Final Destination 2 (2003)

Judging from the other reviews it seems most people either love this movie, or flat out hate it. I fall somewhere in between. I saw the first Final Destination in theaters, and at the time thought it was one of the better horror movies I'd seen. I no longer feel that way, although I do think it's one of the better ones to come out of the late 90's/early 2000's period. In the first one I felt like the lead Devon Sawa overdid it a little bit, in turn making the movie more unbelievable every time I watch it. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that Final Destination 2 is better, I will say that I think A.J. Cook played a better/more believable lead. Aside from her I liked Michael Landes as the cop, but the rest of the cast left a lot to be desired. Ali Larter, who played Clear in the first movie, returns for the sequel helping to bridge the two stories together. Clear was my favorite character in the first, so it was nice to see her return. The deaths are much more elaborate in this one, and quite gruesome. Which shouldn't come as a surprise considering that by that time all horror movies had become disgustingly brutal. A lot of people seem to think that that's the appeal of horror movies, but it's not. At least not for me. I've always been more interested in the plot/story aspect, and one thing I've always liked about the Final Destination series is that they make you think. I'm not saying the deaths aren't cool, because they are, and considering how lackluster I found this supporting cast to be I got much more enjoyment out of watching their untimely demise than I would have had the characters been more likable. If you liked the first Final Destination chances are you'll like the second. That's about all I can say without giving anything away. I'd recommend it to any horror fan though. Instead of some deranged psychopath tormenting the characters, it's death itself. Which is pretty cool if you stop and think about it. As a horror fan I'd like to rate it higher, but the supporting cast is so disappointing that I just can't bring myself to do it. Although Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, and Michael Landes carry the others as best they can, it's still not enough to justify a rating higher than a 6 for me. As far as early 2000's horror goes though, this is one of the best, and without question a worthy successor to the first film.

It was inevitable after all. Considering there's so much to explore with the concept set up in the first installment, there was bound to be a sequel. But luckily, this movie is awesome!A character once again has a premonition of a horrible accident, this time a disastrous car crash. A couple of people thankfully are saved... but for how long? There are slightly more survivors in this movie, partly because Clear from the first movie returns (this is only a spoiler if you haven't even seen THAT one). In terms of characters, they were really good. Kimberly and Thomas were very likable, Eugene is hilarious and of course it's also a plus that Clear is back. Speaking of her, she's different in this movie. She's more cold, sassy and doesn't manage to get along all that well. But considering what she has gone through, I think it's commendable character development. She has a lot of scars from previous events and so is not the same person she was before. Even so, I was completely rooting for her. Here, she plays the role of guiding the new survivors in order to help them escape Death. She and... Mr. Bludworth. It would have been stupid not to have him return, so I'm happy he makes another appearance here. He knows even MORE about Death this time, and the scene with him is perfectly uncomfortable. You won't BELIEVE what he's doing while talking to the teenagers!David R. Ellis directed this movie, and with the over-the-top action in this movie, it's easy to see this is the guy who made Snakes On A Plane. He's clearly having fun, but also seems to know where the limit goes here. Sure the action is crazy, but it's FUNNY-crazy! The humor is even darker than the first movie, and I was laughing hard so many times I lost count. That's not a negative thing however, this movie knew what it was doing and so managed to highly entertain me. And there is still great tension, as it often is unpredictable where the movie will go.New twists and turns, many quotable lines, a great cast and is just enough chilling to be interesting. Don't worry, this is a sequel worth batting an eye at.

Final Destination 2 is a sequel to the 2000 hit that left many people skeptical of going on a plane ride, set with a new set of characters. This time around involves Kimberly Corman (played by A.J Cook), who sets on a vacation with her friends to Daytona Beach. Like Devon Sawa's character in the first film, Kimberly has a terrifying premonition of her friends and everyone around dying in a horrific disaster, only this disaster a massive car pile-up that leads to a number of deaths. Kimberly intervenes and saves the lives of many (not all) people on the highway. However, she soon learns that Death still has the lives of the individuals she saved on it's agenda. She teams up with Thomas Burke (played by Michael Burke) and Clears Rivers (played by Ali Larter), who revives from the first film, in attempt to save them.This film carries roughly the same story structure as the first film, with an opening disaster and the people getting killed in strange accidents. However, I didn't this one to be as realistic as the first one. Some of the deaths in this film were okay, others were a bit too laughable. The deaths that occur during the massive car crash scene at the beginning were quite good and surprisingly realistic. Secondly, the characters are a bit underdeveloped. Unlike the other films, each of the characters do not have any unique personalities. In the others films, you had the jock, the geek, the hot girl, and all the other character stereotypes. This film didn't have these and made the characters incomprehensible.The good part of this film is the plot. The film moves a decent pace and has its moments of suspense. The climax towards the end was my favorite part of the movie. What I also liked how it connected with the first film, especially having Clear from the previous film return as the character who is incarcerated in a mental institution to protect herself from Death. Overall, this movie isn't a total letdown. It just not as good as the first.

Taken on its Own Terms, these types of Movies have to be Compared to its Peers and not High Art. This is either a Guilty Pleasure or not.The Final Destination Sequel doesn't have the Luxury of being Groundbreaking or Clever. This is Number 2 and it is Spinning Off those accolades and delivering a Cash-In and seems like it was done Only for just That.It means that this is More of the Same. It might be that the Third Entry can go for Deeper Insights and Suspense, but it was not to be for the Follow-Up. The opening "Highway to Hell" pile up is one of the most Visceral and Smashing Car Crashes ever put on Film. It is Stunning.The rest of the reveals are no where Near as Engaging and are Nothing more than Semi-Clever ways to Countdown those that have Cheated Death.The Formula shows signs of boring Repetitiveness in the Dialog about Death and its Plan. It Has become more Airy-Fairy in its explanations that were there in the Original but then it was all New Stuff.Now its just seems Blah, Blah, Blah...Death's Design...Blah, Blah, Blah, Who's Next?, and so forth. The Gore is Great and the "Fun" is there if You Turn Off Your Analysis and sink Into Your bucket of Popcorn. But if the Third Final Destination doesn't Get Smarter it too will Sink under the Sameness. But even if it doesn't, well, at Least it will be another Guilty Pleasure for Fans of the Type, Like This One.