Final Destination 2 (2003)

Buckle up.

Kimberly Corman has a terrifying vision that a highway pile up will claim her life and that of her friends. Blocking the entrance with her car, Kimberly watches in horror as the crash unfolds, thus saving her life and that of the people in the queue behind her. But the grim reaper is not impressed and he's coming to claim the deaths of all those who should have died in the crash.

For a sequel to truly work well it has to come up with something fresh, otherwise why do a sequel eh? Well the makers of Final Destination 2 choose to use the basic same formula of the hugely enjoyable first film, only adding more black humour into the crazy death design broth. Opening with a quite horrific highway pile up, FD 2 then takes us on a journey that sees an assortment of folk offed in various and gruesome ways. The story remains the same as the first film, even though writers Bress and Gruber think they are being intricate by weaving this plot into the original story, but ultimately it's just a devilishly nonsense fun picture. Ali Larter returns for a second helping, and she in turn is joined by a bunch of no mark actors waiting for death, which is perfectly fine for the genre discerning fan.

This is a riot, and as long as you don't look too deep into it (why would you really?) you may just find yourself having a real good time. 7/10

***Solid sequel, maybe a notch better than the first film***

The first "Final Destination" movie from 2000 was a rather innovative 'Dead Teenager Movie' in that the killer was Death itself, the Grim Reaper, as an invisible spiritual presence. A group of people, mostly youths, escape a great tragedy due to a premonition of one of them and the rest of the movie involves the Grim Reaper systematically slaying those who cheated Death in various creative ways, usually involving an unlikely chain reaction. The opening tragedy in the first film was a plane crash; in this second film from 2003 it's a horrible highway pile-up; in the third it's a roller-coaster mishap and so on.

There are currently five films in the franchise and they all tell the same basic story with different characters and some nuances; they’re all of the same high quality of technical filmmaking. Whether you prefer one or another depends on whether you like the cast and the death sequences (and the locations) because, other than these factors, they're all basically the same, although the fifth film throws in an interesting new twist (Death’s victim can find a substitute).

Ali Larter returns as a secondary protagonist while A.J. Cook takes the reigns of the 'final girl.’ Keegan Connor Tracy also has a considerable role in the female department while Sarah Carter has a smaller part. While this is a quality assortment of women, the creators coulda done more with them. On the opposite side of the gender spectrum Michael Landes stars as a state trooper. Jonathan Cherry, Terrence 'T.C.' Carson and James Kirk are also on hand. Their importance to the story is in that order. Meanwhile Tony Todd makes his second of four appearances in the series as a mortician who curiously knows more than he should.

I actually like this one a little better than the first one, but like that film, the second half isn’t as strong as the first. Is the final scene supposed to be horrific? Cuz it made me bust out laughing.

The film runs 1 hour, 30 minutes and was shot in the Vancouver, British Columbia, area, including Campbell River (although the events take place around New York City).

GRADE: B/B-

This is my least favorite out of the series. Just the main character doesn't sell her character to me in this. The death scenes were cool, but it was just an ok movie.

"Final Destination 2" sticks to the same formula as the first one, keeping the eerie atmosphere and inevitable doom at the center of its plot. The story kicks off with a massive, well-executed crash sequence that sets the stage for another round of fate playing its twisted game. While the concept remains engaging, the script doesn't dive deeper into the lore, missing an opportunity to expand on what made the original so intriguing. The directing keeps things moving at a solid pace, balancing tension with dark humor, and the cinematography does a good job of making the kills feel even more brutal with clever framing and effects.

The acting is decent, nothing outstanding, but it gets the job done for a movie that relies more on suspense and creative death scenes than emotional depth. The editing is sharp, though there are a few continuity errors that eagle-eyed viewers might catch. The score is effective, enhancing the eerie mood and building tension where needed. While it doesn't reinvent the franchise, the movie delivers what fans expect, shocking, elaborate death sequences and a sense of unavoidable fate. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s a fun, suspenseful ride for horror fans.

<em>'Final Destination 2'</em> isn't a movie I had a bad time watching, but it is undeniably a very sizeable drop from the original that I found so entertaining. Last time out we had a cool plane-related plot, this time out's RTC doesn't quite come out as interesting or as peculiar.

The cast are also downgrades, if nothing negative. A. J. Cook & Co. are perfectly fine in their respective roles, but it is missing a sturdy lead performer. Their characters are also weak, which obviously doesn't help the acting talent. The effects/creative deaths remain fairly good though.

It ends up creating some intrigue with the twist(s), though to be honest to me it felt too entwined. What doesn't help is that the cat is out the bag due to the original, it can't hit as much as you know the general gist of it all. That doesn't bode well for the other sequels, but time will tell.