Movie Review: Final Destination 2
When a film has a website called deathiscoming.com, you know you are in for some morbid thrills with the second of the Final Destination flicks. The actors involved told us, however, that they hope for audience nervous laughter as characters die one by one. Ali Larter, A.J. Cook and Michael Landes had a hard time looking death in the face..... with a straight face.
In FD2, on the first anniversary of the plane crash in "FD one", teenager Kimberly (A.J. Cook) "sees" a horrible freeway pile-up in advance and manages to prevent it but her friends are killed in the aftermath. She's aided by a rookie cop (Michael Landes) and they gather up a group of nine strangers who were meant to die in the crash. They don't really believe Kimberly's claims but death doesn't care and it (he/she?) picks them off creatively one by one. Kimberly enlists the aid of Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), the only survivor from part one (Devon Sawa died when hit by a brick we are told). Together they try to outsmart death and stop the chain of "accidents".
This movie rocks! Yes it is bloody and full of gory stunts but those "accidents" are cleverly engineered by Death with the aid of director David R. Ellis who choreographed stunts before turning to direction. The freeway crash is very well shot with low angles and, "you are there" camerawork that makes me even more afraid to get on the L.A. freeways! One character says "It's the little everyday things that can conspire to kill you and that's maybe the scariest 'monster' of all". I totally agree. You don't need disfigured old ladies or guys with chainsaws to get creeped out. A little evil wind rustling the curtains or spreading across the floor in a puddle of water is enough. Each creative death in "FD2" is engineered as a chain of events that can only make you say "wow" and never look at a garbage disposal or pane of glass or car airbag the same way again.
The plot (script by Jeffrey Reddick (of the first film) J. Mackye Gruber and Eric Bress) is straightforward and much like that of the previous film but does have some red herrings and twists that take you in the wrong direction and offer surprise. That creepy undertaker dude Mr. Bludworth (Tony Todd) from the first film is back to give cryptic warnings and "hints" like "only new life can defeat death", etc. Ali Larter is appropriately knowing and more in charge in this film. A.J. Cook and Michael Landes are very credible as the girl who sees "about-to-be-dead" people and the cop who is willing to believe.
Get ready for nervous laughter and "oh my God, tell me they didn't do that" fun. FD2 gets an R rating but if special effects blood and guts creep you out, you won't be going to this type of film anyway...
For doing what a horror film is supposed to do...4 out of 5 stars.
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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.
