| “ | Death has never been closer. | ” |
–Final Destination 5 Tagline | ||
Final Destination 5 is the fifth installment and the first installment chronologically of in the Final Destination series and a prequel to Final Destination. It was released on August 12th, 2011, though it was originally stated for theatrical release on August 26th, 2011. The film was directed by Steven Quale, and written by Eric Heisserer.
It stars Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher and Tony Todd. The film is regarded as one of the best of the series. It was well received by critics and fans of the film series, scoring a fresh 62% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Plot
The Presage Paper workers on bus 1282 before the bridge collapses.
The film begins with a group of workers who are gathering together for a company retreat. Sam Lawton, a fellow office worker and short order cook for the French restaurant chain Le Café Miro 81, has prepared the breakfast before the bus ride. His best friend Peter Friedkin is awaiting everyone else's arrival for the trip. Molly Harper, Sam's girlfriend, arrives and she then breaks up with him due to his dreams of going to Paris to be an apprentice for his mentor.
Sam is hurt by Molly's decision. Meanwhile Peter's girlfriend Candice Hooper, an intern for the company and a gymnast, comes along with her rival Olivia Castle, a scantily clad office girl. Molly is being hit on by Isaac Palmer, a co-worker and womanizer.
Bridge collapsing during Sam's premonition
Dennis Lapman, the company's boss, orders everyone to move it onto the bus. Sam then goes to the construction wing of the building to find his other friend Nathan Sears, a supervisor who has a hard time dealing with construction worker Roy Carson. Nathan and Sam regroup and board the bus to their destination.
Sam then has a premonition of the North Bay Bridge collapsing, killing everyone except Molly, who did not die in the premonition. When Sam comes to, he sees he is still alive and he frantically orders Molly and the others off the bus. Though confused, Peter, Candice, Olivia, Nathan, Isaac, and Dennis soon follow suit. The bridge begins to collapse and Sam rushes all of his friends to safety. The group looks surprised and confused as to how Sam knew the accident was going to happen. Jim Block is covering the case of Sam and his friends, but he finds Sam's claims hard to believe.
Candice nearly stepping on the screw.
During the company funeral, William Bludworth, a local coroner, is present and he warns the group that Death is after them. They all ignore his warnings and move on with their lives. Sam and Molly reconcile later that night. The next day, Candice is with Peter at her gymnastics practice, and he cheers her on. Candice does some work on the balance beam, and a screw from a malfunctioning fan falls on the beam. Candice does not notice the screw and has many close calls in which she almost steps on it, but it never injures her. Finishing her practice on the balance beam, Candice then goes to do some vault work. She is flipping while a fan set up by one of the coaches is turned on on the floor.
Candice is almost electrocuted when the faulty cord for the fan is shown passing through a small puddle of water, most likely from the faulty ventilation. However, she places a small towel on the water before stepping on it, bypassing this threat.
Another girl ascends to the beam. During her practice, she steps on the screw and falls. She stumbles around, clutching her injured foot, and knocks over a bowl which is full of powdered chalk. The powder is then blown by the fan into Candice, disorientating her. As she flips, she accidentally lets go, falling and landing on her neck. Her spine completely fractures and she folds over backwards, with some other bones popping through her skin, killing her instantly. Sam consoles a depressed Peter. The next day, the group reunites in the office, where they drink alcohol to relax.
Olivia stumbling to her death
Isaac is going through dead co-workers' desks, and he comes across a coupon for a Chinese massage parlor. He soon arrives, flirting with the workers. He insults a Buddha statue, telling him to cut down on the rice cakes. Believing he is about to receive a massage from an attractive young woman, Isaac is surprised when it is revealed an older woman will be servicing him. She avoids speaking in English for the most part. After a small massage and painful chiropractic, she performs acupuncture; leaving Isaac in a room with soundproof walls and telling him to sleep.
The tip of a burning stick of incense falls off onto a towel, initiating a fire. Trying to escape it, Isaac attempts to roll off the bed. However, the leg breaks, and he falls to the ground. The acupuncture needles penetrate his body and face, and a bottle of flammable disinfectant is knocked off a shelf from the impact and begins to spill. After excruciatingly pulling a needle out, he staggers towards the door. Alerted by the sound of his phone going off, Isaac watches in horror as the vibrating phone pushes a candle off the shelf into the flammable liquid - immediately igniting. He stumbles backwards against the wall. Believing he has escaped Death, his relief is quashed as a shelved Buddha statue falls and crushes his head; instantly killing him.
Bludworth, who has been present for all of the deaths so far, is there and tells the remaining survivors that Death is hunting them because Sam shouldn't have had the premonition of the bridge collapse. To assuage the situation, Sam reveals that he saved Molly in his vision, so Death is not hunting her down. Peter assumes that Sam saved her at the expense of everyone else and gets mad at Sam and at the universe for saving Molly and damning Candice. Bludworth then reveals that there is another way to avoid Death. They would have to kill someone to gain their remaining days on Earth. Peter's sanity takes a plunge as he becomes obsessed with this idea and the fact that only Molly is safe. Olivia nervously goes to get eye surgery on the same day, with the doctor strapping her head into place.
Olivia, fearful, clenches a teddy bear to calm herself down. As the optician prepares for the surgery by fitting a speculum on her eye, one of the teddy bear's eyes pops off due to Olivia holding onto the bear too tightly. The doctor ignores her plea for him to stay to correct her incomplete file. A bubbling water cooler knocks over a full cup of water, splashing the cord for the machine. The machine malfunctions and starts up, with the laser intensity increasing above the recommended maximum. Olivia realizes this and calls out, to no avail. She then tries to reach for the remote to control the machine, panicked.
Sam and Bludworth talking about death.
The remote falls onto the start button, and the laser slices Olivia's eye open. The laser goes off a few more times and it burns through her hand and scars her face as she attempts to shield herself, also pulling at her restraints. She finally escapes the machine, burnt and unable to see due to the surgery not having taken place and her throwing away her glasses. Sam, Molly and the doctor run in to find a terrified Olivia, injured and traumatised. Before she can be saved, Olivia trips on the teddy bear's eye which causes her to stumble back, crash through the window and tumble to her death. After falling multiple stories, she lands face-down onto a car's windshield. Her only unscathed eye pops out of its socket, rolling onto the road - a passing car runs it over.
Meanwhile, Nathan is working in construction, and he is arguing with Roy, a disgruntled employee. Nathan concernedly watches as a faulty crane moves closer to the pair. He urges Roy to move but accidentally pushes him backwards as the floor gives way and the hook falls, bringing Roy down with it. Although he is stopped from landing on the spikes below, the hook initially impales Roy through the chin, and then his brain. As the group reunites, Peter finds that Nathan accidentally killed Roy; taking his life expectancy and skipping him in Death's design.
Meanwhile, as Dennis grills them all over Roy's death, a stray wrench that Roy placed on a belt sander earlier is propelled into Dennis' eyes and through his skull, killing him instantly. Later that night, at Le Café Miro 81, Sam's mentor approves his apprenticeship in Paris. He also lets Sam have the restaurant for the night to spend it with Molly. Peter crashes the dinner, and he tells of how he tried to push a woman in front of a truck to steal her life. Peter admits he couldn't do it, and he then ponders Candice's death and how she didn't deserve to die, but yet Molly supposedly survived Sam's vision. Peter then tries to kill Molly.
Sam and Molly looking at Peter's corpse.
Molly takes refuge in the kitchen and Peter knocks Sam unconscious with his gun. Agent Block arrives and hears the first gunshot as Molly hides. He is shot in the back by Peter. Molly begs Peter to leave, as he has taken Block's lifespan. However, Peter does not want to spend the rest of his newly earned life in prison. As Peter pursues Molly, Sam wakes up and fights him off. In the struggle, Peter's gun is thrown onto the burning stove, aimed at Sam, then Peter beating him for a brawl. As Peter is about to kill Molly, Sam stabs him in the back with a large skewer. Sam realizes he stole Agent Block's life from Peter, with Peter's gun finally shooting and missing Sam as confirmation.
Sam is incinerated in the Flight 180 explosion.
Two weeks later, Sam and Molly are boarding a plane to Paris, and she asks for the window seat. They see two high school students fighting and getting kicked off the plane. This group is recognizable to the audience as Alex Browning and his class. Sam and Molly are on Flight 180. The film is a prequel to the first Final Destination, with its events taking place in April 1999, before the two-week time skip to May. Sam and Molly believe that the kid is just having a panic attack. During takeoff, Sam overhears a flight attendant tell a passenger that Alex claimed to have "some kind of vision". Sam exclaims in horror as Alex's premonition begins to come true. As the engines start to disintegrate and oxygen masks dangle from the ceiling, Molly is sucked out of thye cabin and is bisected by the plane's horizontal stabilizer. Seconds later, the rest of the plane is engulfed in flames and explodes, burning Sam and everyone on board to death.
The collapsed bar where Nathan is killed.
As the plane explodes, the flame-engulfed landing gear is blown away and tumbles towards the city. Nathan is at a local bar for Roy's memorial service. There, he talks to a coworker, who explains that Roy's autopsy revealed he had an enlarged blood vessel that would have burst "any day now". Nathan realizes with dread that now he could be dead or back on the list at any second. Before he has time to process anything, the landing gear from Flight 180 crashes through the bar and crushes Nathan, launching his severed hand into the camera. The film proceeds to cut to a collage of previous disasters and deaths scenes from the first four films.
Deaths
Premonition Deaths
- Candice Hooper - Impaled by a sailing boat's mast.
- Isaac Palmer - Killed in a bus on impact with water.
- Olivia Castle - Blinded and fell off to be crushed by a falling car.
- Nathan Sears - Swung off by a swinging crane hook.
- Dennis Lapman - Smoldered by liquid tar.
- Peter Friedkin - Impaled by rebar.
- Sam Lawton - Bisected by a metal sheet.
- 86 North Bay bridge collapse victims - Drowned or fell to death.
Deaths
- 86 North Bay bridge collapse victims - Drowned or fell to death.
- Candice Hooper - Limbs and spine broken after hitting the floor.
- Isaac Palmer - Head crushed by a Buddha statue.
- Olivia Castle - Fell and hit a car windshield.
- Roy Carson - Impaled through chin by a hook.
- Dennis Lapman - Head impaled by a flying wrench.
- Agent Jim Block - Shot from behind by Peter Friedkin.
- Peter Friedkin - Impaled through back by Sam with a skewer.
- Molly Harper - Bisected by a plane's horizontal stabilizer.
- Sam Lawton - Incinerated by Flight 180's explosion.
- Nathan Sears - Crushed by the destroyed plane gear.
Cast
| Sam Lawton | Nicholas D' Agosto |
| Molly Harper | Emma Bell |
| Peter Friedkin | Miles Fisher |
| Candice Hooper | Ellen Wroe |
| Olivia Castle | Jacqueline MacInnes Wood |
| Isaac Palmer | P.J. Byrne |
| Nathan Sears | Arlen Escarpeta |
| Dennis Lapman | David Koechner |
| Agent Block | Courtney B. Vance |
| William Bludworth | Tony Todd |
| Roy Carson | Brent Stait |
| John | Roman Podhora |
| Cho | Jasmin Dring |
| Dr. Leonetti | Barclay Hope |
| Spa Receptionist | Chasty Ballesteros |
| Chef | Mike Dopud |
| Coach | Tanya Hubbard |
| Federal Agent | Frank Topol |
| Rocker | Tim Fellingham |
| Crime Scene Tech | Blaine Anderson |
| Reporter | Dawn Chubai |
| Mike the Waiter | Ryan Hesp |
| Bus Driver | Ian Thompson |
| Campus Security | Andy Nez |
| Woman | Jodi Balfour |
| FD1 Passenger | June B. Wilde |
| Porter | Brittany Rogers |
| Flight Attendant | Diana Pavlovská |
| Line Cook | Michael Adamthwaite |
| Spa Technician | Grace Baek |
Posters
There are 4 different posters of the film:
- The (first) theatrical version features a skull with metal rebars coming out of its eyes and mouth. The background is black and filled with broken concrete pieces, while the skull, construction poles and cemented pieces are in a grayish-blue color. The tagline of the film 'Death has never been closer.' is seen on the top of the skull.
- The second features a bridge collapse with Sam and Molly on top. On the bottom the bridge merges into half of a skull. The poster is mainly in dark blue, black and gray, except for Sam and Molly who are in their normal colors.
- The third features the following characters (from left to right): Olivia, Nathan, Sam, Molly, and Peter, standing in the middle of the bridge collapse. The clouds behind them are forming a figure vaguely similar to a skull. The poster, including the cast, is black and gray, with some bluish tints.
- The fourth poster features a half-skull, from the second poster, and merged with the number 5 piercing through the eye sockets on it. The poster is black, except for the skull and the number 5, who are in a white/gray color.
Opening
Final Destination 5 Title Sequence HD
Opening Credits
The opening credits of Final Destination 5 make references to previous freak accidents and disasters:
- An explosion with a chain (Reference to Carter's death)
- Car 45 screwdriver (Reference to the McKinley Speedway)
- Explosion (Reference to Janet's death in Nick's second premonition)
- 5 Skulls (Reference to Death and the 5th movie)
- Engine fan (Reference to Frankie's death)
- Broken tubes (Reference to Kat's death)
- Devil's Flight seats and wheels
- Tanning bed lightbulbs (Reference to Ashley Freund and Ashlyn Halperin's deaths)
- Logs (Reference to Route 23)
- Window on fire (Reference to Ms. Lewton's house explosion)
- Ladder and exploding microwave (Reference to Evan Lewis)
- Kettle on fire (Reference to Ms. Lewton)
- Prosthetic limbs (Reference to Nora's death)
- Bloody scissors (Reference to Samantha)
- Water (Reference to Hunt, Janet, and Jonathan)
- Scissors (Reference to Tod)
- Nails and 3D sunglasses (Reference to Janet's death in Nick's second premonition)
- Bloody nails (Reference to Erin's death)
- Coffee cup (Reference to Thomas Burke)
- Falling knives (Reference to Ms. Lewton's death)
- Bloody fence (Reference to Rory's death)
- Propane tank on fire (Reference to Andy's death)
- Explosion and falling body (Reference to Clear Rivers and Eugene Dix)
- Flying tire (Reference to Nadia and the McKinley Speedway)
- Flight 180 and the oxygen masks (Referencing to Alex's premonition; Sam and Molly's death)
- Cherry picker board (Reference to Ian's death)
- Another skull (Reference to Death)
- Route 23 log (Reference to Burke's death in Kimberly's first premonition)
Some deaths that are not referenced are the ones of Alex, Carter, Terry, Tim, Brian, Kimberly, Thomas (although their deaths in Final Destination 3 are non-canon), Lewis, Perry, Wendy, Kevin, Julie, George, Lori, and Nick.
Casting
- After the success of The Final Destination, which was thought to be last in the series, the head of Warner Bros. Alan Horn, had confirmed a fifth Final Destination film is in works at ShoWest. Producer Craig Perry later added that the film will be shot in 3D. The screenplay was written by Eric Heisserer, whom New Line hopes will break the repetition of the series. The studio has picked August 26, 2011, as the release date. Steven Quale, who worked alongside James Cameron, is the director, shooting begun on September 13 in Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada, like the first three films.
- In an interview with Dread Central, Tony Todd stated that if this film is successful, Final Destination 6 and Final Destination 7 (which would be shot back-to-back) would be considered.
- Since this film was successful, it was announced that the sixth film Bloodlines will be released. Sadly, that film would mark Tony Todd's final film appearance as he passed away in 2024 and the seventh film has yet to be developed.
- In August 2010, actor and musician Miles Fisher was the first to be cast in the upcoming horror. Fisher's rep confirmed Miles has gotten a real movie job. Fisher is the first actor cast in Final Destination 5, the Steven Quale-directed horror film that is casting up at New Line Cinema. These are the pics where a group of characters narrowly escape death in a gruesome catastrophe, and then most of them get bumped off one by one in grisly fashion. Three days after Fisher's participation in the film, Arlen Escarpeta, who starred in the Friday the 13th remake, was announced that he was the next to join the franchise. Escarpeta later revealed, I think what they're going to do really, really well this time around, they're going to go back the story, the plot, a lot of stuff is really going to matter, explained Escarpeta. I think the last movie it was just death. It was death, death, death, which is fine because that's what people want to see. But this time we're going to give them a little bit of everything - good story, great director it's going to be good. In late August 2010, Nicholas D'Agosto, Ellen Wroe and Meghan Ory were reported to have joined the film, with D'Agosto.
- One day after the announcement of D'Agosto, Wroe and Ory's participation, Tony Todd joined the cast. Later on August 30, comedian and actor, David Koechner was reported to have joined the cast. Koechner later updated via Twitter, "Hi I've joined the cast of Final Destination 5. I know I am suppose to die, but how about this? I'm pretending this is a sequel to Inception." The following day, P. J. Byrne was also announced to have joined the cast. On September 2, Emma Bell was said to be cast as the female lead, Molly Harper.
- Later, in mid-September both The Bold and the Beautiful actress Jacqueline MacInnes Wood and Law & Order star Courtney B. Vance were have said to joined the main cast.
- According to a source of E! News, Canadian actress Meghan Ory was originally cast to play Olivia Castle, but due to the conflict to her show True Justice (2011) she was forced to withdraw and was later replaced by fellow Canadian actress Jacqueline MacInnes Wood.
Filming and Production
Filming has been reset back to Vancouver, which is the location where the first three films were all shot. Shooting began in September 2010. Heisserer also confirmed that Final Destination was not the official title via Twitter. For now, it's just to be called Final Destination 5, as well as stating the title has been changed over dozens of times throughout production of the film. Producers have said that this installment will be darker (like the first film), as opposed to the almost comedic route that the 4th film took.
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The Lions Gate Bridge, setting of the opening cataclysm.
Producer Craig Perry confirmed that there are no plans to go ahead with a new Final Destination film, but he has an idea for another sequel, raising the possibility of a fifth installment.
He said that combined with a now 3D installment, the film series started to look cheesy in name alone and like another one of those films a part of a dying or discontinued franchise, such as Leprechaun 4. He added that the word The in the title was to signify this as the last film in the series and that it is difficult to come up with a fresh spin for these types of franchises.
However, the film turned a healthy profit and New Line green lit another sequel. Of course, Freddy had a Final Nightmare too, and that didn’t last very long, Craig Perry stated. I do have an idea which would make it less expensive, but make it more interesting, assuming we’re fortunate enough to even have the conversation about what a fifth one would even be.
I think that the fans in particular will appreciate the spin it puts on the notions. However, the head of Warner Bros., Alan Horn had confirmed a fifth Final Destination film is in works at Showest. It will be written by Eric Heisserer and directed by Steve Quale, and, according to Craig Perry, the film will be shot in 3D. Production of the film began in September. This also marks the long-awaited return of recurring character William Bludworth, who is portrayed by Tony Todd.
Also, Final Destination 3 star Chelan Simmons revealed that the opening disaster will be filmed on the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The plot for the latest installment is being kept under wraps, though one scene involves a character undergoing laser-eye surgery (In this case Olivia Castle, who is portrayed by Jaqueline Macinnes Woods).
The rumored scene where one of the survivors' deaths have involving an eye surgery.
Heisserer commented on the scene via his Twitter account. He wrote: I got the job with two words: LASIK surgery. New Line is putting together a list of directors for the project, which would be shot in 3D for a release next year. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer tweeted the following: Some FD5 trivia for my horror fans: One scene was so disturbing, everyone looked away from the monitors. except for the guy from Fangoria. With the movie already in postproduction it has been revealed that the theatrical trailer will be released on the Monday May 9th episode of Attack of the Show at 7 ET.
For the Flight 180 scene, used and unused footage from Final Destination was reused, alongside some new shots.
External links
Trivia
- There are several discrepancies between the versions of Flight 180 shown in Final Destination and Final Destination 5:
- The seating plan in Final Destination shows the class to be in the middle, not near the back of the plane where Sam and Molly are, and the date on the plane ticket is in a different place, is formatted differently, and has a different year on it.
- It is unclear why this occurred, though the most likely explanations are that it was either a retcon or a mistake on the writers' parts.
- The reason for the crash given in Final Destination is a fuel line cutting off the engines, causing the plane to nosedive and eventually explode; in 5 however, the engine is shown catching fire.
- It's possible that the fuel line leaked onto the engine and caught on fire.
- The seating plan in Final Destination shows the class to be in the middle, not near the back of the plane where Sam and Molly are, and the date on the plane ticket is in a different place, is formatted differently, and has a different year on it.
- This is the first Final Destination movie to not be released 3 years after the previous one; being released 2 years after The Final Destination instead.
- This is the second Final Destination movie to be filmed in 3D.
- Final Destination 5 marks the long-awaited return of William Bludworth.
- Final Destination 5 has 4 different posters, most of the series.
- Final Destination 5 also returns to the roots of where the first 3 movies were filmed: in Vancouver.
- A test-screening of the film was held in Los Angeles, California on April 6th, 2011.
- The Final Destination 5 release date has been moved from August 26th to August 12th, 2011.
- Although the first four installments have alternated between the time of day of the opening disaster, this film's opening disaster is consecutive with the previous film's time of day: at daytime. However, this is a prequel to the first film, so, chronologically, the pattern is the same.
- The trailer shows signs of there being a human killer as well as death, due to the fact that people have theories of how they can end, such as in the third movie, Ian claims that if the last person were to kill themselves, the whole chain would end, and in the second movie, if Isabella had the baby, everyone would survive. But Isabella survives the crash anyways, and Kimberly must get a new life.
- Though the end of the movie suggests this was the end of the series, it was later revealed that Final Destination 6 and 7 would be filmed back-to-back.
- In October 2020, during an interview, Jefferey Reddick confirmed that there will be the 6th film due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After that, casting and filming will begin, which is scheduled to be released in 2022.
- By 2021, Lori Evans Taylor was announced that she will write the screenplay.
- William Bludworth mentions that in order to survive and not cheat death, the survivors should take the life of another person for Death to completely or temporarily take them off the list. Since "Death, doesn't like to be cheated".
- Craig Perry has confirmed via twitter that the DVD will have two alternate deaths (Isaac and Olivia).
- He also confirmed that William Bludworth is not Death, and William Bludworth says he doesn't do it, he just cleans up when the game is over.
- The opening disaster appears somewhat similar to the one featured in the comic Final Destination: Sacrifice.
- The series alternates with the main characters being seniors and full-grown adults. Final Destination 1 and 3's main characters are seniors going on their senior trip, and Final Destination 2 and The Final Destination's characters are mostly fully grown adults that are not in high school. One would expect Final Destination 5's characters to be seniors as well as the first and third films, but this film broke that consistency. However, again, this is a prequel. The pattern is not broken, chronologically.
- There is a montage of death scenes from the previous films during the credits. Since this film is a prequel, you can say that this montage is foreshadowing what will happen in the series.
- This is first movie in which the main Visionary's actual death is explicitly shown on screen without any filters.
- There are many clues that the film is a prequel throughout the film. The best example being the phones, instead of the characters using phones such as modern Blackberries, and iPhones, they have larger, clunkier, phones. Another example is that the computers are much larger than computers today, and if you look closely at the coupon Isaac picks up, it is clearly dated 2000. In addition, the film references celebrities and pop culture media that were more popular in the late 1990s/early 2000s, such as The Sixth Sense, Lisa Loeb, Scooby Doo etc. Several homages to Final Destination also exist such as Death prominently manifesting as a dark shadow and Sam being suspected for foul play by Agent Block. In addition, Peter is slow to associate extremism with terrorism whilst being interrogated by Agent Block, reflecting a time where extremist ideologies were not always perceived as active threats to the public order.
- However, there are goofs that contradict this such as the songs playing in the background of Sam's restaurant being released by Terry Poison in 2009.
- A declined death scene was to take place at a water park, it is unknown how this character would have died, or who the character was.
- It is interesting to note that Sam doesn't actually save anyone but Molly. The others leave to go get Sam and Molly back on. But he doesn't actually drag them out.
- This is one of two movies in the franchise where no fight started after the warning of the visionary. The second one is Final Destination 2.
- This is the only movie which has no clear nudity except Olivia in her Bra.
- Final Destination 5 is the only Final Destination movie to be showed on TV in India because of it contains no nudity.
- Final Destination 5 is the only movie in the entire Final Destination movie franchise to have two visionaries in the same film. Sam was the first visionary at the beginning of the movie and at the end Alex Browning from the very first film made a cameo appearance via archive footage.
Reception
Critical reviews the film received generally positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 62% of 135 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.9 out of 10, making it the first and as of yet only installment of the series to garner a fresh certification. The site's consensus is, It's still only for the gore-thirsty faithful, but Final Destination 5 represents a surprising return to form for the franchise.
On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 50 based on 24 reviews. The film was criticized for failing to bring anything new to the franchise, weak character development, and average dialogue. Though the reception to acting has been largely mixed, most positive reviews praised the film for being an improvement over the previous installment in the series, The Final Destination. Reviews also praised the use of 3D, the visual effects, the inventive death scenes, the return of suspense as opposed to a campy feel, and for both the premonition disaster sequence and the ending.
Richard Roeper stated in his review from the opening credits to the final kill this film displays a great use of 3-D. Todd Gilchrist of Boxoffice Magazine has declared the film in his review for being the best 3D horror movie ever made. He described Final Destination 5 as a clean, glossy thriller shot in native 3D not post-conversion that maximizes the technology without straining the audience's credulity or their constitutions.
He also stated Calling anything the 'best 3D horror film has the ring of crowning the world's tallest midget, but Quale uses 3D almost shockingly well. In a review for Toronto.com, Linda Barnard has stated this could be a case where the 3-D-shot movie is worth the extra few bucks to see.
The visual effects were praised for improving on the weak CGI from the previous installment. Betty Jo Tucker of ReelTalk Movie Reviews said in her review The film boasts some of the best visual effects ever, especially the bridge-crumbling sequence at the beginning of the film. In his review of Final Destination 5, Roger Ebert said the special effects do an excellent job of beheading, incinerating, vivisecting, squishing and so on. Final Destination 5 contain some of the most fun effects ever seen that purely enhance the thrills and bloody spills, rather than detract from them, stated Lisa Giles-Keddie from uk.real.com.
The death scenes in the film have been praised as being suspenseful, creative and shocking. Shockya.com said the deaths are absolutely brilliant when it comes to building suspense. The suspense comes from the ingenious methods that the characters meet their end" stated another reviewer from shockya.com. Boxoffice magazine said in praise viewers connect to both the relatable pain of everyday injury and the gory gratification of a well-constructed, larger-than-life set piece."Nj.com has said "Admitted, there is a certain inventiveness to the way director Steven Quale stages the violence."
San Francisco Chronicle said that the characters are "killed in gruesome and spectacular ways." The gymnastic set piece has been praised as "anxiety-filled", "a beautiful example of successful comic suspense", "Hitchcockian edge-of-your-seat suspense", and "inventively grotesque". Film.com stated in their review "The subsequent deaths are hit-or-miss, but they all show some creative spark. Quale sets them up like a cross between a joke and a magic trick, carefully establishing crucial details."
The opening bridge collapse has garnered considerable critical praise, with many stating it as being on par with the pile up sequence from Final Destination 2. It has been said to be "one of the single best sequences of any film all year" by Boxoffice magazine. Uk.real.com stated that the opening bridge collapse sequence is "beautifully directed and choreographed". Eric D. Snider has stated in his review for Film.com that "The opening premonition is nerve-janglingly effective."
The New York Post has called the bridge collapse sequence "spectacular", and Daily News has call it "terrifying". USA today has commented on the sequence "The effect is terrific and reminiscent of the bridge destruction from Mission: Impossible III. " Betsy Sharkey, a Los Angeles Times film critic stated in her negative review "I will say, the bus, and the bridge it must cross, does make for a pretty incredible wham-bam opening sequence," she further adds "The big crumble is a stunner of an opener."
In a review for MSN.com, Kat Murphy said "the fifth chapter starts out with a slambang catastrophe", then stated that the bridge collapse is "Skillfully orchestrated," and "this sequence is actually enhanced by 3-D: Holes in the disintegrating bridge seem to pull the gaze down -- dizzyingly -- to the river below, and jagged camera angles on hanging railings and sliding debris muddle our sense of what's up, what's down." The Hollywood Reporter praised "This film’s opening sequence is undeniably spectacular.
"Aaron Hillis from The Village Voice called the bridge collapse "breathtakingly staged". The Advocate stated that "Director Steve Quale and writer Heisserer stage the bridge’s collapse in swift but exacting detail. " The Austin Chronicle said the bridge collapse sequence is "spectacularly gruesome".
Box office
Final Destination 5 ranked #3 at the weekend box office with $18.4 million behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($27.5 million), which holds the top spot for two weeks, and The Help ($25.5 million). It was also the third biggest Final Destination opening to date behind 2009's The Final Destination ($27.4 million) and 2006's Final Destination 3 ($19.1 million). So far as of September 16, 2011, Final Destination 5 grossed $41.9 million domestically, and a strong $76.3 million overseas, bringing its total to $118.2 million worldwide.
| Franchise |
|---|
| Final Destination movies |
| Final Destination | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Bloodlines |
| Final Destination novels |
| Dead Reckoning | Destination Zero | End of the Line | Dead Man's Hand | Looks Could Kill | Death of the Senses | Wipeout (unpublished) | Final Destination | Final Destination 2 | Final Destination 3 |
| Final Destination comics |
| Sacrifice | Spring Break |
| People |
| Jeffrey Reddick | James Wong | Glen Morgan | Warren Zide | Craig Perry | Toby Emmerich | Shirley Walker | David R. Ellis | J. Mackye Gruber | Eric Bress | Brian Tyler | Steven Quale | Eric Heisserer | Tim Wynn | Zach Lipovsky | Adam B. Stein | Jon Watts | Lori Evans Taylor | Guy Busick |
| Distributors |
| New Line Cinema | Warner Brothers |