the Mind’s Chew Toy

After the success of Final Destination back in 2000, a new horror franchise was born.

The film threw a twist on the whole “slasher” genre, in that Death itself was the slasher…and let nature do his dirty work for him. The victims never knew when or where the attack would come, only that it would look like a horrific accident. With it’s brutal and sometimes incredibly quick deaths that were high in originality, it captured the attention of a lot of horror fans, myself included. Inevitably, an inferior sequel was developed, and fans of the original flocked to it in droves.

Now, Final Destination 3 has hit DVD, and I just had to know - would the downward trend continue…or was this franchise ready to go another couple of rounds?

Final Destination 3 lacks the performance caliber of Devon Sawa that made the original so good and the recurring character shtick that kept Final Destination 2 from falling totally under the radar. Instead, the viewer is presented with a whole new set of unrecognizable actors, who aren’t up to snuff.

Thankfully, it doesn’t really matter, as viewers are just waiting to see how they die anyway. Unfortunately, this lack of a connection between the viewers are the characters makes the death scenes less impactful. After all, if the viewer doesn’t care about the characters, than their deaths don’t really mean much, do they?

Final Destination 3 brings a worthwhile new aspect to the series: this time around, photos of the victims taken at the fair show how they die. It’s a nice basis for the film, as the heroine and her friend Kevin (Merriman) then spend most of their time trying to go around and convince the other 7, neatly putting them - and the viewer - at each death scene. Too bad this effect was done years ago (and then again recently) with The Omen and it’s remake.

But, none of that really matters in a Final Destination flick. After all, the viewer is coming to see the dead, not the living. The original amped up the death sequences, creating a new standard that all future films are judged by. FD 2 didn’t make the cut, and unfortunately, most of the sequences in FD 3 don’t make it either.

The film seems to have mistaken gore for impact, as the deaths are all rather horrific, but just don’t have the same intensity that was evident in the first film. But, there is one scene that redeems the movie in the viewers eyes, the shock factor putting it right up there with the infamous hit-by-a-bus sequence of the original.

While most of the deaths are rather uninspired and easily forgotten, this one sequence (involving the token black guy of the film) will stay with viewers long after the movie has finished - and will wake them up from the slight need for a nap the rest of the movie has induced.

Since the filmmakers prove with that scene that they still know how to shock the viewer, it’s inevitable a 4th movie is going to make it’s way to theaters eventually. The filmmakers knew it from the start, as the ending could be a set up for a 4th film, or not. The filmmakers hedged their bets on the ending, making it open to different interpretations. It’s unfortunate, as it makes for a confusing ending that this film doesn’t need.

With a lackluster cast and a blatant rip-off of The Omen, Final Destination 3 would be an easily forgettable sequel in this franchise if it wasn’t for one surprisingly refreshing death scene and a great new DVD feature: you, the viewer, get to choose whether the characters live or die during the course of the film!

That feature may be the only reason to own this DVD - after all, what’s the biggest problem with watching a movie over and over again? It’s always the same. Not with this feature. Too bad this hadn’t been created for a better film. Hopefully this will eventually become available for the original - now that would definitely be worth it!