Somewhat Fun, but Can't Stand Up to the Original

Rating: 6/10 (10 February 2019)

After the sleeper hit that was the original Final Destination, the studio was obviously anxious to deliver a follow up. However, the original crew involved in the making of the first, could not return. As a result, we have a whole new cast and crew. This was also done with the second Nightmare on Elm Street movie. And while this is not quite as bad of a movie as that one, it does still prove that sometimes the best way to do a sequel is to bring back the original crew.

This new film ups the gore and humor of the original in an attempt to create a movie with more vigor and intensity. However, the end result is a mildly entertaining, but overall empty movie. It fails to deliver the tense atmosphere of the first movie, even if it does sharpen the humor of the first in some moments. These brief one liners delivered by the characters offer most of the entertainment of the movie, which is nit necessarily the best complement to give to what was a serious horror movie.

This time around we have a more colorful group of characters. AJ Cook portrays what turns out to be a very compelling leading character. She manages to add a little more intrigue to the film, and is one of the main reasons the film is worth watching at all. The best character of the movie is probably Kat, who offers a does of effective dark humor to the film. Some of the other characters have a few clever moments. However, some are absolutely irritating. It was a great relief to find out that Kimberly's friends were not in that much of the movie as what screen time they did get, they proved to be insufferable. And the character of Eugene (the black motorcyclist) proved to be highly unlikeable as well.

This films probably has the most convoluted plot of the whole series. The whole idea of new life is vague and baffling, but not in a way that creates intrigue for the future events of the movie. Death also works backwards in this movie for logic that takes a significant amount of thought to understand. And for a movie that is mainly supposed to be a fun romp, it seemed very out of place.

The effects of the movie are a slight improvement on the original's, however the film is still dated by today's standards. It was no doubt a grand feast for horror fans as far as the visuals go back when he first came out, however, today's audiences who were either not alive or too young to remember the film's release won't be invigorated in the same way, nor will they be as compelled to re-watch the film due to a lack of nostalgia.
However, the film is not without it's great scenes. Two in particular stand out. It features what is quite possibly the best premonition scene of the whole movie. The car pile up is now iconic in the horror community, even if the rest of the film doesn't measure up. Regardless, it is still a well shot and edited scene. The elevator death is probably the most horrific of the series, remaining both horrifying and tragic as the victim proclaims, "I don't want to die" just before death claims them. IN the most effective moment of campy humor, the end scene, involving a teenager barbequing is top notch over the top horror.
A few stellar moments, scenes, and characters prevent the film from being unwatchable, and they may even serve as reason enough to watch the movie as some will definitely enjoy the experience, however, they do not save the movie from it's weaknesses. Some audiences, such as the crowds of people and fans who flocked to theaters after viewing the first one, and the most gore thirsty and least demanding horror fanatics will have a great time with the movie, and will be able to put it's flaws to the side. However, it does not escape the more critical eye unscathed.