The Final Destination (2009)

   

Directed by: David R. Ellis

Written by: Eric Bress

Starring:

Bobby Campo .... Nick O'Bannon
Shantel VanSanten .... Lori Milligan
Nick Zano .... Hunt Wynorski
Haley Webb .... Janet Cunningham
Mykelti Williamson .... George Lanter

Release Date: Theatrical: August 28, 2009

*Images courtesy at: www.outnow.ch

Rating:

 

A group of friends go to a racetrack as one of them named Hunt Wynorski (Nick Zano) is betting money on one of the drivers but one of the other friends named Nick O'Bannon (Bobby Campo) hallucinates that a terrible car crash occurs and the pieces of the vehicles lands in the audience and kills them. After he snaps out of it he encounters on what everyone is doing before this incident ever happens and tries to get everyone out of the race derby. Suddenly this tragedy happens and the people who were supposed to have been slaughtered by this but survived are dropping like flies later on with supposed accidents.
Nick goes to the aid of his girlfriend Lori Milligan (Shantel VanSanten) to go back to the race track to find any evidence on who will be next to die and also goes to the aid of the security there named George Lanter (Mykelti Wilkinson) since he was supposed to have been dead at the race track as everyone except for Hunt believes that they are next and try to find out what their fate is with Nick's dreaming to see if they can trick their deaths.
When they think they have outtricked their deaths, they all realise that they are missing out a certain person who survived the incident whom was supposed to have been killed as well so it's far from over.

 

There's a great beginning with a bunch of vehicles racing around a racetrack as well as the main characters in the film having a discussion at the car race with Hunt Wynorski acting sarcastic and drinking out of a fake magnifying glass. We also get a good shot on a bench being broken with Nick O'Bannon looking at it as well as staring at a cement wall.
There's a nice close up shot on a screwdriver flying on the racing track and stabbing a car as well as a great shot on the vehicle wiping out and crashing in the crowd with great brutal shots on all of this as well as the crowd screaming and trying to run away.
We have a nice panicking rage with Nick after his daydream on what was happening and trying to get his friends out of there.
We get a good shot looking up on a female audience and a broken wheel flying in the air and aiming right at her.
There's a good moment with a redneck using racism towards George Lanter and acting like a total ass after the tragedy at the race track which looked well done.
There's a good nightshot on the redneck in his towtruck drinking his beer and then wobbling out of his truck and trying to place a crucifix on a property as well as a shot him on fire screaming intensely with a shot on the truck dragging him along the road.
We have a nice shot on the MILF getting her hair done with good close up shots on a hairdresser cutting her hair acting sleepy and some shots with her scissors on where she's cutting her hair that can look deadly if an accident ever happens in which you're guaranteed to stay in your seat to find out what will happen. There's also a good close up shot on a fan on top of the roof blowing and ready to come loose and fall.
We spot a good shot on a greensman using a lawnmowing vehicle and a shot on a sharp object shooting out and aiming towards the MILF which is a great jumping moment.
There's a good discussion between both Nick and Lori going to the drag race and trying to find some clues on who's next to die with great shots on the place looking torn to pieces.
We spot a good conversation between Nick, Lori and George trying to talk to a mechanic next to a metal fence about him being next to die as well as the metal fence showing that it's sharp which boggles you on what's going to happen.
We have a great shot on Janet Cunningham in her vehicle at a carwash with good close up shots on the car being washed as well as showing a shot on a pipe ready to burst and then it does with water pouring into her vehicle and she does well trying to get out giving the direction a very suspenseful shot finding no escape. Meanwhile, there's a good shot on Hunt trapped on the bottom of the pool being sucked down with great shocked expressions on his face trying to break free which really makes you gasp on the feeling being trapped underwater.
We have a nice moment with both Lori and Nick spotting George hanging himself and realising he's still alive and struggling to get him down as well as a good humoress moment on him telling him what he was trying to do in suicides being scared of his fate.
There's a great moment on the three of them proposing a toast on living thinking the terror isn't over yet and acting full of life.
We have a good shot on Nick knocking off a book and spotting a page as well as a TV turning on with a news report discovering a situation that the terror is not over which was nicely paced.
We have a good shot on a cowboy in a hospital bed with shots on top of a roof of water dumping down and hitting him and him struggling to find a way of escaping on what is going to happen.
We have a nice discussion between Lori and Janet hanging out in the mall with different areas around them that looks dangerous with them still acting full of life which gives you a worrysome attitude that there's something awful that's about to happen. There's a good close up shot on Lori's shoelace caught on an electric staircase and her panicking about it which showed some good energy.
There's also a good conversation between the two of them watching a 3D movie with Lori worried about them dying in the theatre with Janet acting stubborn about it all.
We have many great shots on people being blown away in the mall by explosions as well as a struggling moment between Lori and Nick at an electric staircase that's falling apart which was powerfully done.
We spot some great struggling moments with Nick in a basement of the mall trying to put out a fire before his hallucionations come true with nice shots on a nail gun shooting at him as well as him trying to point a stick up to a sprinkler in which you wonder if he will succeed throughout all of this.
Bottom line: Is this the final of all the flicks? Well I doubt it since the ending left a door open to another one and you will see what I mean. I hope they make another one since I love these flicks. All of them were basically taken in a different direction except for maybe part 2 but are all true sequels regardless. The terror really happened with a race track imagining those typical race car accidents but it suddenly falls off the track and pieces of it land into the audience which would be one of your worst nightmares that something like that could happen just like in the beginning of the previous films too. There's never really a dull moment in this film as you wonder what could happen next after spotting a possible accident which teases your mind a little. There's tons of great CGI effects plus this film was in 3D and it totally looks like these things are coming right at you.

The acting is fairly passable but not over the top excellent. Lead actor Bobby Campo (Nick O'Bannon) really brought some good emotions as the one hallucinating on who's going to die. He really knew how to act anxious as well as panicky. He proved to be energetic but at the same time he was nothing too special. Oh well he's a young and upcoming actor.
Shantel VanSanten (Lori Milligan) showed some nice characteristics with her worried attitude on who will die next or if it's really over. She showed good expressions too with what she did for her performance to top it off.
Nick Zano
(Hunt Wynorski) really brought the audience to his attention with his cocky and sarcastic attitude since we need someone like him to portray that and he really does it well and he reminds you of those types you don't care much for in your life that he did his job well enough.
Haley Webb
(Janet Cunningham) showed the nice stunning looks to her part and she said her lines nicely and clearly as well as sometimes showing a good stubborn attitude to top it off. She was the most energetic actress I must say to do the role out of the whole cast.
Mykelti Williamson
(George Lanter) as the security at the racetrack was the best actor in the film delivering his lines witty and being serious too. He showed alot of dynamic action with all that was going on throughout the story and not lacking at all. I can see him getting more work in film and TV to what he did with his part. Yet he already had tons of acting experience beforehand.
Even though this actor had a small part in the film, Justin Welborn (Racist) did his job wonderfully as a redneck towtruck driver and it can be a good start to a successful career in other acting gigs.

Bit part actress Gabrielle Chaplin fully exposes her breasts while doing a sex scene with one of the main actors having a holiday.

Two bodies are split in half
A head is stabbed through some sharp wood of a bench
People are slaughtered by parts of a vehicle
A wheel flies in the air and cuts off a woman's head showing the remains YUCK
A woman has her eye stabbed through a metal object that flew in the air from a lawnmower
A guy is sliced through a metal fence after a vehicle heaves into him
A person's guts are spat out near a swimming pool
A woman is stabbed in the chest by a sharp object in a movie theatre
A woman is getting sucked into a machine at an electric stairway

Nick: We're all gonna' die, there's gonna' be huge crash!
Mechanic's Girlfriend: What? Have you lost your mind?

Nick: There's gonna be a huge crash!
Hunt Wynorski: Off course there's a crash, there's always a crash!

Hunt Wynorski: If I'm going to die, then I'm going to make the most out of every moment I have left, so I'm going to do what I do best, I'm gonna get laid. If I'm dying, I'm trying.

MILF: I've got my eye on you two.

George Lanter: I've been trying to kill myself all day!

Lori: Janet we have to go!
Janet: No you guys are nuts! I was meant to see this movie!

Nick: We have to get out of here!
Janet: Thank god!

Theatre Manager: Everything'll be ok.
[theater explodes blowing him away]