The one with the plane crash or the one with the bridge?
We have a go at figure out which of the Final Destination movies is the best…
Final Destinationis the most existential horror franchise of them all.
The Final Destination (2009)
No ones going to argue with this, are they?
The fourthFinal Destinationfilm, which inexplicably lost the 4 from its title, is the nadir of the franchise.
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The opening scene at the McKinley Speedway track pretty much sets the tone.
But the kind of high speed racing the kids are watching at the beginning ofThe Final Destinationis obviously dangerous.
It certainly doesnt feel universal.
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And it all looks rubbish.
It looks cheap, and theres no real variety.
Its just people getting killed by flaming car parts landing on them.
The reason everything looks so crap is simple: it was designed to be seen in 3D.
Its a shame, because this film shouldnt be this bad.
As a final insult, Tony Todd doesnt feature in this movie, at all.
Not even his voice.
Its overly complicated, and a bit dopey.
But its got some seriously great sequences in it, and that goes some way towards saving it.
To begin with, theres that spectacular pile-up premonition scene at the beginning.
Then there are the nightmarishly elaborate kills later in the movie.
So why is it so far down the list overall?
Well, mostly because its overly complicated.
Instead, its convoluted.
Final Destination 5was, likeThe Final Destination, shot in 3D.
Somehow, though, that doesnt make it crap.
It feels, instead, super satisfying.
Who hasnt felt a bit nervous about the stability of the bridge they were walking/driving/riding over?
Also, unlike2andThe, all the people who get saved by the beginning premonition know one another.
Maybe it just makes for a more interesting dynamic when you actually care about the people around you dying.
Nice work, guys.
Final Destination (2000)
Heres where youre going to shout at me.
The firstFinal Destinationmovie is, in retrospect, pretty great.
But its not the best movie in the franchise.
Critically, it was thoroughly panned when it was released, despite its popularity with audiences.
So whats the deal?
Final Destinationmight just have been in the right place at the wrong time.
But it is a different kind of film.
Its not really scary, though.
Its ridiculous, its over the top, and its glorious.
Its a series of contradictions that shouldnt really work, but somehow does.
It just gets on with it.
A version of this article was originally published in October 2016.
