CityLife

The Final Destination

THE human body is a perfectly engineered work of art: elegant, compact and easily disassembled in eye-popping 3D in the fourth instalment of the Final Destination series.

If there is a vital organ or appendage that can fly at the screen in David R Ellis’s gleefully gory film, it will, accompanied by fountains of blood and the occasional one-liner.

Director Ellis and screenwriter Eric Bress, who co-wrote Final Destination 2, have clearly given plenty of ghoulish thought to the visceral thrill of the 3D format.

Thus one victim falls backwards onto a large splinter of wood, which impales him through the mouth, and you can see straight through the skull of a second unfortunate after they meet a grisly end via one of the elaborate, domino-effect death sequences.

Bress taps into universal fears about escalators, swimming pools and DIY tools to contrive splatter-heavy exits for his characters.

As usual, however, it’s the spectacular opening set-piece that sets the pulse racing, this time taking us to the McKinley Speedway track where nice guy Nick (Campo) and chauvinist pal Hunt (Zano) have brought their respective girlfriends Lori (VanSanten) and Janet (Webb) for an afternoon of high-octane racing.

“Is it safe to sit here?” asks worry-wort Janet (Webb). from their position in the stands. “There’s a fence, we’ll be fine,” replies Lori (VanSanten), soothingly.

Vibrations

Cut to a close-up of the nuts holding the fence in place shaking loose... due to vibrations on the track.

Nick feels a chill and suddenly experiences a premonition of a pile-up on the track, which causes debris to shoot into the crowd, killing everyone, culminating in the collapse of the grandstand.

Understandably spooked, he persuades his friends to leave, and in the ensuing melee security guard George (Williamson), mechanic Charlie (Fiscella), a racist thug (Welborn) and a mother (Allen) and her two sons also escape their horrific fate.

“Something gave us a second chance. Let’s be thankful and try to make the most of it,” resolve Nick and his pals.

As the survivors are killed in the order they would have perished that fateful day, Nick must somehow cheat death’s diabolical design.

The Final Destination screens in digital 3D in the majority of cinemas and 2D everywhere else, but so much enjoyment comes from gimmickry of the natty plastic goggles.

Director Ellis orchestrates some dizzying set-pieces – a climactic sequence at a mall literally brings the house down – so that virtually the entire cast rests in pieces by the end.

One protagonist clearly didn’t watch earlier films in the series, or they would know to look both ways before crossing the road.

Crudely-drawn supporting characters are slain with impunity before the good-looking young cast obligingly strip down to their underwear and the screaming begins in earnest, some of it from the audience.
 

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