reprisal from the first movie is the great Tony Todd (A.K.A. Candyman) as the morgue attendant, William Bludworth. There's just something about Tony Todd's voice that just made him perfect for such a bizarre role.
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THE SPECIAL EFFECTS:
The effects in 'Final Destination 2' are very effective with very subtle blends between CGI and real on-set effects.
With any sequel to the original 'Final Destination', the hardest thing facing the writers was always going to be how to top the death scenes from the first film. 'Final Destination 2' certainly doesn't disappoint on this level - with some pretty incredible set-pieces which are often very intense - often with a few red-herrings being thrown at us before the pay-off and death of a character.
I'm not into dishing out spoilers - so if you want to experience all the shocks and thrills - you'll just have to do it first-hand.
One notable difference in the effects between this and the first film is that the presence of death is no longer accompanied with the shadowy effect seen in the original - but is still paired with a slight gust of wind - so there is still some reasonable continuity as far as this goes (the same applies to 'Final Destination 3').
Shirley Walker is back as the composer for 'Final Destination 2'. As with her score for the first movie, she more than delivers the goods for this sequel. The music is an excellent companion to the often tense and sometimes gory happenings on-screen.
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THE DVD:
The picture and sound quality are both very, very good and well presented. The surround sound tracks are very effective and give your speakers a very good work out.
The menu screens are good but not amazing - though no-one ever buys a DVD for the menu alone, I'm sure. The menus on this disc are still relevant to the film and do their job well enough.
The specifics of the DVD are as follows:
Presentation ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic PAL
Available language(s): English Dolby Digital 5.1 English DTS-ES 6.1 English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Extras: The extras on 'Final Destination 2' are of high quality too. They include:
- Audio commentary by Director David Ellis, Producer Craig Perry and Screenwriters J. Mackye Gruber & Eric Bress
- 'The Terror Gauge' featurette
- 'Cheating Death: Beyond & Back' featurette
- 'Bits & Pieces: Bringing Death To Life' documentary
- Fact track (Subtitle trivia track)
- Deleted / Alternate scenes (with optional commentary including: Post Accident Interview Alternate Crematorium Visit Isabella's Husband Nora And Eugene Truck Chase / Eugene At Hospital
- Choose your fate game
- Theatrical Trailers for 'Final Destination' and 'Final Destination 2'
- Music Videos: 'Middle Of Nowhere' by The Blank Theory 'Seven Days A Week' by The Sounds
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MY CONCLUSION:
Although not quite as good as the original film, 'Final Destination 2' is still entertaining in that the set-pieces are often incredible as are the deaths of the characters. You have to wonder who gets paid to sit around and think up horrible ways for the characters to die!
As with the original 'Final Destination', this film can be very gory and graphic in places so if you've seen the first film, you should know what to expect by now.
To conclude, I have to say the obvious:
If you are into horror films, check it out… if not, avoid this like the plague as it certainly won't be for you. It's not as good as the first film but still worth a look... you sick puppies!!!
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Great review. I have to admit I love these movies.That bit where the kid gets hit by a pane of glass, gross... but oh so cool! Wolf x
Moogiekupo 09.09.2006 19:05
I couldn't believe how silly this one was when I saw it in the cinema! However, I liked it the second time I saw this and can't wait to see the third one. Such a good theory about life and death - Kupo x
LeeroyBrown 09.09.2006 18:41
Another good review. Never bothered to see this, thought it would be poor.Leeroy ~Onwards and Upwards~
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...
![Final Destination 2 [DVD] [2003]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78513809.jpg "Final Destination 2 [DVD] [2003]")
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