Tags:
Film: Final Destination V
Year: 2011
Director: Steven Quale
Writer: Eric Heisserer
Starring: Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell and Arlen Escarpeta
Review:
This film begins at a breakfast outside of work as a group of employees are going to go on a company retreat. The first person we meet is our star, Nicholas D’Agosto. He actually has aspirations to be a chef and has made an impressive spread of food for his co-workers. His brother comes up to him, played by Miles Fisher. Fisher is his supervisor and gives him grief for making such good food as he feels it was a little out of the price range.
We then meet Emma Bell, who is D’Agosto’s girlfriend. We learn that she canceled her ticket for their trip and he is upset about it. She doesn’t want to talk about it and blows it off. Then we meet Fisher’s girlfriend, played by Ellen Wroe. She is an intern and still in college. She is also a gymnast. There is P.J. Byrne, who is a sleaze ball who is dating multiple women at a time. He hits on Bell while she gets her breakfast.
Next to arrive is Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. She comes out of a van with a trashy guy and she looks like a rock star. It turns out that she is in a band. She changes her clothes in front of Wroe and they banter back and forth. We then meet their boss, played by David Koechner. He is a jerk to D’Agosto as well as Fisher.
D’Agosto is sent to get the final member coming on this retreat, played by Arlen Escarpeta. He is fresh out of college and has been made assistant plant manager of the paper factory that the rest of the staff sells for. He butts heads with Brent Stait, who is the union rep of the factory.
They all get on the bus and it takes them to a suspension bridge. There is road work being done on it. The winds kick up and D’Agosto doesn’t feel right. Over the radio, Dust in the Wind plays. We then see that the bridge falls apart. They try to escape the bridge before everyone dies, but the only one who does is Bell. Some of them die in some gruesome ways.
We then learn that it hasn’t happened yet, in true Final Destination fashion. D’Agosto has seen it happen and gets off the bus. Bell comes with him. Koechner sends Fisher after him. Escarpeta and Byrne go was well, confused as to what is happening. Wroe goes after Fisher and Koechner goes to see what is going on. They then see the bridge collapse.
A memorial service is held and at this, D’Agosto, Bell and Fisher see Tony Todd. He tells them that death doesn’t like to be cheated and leaves.
We then meet a federal agent who is concerned as to what happened on this bridge, he is played by Courtney B. Vance. He believes that D’Agosto knew that something was going to happen because he was involved. He grills him until he learns that the construction lowered the stability of the bridge and the high winds brought it down. He doesn’t give it up though that D’Agosto was involved.
Death doesn’t waste any time reclaiming its victims. Wroe dies in a freak gymnast accident with a routine that she knows like the back of her hand. Byrne also meets his end in massage parlor incident. It is here that D’Agosto, Bell, Fisher and Escarpeta see Todd again. They learn that he is coroner and they ask him about what he knows. He tells them again that death has a plan and they broke it. Now death needs someone in exchange or they will die.
Wood is next in the line and she is going to get Lasik eye surgery. Will she be next? Will killing someone instead give them a new lease on life? Or will death complete its plan?
I have to say that at first I thought this film was decent until I realized that it is actually a prequel and brings the film pretty much full circle. We now learn that the first one to happen wasn’t the airplane, but actually the bridge. This film also pointed out a lot of things that it is a prequel that I didn’t get until the end. I really liked that. I thought the deaths in this one were pretty good, not too unrealistic. I also like that this one went back to being like the first in that it’s not a dark comedy, but more of a horror movie. I thought the acting was decent across the board and I really liked the ending.
My only issue is that this film, like its predecessors is a little farfetched. This one is more realistic than some of the previous ones and I like that this one gives more a feel of death actually going out of its way to kill people and less of freak accidents. Some of things that happen are elaborate and just flat out crazy. I feel like this one does break the continuity of the preceding films, since none of this story is brought up in the preceding ones and they had to go back to add this. This is meaning more of back-story issues.
I would say to give this one a viewing if you like the series. This one can be watched on its own, but I feel is much better after watching the series, concluding with this one. This one does for me bring everything full circle. I like the idea of this film, even though it is getting to be a bit over done. The acting is decent, the death scenes are crazy and the ending is good. If you like these films, give this one a viewing.
My Rating: 6 out of 10