FINAL DESTINATION 3
US, 2005, 93 minutes, Colour.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Merriman.
Directed by James Wong.
Two Final Destination films have proven popular box-office with younger audiences. This sequel (with an explicit acknowledgement from one of the cast that events seem to be repeating themselves) uses the original plot entirely. So, instead of a plane crashing, there is a rollercoaster smashing (which is a visual tour-de-force). One of the characters has premonitions about who will die and in what order. This time she has been taking photographs at the Graduation outing at a fair and derives clues from the photos of the about-to-be victims.
So far, so ordinary. However, most of the young characters are not going to be particularly missed by the audience. They bicker, they are fairly inarticulate (‘totally, like, totally’) and, if this is the future of the world, Lord save us. The actors (who are generally television regulars) perform as if appearing in a soap opera is a career peak.
The trouble is the deaths. They are particularly ugly (raising laughing gasps of disbelief) so that during the patches of poor acting, we are sadistically waiting for the next crunch (and so many of the deaths are crunches) to show up.
Extreme popcorn cinema.
1. The popularity of this series? The impact of the first film, premonitions, disasters, the plan of death, in the order of the plan, thwarting the plan?
2. This film repeating the plot of the first film? Characters, premonitions, disasters, order of death, trying to thwart death, the build-up to the final killings? The screenplay with reference to the plot of the first film and its detail? The same writers and director?
3. Audiences knowing what was to happen, interest in the characters, their relationships, the theme park, the premonition, its fulfilment? The special effects? Stunt work? The grisly deaths?
4. Interest in the characters? Their friendships, their clashes, school? The attention to their characters? Or merely cyphers for the dramatic action?
5. Wendy, audience interest in her, her personality, relationships with the rest of the group? Her experience of the premonitions? Wanting to get off the rollercoaster? Her panic? The others getting off? Their reactions to her behaviour?
6. At the fair, the various attractions, the rifle range, the young man and his strength at hitting the heights?
7. The visualising of the roller-coaster ride, the tension, the photography of the ride, the beginnings of disaster, things coming apart, forbidden to take the moving objects and the camera falling and tangling, people falling from the rollercoaster, the brutal experience?
8. Wendy and her past relationship with Kevin, the clashes, the discussions, then becoming dependent? Working out who would be next, where each was sitting in the rollercoaster seating?
9. The characters, the athlete in the club, the images of the swords, his head being smashed? In the street, warnings,the young man disregarding Wendy, the girlfriend and her being struck down by the truck? Going to the warehouse, the tantalizing scenario, the accidents, things coming apart, the nails and the girl at work? The escape of the young man, his cynicism, his death at the theme park?
10. Audience anticipation of what was to happen? A certain amount of glee at the gory presentations? The build-up to the finale –and the death of everyone?
