2008 Woodie Awards
'Final Destination 3' buries itself alive
Niles T. Maddox
Issue date: 2/16/06 Section: Exposure
Seven kids cheat death only to find that the horrors have just begun because death is now out to finish what he started. Sound familiar? It should. If anyone out there has seen the original Final Destination or Final Destination 2 then they have seen Final Destination 3.
With little to no plot twists, it sits amongst the large pile of horror genre films that rely solely on the original, often groundbreaking, premise of its donor plot. Sadly, the horror film genre has stooped to providing its audiences with more gore and less plot.
Final Destination 3's death sequences are original and pulled off very well, and this is one good point the series has going for it. Like the classic board game "Mouse Trap" each death began with a simple, harmless action that would snowball into a violent and unique death. Each film gathers a bigger budget, which in turns allows for more complex, bloodier, and, in the end, more "entertaining" deaths.
The actors themselves were okay but nothing spectacular. Often, they would find themselves with a poorly written line and a premise wearing thin. The scenes of intense drama felt scripted, as if each line was thought out only to allow for the two main characters to somehow, coincidentally, appear at the scene of some gruesome death just in time to experience it.
One interesting factor is that none of deaths would have occurred if Wendy and Kevin didn't interfere in the first place, which gives the viewer a sneak peek at the congruent theme of the series: fate.
Does fate exist? Can we escape our fate? Does everything we do, no matter how small, culminate in our death? Final Destination 3 seeks to answer these "mysteries of the universe," but unfortunately buries itself alive. Don't let this discourage you from seeing the film. The deaths alone almost make it worth every penny.
With little to no plot twists, it sits amongst the large pile of horror genre films that rely solely on the original, often groundbreaking, premise of its donor plot. Sadly, the horror film genre has stooped to providing its audiences with more gore and less plot.
Final Destination 3's death sequences are original and pulled off very well, and this is one good point the series has going for it. Like the classic board game "Mouse Trap" each death began with a simple, harmless action that would snowball into a violent and unique death. Each film gathers a bigger budget, which in turns allows for more complex, bloodier, and, in the end, more "entertaining" deaths.
The actors themselves were okay but nothing spectacular. Often, they would find themselves with a poorly written line and a premise wearing thin. The scenes of intense drama felt scripted, as if each line was thought out only to allow for the two main characters to somehow, coincidentally, appear at the scene of some gruesome death just in time to experience it.
One interesting factor is that none of deaths would have occurred if Wendy and Kevin didn't interfere in the first place, which gives the viewer a sneak peek at the congruent theme of the series: fate.
Does fate exist? Can we escape our fate? Does everything we do, no matter how small, culminate in our death? Final Destination 3 seeks to answer these "mysteries of the universe," but unfortunately buries itself alive. Don't let this discourage you from seeing the film. The deaths alone almost make it worth every penny.
