By John Delia
Shattering, piercing, gut wrenching, queasy, bloody, gouging, bone breaking, mind blowing, and yet mesmerizing, that’s what Final Destination 5 is all about, especially in 3D. This is one of those select few films that use 3D well, and it will blow your mind. If you have never seen a Final Destination movie or are a big fan of the guts and gore they deliver, then rush to see Final Destination 5, but do not go over a bridge on your way.
The premise behind all 5 of the Final Destinations is that you cannot cheat death. In the first film 8 students get off an airplane as one of them sees a vision that it is going to crash. One by one the students find that life is an elusive commodity. The next three sequels feature a horrifying highway wreck, a roller coaster ride gone wrong, and a car that explodes into the stands at a racetrack.
But this Final Destination features something only in nightmares, a bridge coming apart with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Here novice Director Steven Quale puts engineering to the test as he rips his bridge to shreds hundreds of feet above a river. Buses, cars, people falling dismembered, and, well you get the idea. The images are so real that they had me gasping for air, gripping my seat and in some cases groaning audibly. If you have a fear of heights, then this film may trigger the malady, as the 3D effects are amazingly realistic.
The special effects, makeup, computer graphics imaging, and motion capture are amazing and the real stars of the film. The opening credits have so much coming at you that it startles. If you have seen the first four films, then you will find most of the weapons of death used in those flicks popping into view.
Video
Final Destination 5 is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The 1080p image is arrived at with an AVC MPEG-4 codec at an average 20 mbps. The film has obvious 3D moments, and they look more like stunts on the 2D version. With that said, the high-definition image presentation is rock solid. There is plenty of sharp detail that comes across particularly well on the bridge scene. Black levels are fine, and the transfer is flawless.
Audio
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 allows you to become immersed in the action. Surrounds are used to good effect, and the bridge scene just comes alive with even the most subtle of sounds like a cable breaking. Dialog comes through quite clearly.
Special Features
Circle Of Death: (5:39) This feature serves mostly as a set-up for the film. There areplenty of cast and crew sound bites. It includes behind-the-scenes footage of the death scenes.
Alternate Death Scenes: (15:48) There are two, and very little is changed until the end of the first.
Collapsing Bridge: (9:16) A look at the production levels of the iconic scene.
Airplane Crash: (3:16) A look at the production levels of this scene.
Final Thoughts:
The acting in Final Destination 5 comes in above average with some performances exceptionally good, especially Jacqueline MacInnes-Wood as the arrogant Olivia Castle who you learn to love to hate for her snotty selfishness. When her time comes to meet her maker, the ‘eyes’ have it.
Parts of this review were written by Gino Sassani
