No horror film has rejoiced in its bloody and gory ways in the last couple of years more so than Final Destination 2 does. It ostensibly tells the story of a group of friends who cheat death because one of them sees a premonition that gets them out of a terrible car wreck unscathed. They then have death out to get them around every corner. The plot is really just to set up many inventive and gruesome ways to kill off different people. I won't reveal them here because they are the main reason to see the film but let me say that they are really brutal and gory to the extreme. They also happen to be fun because often the characters don't die in the way you would expect them to. They perish when the audience least expects it. If you are a fan of horror films, the inventive kills will be your epiphany of enjoyment.
Director David R. Ellis expertly stages the many elaborate death sequences with aplomb not expected from the director, of all things, Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco. He directs the film with such gusto and style (the car wreck that opens the film is the best example of a car wreck I have ever seen in a film) that one can't help but be gleefully giddy because he doesn't pretend for a moment to take the material seriously because the idea is so preposterous that doing so would turn the film into a bore filled with mumbo jumbo about death and its design (there's a little of that in the film but not enough to become overused). The film's actors do fine in their respective roles with A.J. Cook being a surprisingly sympathetic lead character who happens to see the premonition that starts the chain reaction of increasingly brutal deaths. She displays more range than she had previously in such films as the teen snowboarding comedy Out Cold that was dreadfully awful. Supporting characters don't get to be developed much for the most part except for Ali Larter returning from the first film as Clear Rivers, the sole survivor from the first film.
The amazingly complex Rube Goldberg type death sequences are the main reason to see what I found to be a fun and refreshing horror film that thankfully doesn't shy away from gore just to pander to pressure from the MPAA and the teen audience. A well-done sequel that just may surpass the original in sheer fun.
Rating: 87
joe@currentlyplaying.com
Back to:
© 2002 webmaster@currentlyplaying.com