Final Destination Wrap Up

We made it guys!  At least I hope we did.  Death could still be stalking us so let’s wrap this sonuvabitch up.

Prior to this run I had seen parts 3 and 4 when they came out and pieces of the rest over the years.  I knew what I was in for and I gotta say the series delivered.  From the very start these insane complex deaths are what got people interested in the concept and they kept rolling them out every few years.  The premonition part of the ordeal isn’t focused on too much and that’s for the best.  It doesn’t matter how or why a character has a vision of doom because there’s no time, the devastation is right around the corner.  Your attention needs to be on the next event if you hope to stop it.  So there’s an immediacy to the series that keeps the train right on rolling without distractions.  Even though we know from part 2 or 3 on that death is inescapable it’s still mesmerizing to see how the events unfold.  We can’t wait to see what the filmmakers will come up with next and are engaged despite basically knowing where it’s going.  That’s a quirky viewing relationship to have.

A key component to keeping the audience tuned in, and part of what makes these breeze by so quickly, are all the red herrings.  Each sequence has a dozen moving parts with the potential for all or none of them to be involved in the final deathblow.  The construction of every deathtrap is mind boggling but your brain tries to figure it out anyway.  Equal attention is paid to the pieces that ultimately will and will not have an impact on the end result.  Therefore the outcome becomes impossible to predict.  This is unique to the series.

Another distinct aspect is that the villain is a never seen Death.  Yea he’s some sorta transparent blob in the first film but they do away with that in the sequels.  The only form he takes consistently is the wind.  That’s smart.  There’s no need to put a face on the threat since everything is supposed to look like an accident.

And that leads to yet another special quality the franchise possesses.  There’s an it-could-happen-to-you tilt to them.  You could call it Freak Accident: The Movie but of course they’re not really accidents, the Reaper is orchestrating everything.  Despite that I still think people view at least some of the incidents as plausible real life events.  In a lot of other horror pictures you’re presented with scenarios that are extremely unlikely to occur, like being attacked by a maniac killer with a chainsaw or being eaten by zombies.  I think most folks can understand and compartmentalize that along with things that carry some kind of inherent risk like driving a car or working in a factory.  However, these movies propose that simply going to the salon to get your hair done or getting a massage or ordering takeout at a drive thru, stuff that’s not innately dangerous, could also end in tremendous disaster.  That’s a big part of what makes the premise of the series so ingenious and captivating.  As bonkers as the setups are there’s a strange relatability to the whole affair.  Mundane people carrying out mundane tasks could result in a horrific demise, your horrific demise.  So you better watch out the next time you cook dinner.

I need to mention the legendary Tony Todd (Candyman, The Crow) makes an appearance in all the pictures except part 4.  He hams it up in parts 1 and 2 as a coroner/autopsy guy where he has dramatic entrances, corpses he fiddles with and a sinister aura.  Cool.  At first I thought he might be the stand in for Death but apparently that’s not the case.  He’s the sage that somehow has knowledge of what’s going on, although he’s never very helpful to our protagonists.

These movies fall into two categories, the serious ones (parts 1, 3 and 5) and the silly ones (parts 2 and 4).  And I much prefer the silly ones.  Part 5 is the most serious where nearly all the traps are treated with an almost Saw-like solemnness.  They do throw in a handful of bad (and even disgustingly racist) jokes but it’s straight faced.  Part 4 is the silliest which has a couple of the wackiest setups (ex: getting your head stuck in the car’s sunroof while rolling through a carwash).  Overall I think part 2 just edges out part 4 as my favorite because it balances the humor with the nastiness of the killings better.  They also minimize the narrative between the “accidents” making them more streamlined.  I fully admit that should be a gigantic strike against them however, it works somehow.  I do wanna give a shoutout to the original as my third favorite.  It’s definitely a solid movie that laid the groundwork for everything that came after it.  All things considered it’s maybe technically the best of the bunch.  From what I gather most fans prefer the serious ones so I’m probably alone on my rankings.  But to be clear, even though I have a preference for the lighter toned entries I don’t hate any of them.  None are miserable to sit through or anything.  They’re all enjoyable which is not an easy feat for any franchise.

What’s even more amazing is that each installment is the same goddamn movie.  Sure, a lot of horror sequels tend to stick to a formula and repeat stuff but I mean these are EXACTLY the same.  Every time we’re starting over from scratch (give or take part 2) so a new set of characters go through the same trauma, have the same questions about what’s going on, make the same discoveries, try the same methods to invalidate Death’s list, someone’s turn to die gets skipped, the survivors think they’ve finally cheated Death but eventually realize they’re wrong and everyone dies anyway.  At least the Saws have a soap opera woven into the narrative but this is purely deathtraps.  Yet they still satisfy.  I guess the main gimmick is strong enough that all other elements can be reduced to their lowest state and miraculously the thing still flies.  Wow.

If a different type of Destination were made, a sober or perhaps philosophical version, you would need to flip the focus of the main sections.  The story would need to be driven by strong characters who approach their predicament in varying ways.  Their background, social standing and economic status would inform how they take the news and what they might do to alter their destiny.  Most of the focus should be on these areas.  The deaths would need to be reduced to simple acts like a fall down the stairs or a mix-up in medications or something to avert suspicion.  No bizarre intricate concoctions.  Fake outs may be ok.  And this picture might already exist for all I know.  It could be compelling.  But look, if we’re not gonna do that then I want the comical zaniness of parts 2 and 4.

So yea, these are fun.  I totally get why there are five of them (with more on the way).  That’s pretty wild considering there’s no real continuing narrative to speak of.  If anything I would put them in the anthology category although that doesn’t feel entirely accurate either.  Doesn’t really matter.  The point is they’re a good time.  Not only are they impressively creative but they’re so damn easy to watch.  It’s a bunch of crazy ideas for deaths strung together with a bare minimum plot all in ninety mins or less.  I’ve already compared them to the Saw pictures a couple of times and that’s because they’re sorta similar.  You have a chain of elaborate deathtraps involving victims that share a connection to one another.  The big difference is instead of some asshole coordinating everything it’s Death/God/Nature.  Spooky.