So, yet another 3D movie comes to our screens, this time in the shape of popular horror franchise The Final Destination.
3D movies are the ‘in’ thing at the moment. They’ve grown considerably in quality since the 3D craze that hit Hollywood in the eighties, spawning such flops as Jaws 3 and Parasite amongst others, all of which had the sole intention of riding the money-making wave that accompanies any cinematic trend. Long since diminished, the 3D revolution is gathering pace once again, only this time the burning question is whether it is here to stay, or are 3D films just like any other trend, in one minute, out the next?
The format has been given a considerable boost by the backing of heavyweight directors such as James Cameron, whose groundbreaking 3D film Avatar is due for release shortly, and Steven Spielberg who has announced that he is involved in a new 3D cinema system that doesn’t require glasses (so we won’t all have to sit there looking like Roy Orbison). Add to this the proposed launch of 3D TV in the UK in 2010 and it would seem that unlike the early eighties, the movie industry seems to be making significant moves to accommodate 3D into its long term plans.
However, if this is to be the case then 3D effects will have to be utilised a lot better than they are in The Final Destination 3D.
The Final Destination Doesn’t Live up to its 3D Potential
Up until now, film narrative is almost irrelevant when ‘3D’ is attached to its title, the movie itself is just a vehicle for the 3D showpiece and The Final Destination is no different. You hardly pay any attention to the poor storyline, which almost doesn’t warrant synopsising. But this is kind of what the studio want, you’re not there to think about the story, you’re there to be the guinea pig to their 3D effects. Although this franchise is by no means a masterpiece, surely if there was any film tailor made to showcase the developments in 3D technology then a Final Destination film is certainly it.
Unfortunately, in this case the 3D is a bit of a let down too. You always know what your getting with a Final Destination film - basically, a group of American teenagers who escape death and spend the next hour or so frantically running around trying to prevent each other from suffering horrendously elaborate deaths because ‘you never cheat death’, as we all know. This can only be achieved by breaking the chain of carnage that follows the group of friends, which, more often than not, goes horribly wrong. So, there you have it in a nutshell.
The ‘elaborate death scenes’ should really lend themselves brilliantly to the 3D format. Lashings of blood and guts being splattered everywhere, characters being impaled on spikes, crushed, or blown to pieces. In theory there should be plentiful jumps and shocks. But in actual fact it’s bit of a let down. Your eyes take several minutes to adjust to the 3D image and once they do, there aren’t many jumps to be had after all.
The 3D effects are tame and after a while you kind of forget you’re watching a 3D film. Rather than slowly building up the effect, forcing images further and further into the viewer’s face as the film reaches its climax The Final Destination becomes dull and tiresome as it rolls on. There’s the initial first 10 minutes of wonderment but it’s swiftly followed by the realisation that the effects really aren’t going to get much better.
Self-Parodying in The Final Destination
The Final Destination is aware of its own ridiculousness of course, in the same vein that director David R. Ellis’ 2006 industry swipe Snakes on a Plane was aware of its own stupidity, choosing to mock the horror/thriller genre rather than taking it to new ground. Gratuitous nudity, gore and the odd in-joke at the clunky dialogue highlight this fact. There’s even the film-within-a-film parody during the movie’s penultimate scene, with two of the characters in a cinema watching a lame 3D action movie.
The Final Destination starts promisingly with the opening racing car sequence (which results in the disaster that our characters escape from, thus starting the chain of events) featuring some genuinely 3D-friendly effects, but it just doesn’t follow this intent through beyond the first 10 minutes. It’s becoming apparent that the Final Destination writers are finding it increasingly difficult to find new and more inventive ways to kill of the film’s central characters. If there’s to be another film in the franchise then they’ll have to go some way to match the comedy value in this offering. And lets not even get started on the acting, we’ll just leave it at that.
In summary, it’s quite damning when the film’s trailers (mainly for other 3D films) are more entertaining than the main feature itself. But if The Final Destination 3D was poor then I have sympathy for anyone that sat through the 2D version.
Verdict: 2/5
- Cast: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano, Haley Webb, Krista Allen,
- Mykelti Williamson
- Director: David R. Ellis
- Running time: 82 minutes
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