A Worthy Successor to the First Film!

Rating: 6/10 (23 April 2016)

Judging from the other reviews it seems most people either love this movie, or flat out hate it. I fall somewhere in between. I saw the first Final Destination in theaters, and at the time thought it was one of the better horror movies I'd seen. I no longer feel that way, although I do think it's one of the better ones to come out of the late 90's/early 2000's period. In the first one I felt like the lead Devon Sawa overdid it a little bit, in turn making the movie more unbelievable every time I watch it. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that Final Destination 2 is better, I will say that I think A.J. Cook played a better/more believable lead. Aside from her I liked Michael Landes as the cop, but the rest of the cast left a lot to be desired. Ali Larter, who played Clear in the first movie, returns for the sequel helping to bridge the two stories together. Clear was my favorite character in the first, so it was nice to see her return. The deaths are much more elaborate in this one, and quite gruesome. Which shouldn't come as a surprise considering that by that time all horror movies had become disgustingly brutal. A lot of people seem to think that that's the appeal of horror movies, but it's not. At least not for me. I've always been more interested in the plot/story aspect, and one thing I've always liked about the Final Destination series is that they make you think. I'm not saying the deaths aren't cool, because they are, and considering how lackluster I found this supporting cast to be I got much more enjoyment out of watching their untimely demise than I would have had the characters been more likable. If you liked the first Final Destination chances are you'll like the second. That's about all I can say without giving anything away. I'd recommend it to any horror fan though. Instead of some deranged psychopath tormenting the characters, it's death itself. Which is pretty cool if you stop and think about it. As a horror fan I'd like to rate it higher, but the supporting cast is so disappointing that I just can't bring myself to do it. Although Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, and Michael Landes carry the others as best they can, it's still not enough to justify a rating higher than a 6 for me. As far as early 2000's horror goes though, this is one of the best, and without question a worthy successor to the first film.