CAST AND CREDITS:

STARRING:
A.J. Cook, Andrew Downing, Michael Landes,
Ali Larter, Tony Todd, Enid-Raye Adams, Lynda Boyd
Keegan Connor, Jonathan Cherry, T.C. Carson, Michael Landes

DIRECTED BY:
David. R. Ellis

WRITTEN BY:
Eric Bress, J. Mackye Gruber

PRODUCED BY:
Jeffrey Reddick,
Warren Zide and Craig Perry

DISTRIBUTED BY:
Alliance Atlantic/New Line Cinema

RATING USA...
Rated R, for strong violence, gruesome accidents,
language and drug content.
RATING CANADA...
Rated AA for course language
and violence.


Horror
Death on Route 23

"Today may be your day to die."
It's rare when a horror film sequel is better than the original but FINAL DESTINATION 2 is such a film. This sequel to Director James Wong's horror thriller FINAL DESTINATION has in my opinion a tighter and more superiour script as well as better special effects. This film takes place one year after Flight 180 blew up in mid air leaving some surviours to face Death's deadly scythe. Now with some careful plotting we learn that only one of the flight's survivors is still alive and that the new players in death's little game were somehow affected by the events that occurred in the first film. The nice thing about this plot device is that in this context it makes sense. Okay it makes as much sense as death going after those that it missed. You know this brings up the philosophical idea that a divine entity (whichever one you worship) controls every facet of our lives. It means that all the ocurrences in our lives are pre-determined; whether we are good or bad; who we marry or if we become drug addicts or life saving heroes it is already written in some celestial journal. If mankind were to believe in this pre-determination of our life's paths then why should we even have laws to protect society as after all we are only doing what divine will has already planned for us, good or bad. As much as I have enjoyed these two FINAL DESTINATION films, I find this is the only idea that I can not go along with. My wife on the other hand told me to stop worrying about it because it's only a movie. Hmmm, do you think she's correct?












"So, I'm surrounded by death?"
Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) and three college friends are driving through New York to a vacation in Daytona Beach when they become involved in one of the screen's most incredible multi vehicle collisions. This scene is guaranteed to see leave you speechless. Before the accident we see all the player's taking their assigned positions in this occurence and all the other individual events begin to gel together leading to an amazing roadway catastrophe. Kimberely and her friends watch as a runaway tractor trailer takes their lives.

"Is she dangerous or something?"
"No honey,she expects you are."
Alright, you already figured out that if everyone died here then there would not be a story. That's correct, just like in the first film all this is a dream/premonition Kim has while sitting at an intersection reeady to enter the playing field. Freaked out, Kimberly refuses to move any farther holding up a long line of vehicles behind her. A police officer, Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) who is behind her SUV, comes to her vehicle to find out the problem. She's panicked and everyone behind her is yelling at her, just as she sees the lumber truck that began the series of events that caused all the deaths she forsaw. The accident happens as she saw it, minus all the ones who were involved that now sit safe, behind her. The officer calls for help and just as Kimberly and her friends are about to be crushed by a truck, Officer Burke grabs her out of harms way. Kim screams as she watches her friends still in her car, totally demolished.

"Congratulations, you'll be the last to go."
Well, she managed to screw up Death's plan and we now know what has to happen. Death will not be denied and once Kimberly and Officer Burke put the clues together they now suspect what will happen. The other survivors are told what will happen and of course they are not exactly anxious to believe Kimberly. With a little checking Kimberly is able to track down the only living survivor of Flight 180, Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) to a pyschriatric hospital where she has voluntarily confineed herself. Here Clear stays in a padded room with nothing in it that Mr. Death would be use to kill her. Kimberly begs for help but Clear is just not willing to leave and help but she does offer suggestions on what clues to look for.

"We're all going to die aren't we?"
Since this is a dead teenager movie, it's time to see some of them die. Of course what makes deaths in this film interesting is the little events that occur to cause the death. Watching these little occurrences is like watching an out of control Rube Goldberg skit. The first of death's corrections happens to Evan Lewis a young man who was lucky twice, so everyone thought. He won the lottery and then managed to survive the disaster on the highway. He comes hope with a huge iMac box and several times nearly slips on toys in the hall. Once in his apartment he lights a fire under a frying pan, puts something in the microwave; his ring ended up in the microwave which explodes out and flies into the garbage disposal drain. Trying to retrieve the ring he reaches into the drain and gets his hand stuck. The frying pan catches fire and ends up on the floor where a fire starts, trapping him with his hand still stuck in the drain. As the fire threatens to take Evan's life, his window slams shut but he manages to pull his hand out. Smashing the window he gets of the apartment and heads down the fire escape just as his apartment blows up. Running down the stairs he ends up climbing down the escape ladder and gets to the ground...safe. Nope you see earlier he threw some spaghetti from the frying pan out the window. Well now he slips on the spaghetti and well you'll see what happens next.

"I control my life. I control my life."
Every time one of the characters dies, it happens with a series of events that seem unrelated until the boom drops. One of the other teenagers who survived with his mother has to meet his destiny in a dentist's office that involves pidgeons. The events are so ludricous, that lead to Tim's death that the gruesome way he dies will make you wince in agony. His mother will meet her end in an elevator that involves a man with hooked hands; believe me it will not be what you think. Eugene Dix played by T.C. Carson ends up on a repirator after a car accident that involves the others as well. His death I will not mention as it will also mean the death of another in a really horrible manner which should stay as a surprise until you run out and plop your bucks down to see FINAL DESTINATION 2. Another one will save a life but fall apart at his moment of death. Tracy Kat (Keegan Connor) dies with a touch of irony and the jaws of life. One will have to die so the rest may live and when you think it's over, well you know something will happen.

"Only new life can defeat death."
While all the actors are competent, the one who seems to relish his role is Tony Todd as the morgue attendant. Once again he reprises his role with a devilish, sinister glee as he comes to the questionable aid of Clear, Kimberly and Officer Burke. All the time he is talking to the three of them he is prepping Lewis' body for cremation. Our tall ghoul tells them since Death's plan has been altered it can be permenantly changed if new life comes from death. That's all you'll hear on that one, people, you need some surprises in your life.

"I have this really bad feeling."
"What?"
"It's not over yet."
If you like horror movies you can't go wrong with this sequel. Everyone I was with thoroughly enjoyed this movie and you will as well. So I recommend this movie highly for those of you who can ignore some of the silliness and like to be thrilled and scared. Grab that overpriced popcorn and those candies you sneaked in past the ushers at the door, and enjoy FINAL DESTINATION 2.











"Death stalked them, hunting each one down."

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