Blogamole › Final Destination

By Michael Lopez

We know what you're thinking, usually the fifth installment in a horror series has very little thought and originality. Whether it's a Saw movie or Friday The 13th, by the time number five rolls around you can pretty much predict every gruesome scene. Final Destination 5, on the other hand, actually breaks that rule, breathing new life into the franchise with a witty plot and some excellent 3D effects.

Though movie fans may not immediately recognize the name of director Steven Quale, nearly everyone has seen his work. His groundbreaking cinematography has been used in films like Terminator 2 and Titanic. Not only that, his contributions to Avatar helped break new ground for the 3D format and it shows in FD 5.

From the moment the first blade gets thrust toward your oversized glasses, you know you're in for an incredible ride. Final Destination 5 does a fantastic job of using the third dimension to its advantage. Never do the scenes feel forced or thrown in your face as an afterthought. Every "kill sequence" is meticulously calculated.

But of course, the 3D wouldn't be half as fun if it didn't have an interesting plot to go with it. By all accounts, the fourth film in the series did not live up to expectations. Though it made a decent chunk of change at the box office (hence the green light for a sequel), the premise felt tired and low on steam.

This newest chapter introduces all new characters (except for always reliable Tony Todd) and gives the concept a clean slate to work with. As you may already know, the FD premise revolves around a select group of people "cheating death" then getting their comeuppance through a series of unfortunate events.

Each of FD 5’s main leads does a fantastic job of conveying fear and dark humor. And we can honestly say that each actor meets his demise in a very fresh and inventive way (good luck going for acupuncture after this movie). There's even a great twist ending that will definitely appeal to hardcore Destination fans.

Bottom line: Final Destination 5 is a movie that NEEDS to be seen in a theater. Yes the plot is good and the actors do a fine job, but the true star here is the 3D! Plus, just hearing the audience react to the outrageous death scenes is reason enough to spend the $10.

Are you planning on watching Final Destination 5? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 3D, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Final Destination, Final Destination 5, Movie Reviews, Movies & CineMás, Steven Quale, Tony Todd

By Michael Lopez

Horror film fans rejoice! After a summer filled with super heroes and cowboys, it's finally time to enjoy some good old-fashioned scares. This week's gory entry is Final Destination 5 and, as its cast members can attest, it promises to keep you squirming in your seat!

Jacqueline's character death in particular may be one of the most gruesome. Anyone who's seen the trailer knows that she meets her unfortunate end during a botched laser eye surgery. And that's only the beginning. As star Miles Fisher explained, the method of each kill scene will not disappoint.

"It's going to be great seeing this with an audience," star Jacqueline MacInnes Wood said. "You almost want to see these characters die, you may even start cheering for it."

"I've been a fan of the franchise since it first came out," Fisher said. "There"s no psycho murderer in this movie. It’s different, it’s fun!"

Nicholas D’Agosto, who plays Sam, seemed thrilled with the Final product. And even though there are plenty of tense moments between him and the other characters, Nicholas emphasized that working on the set was an absolute blast.

"It was so much fun to make this movie," he said. "It had such a big scope. It was really exciting. Plus, the cast had a lot of fun together."

One familiar face for FD fans will be Tony Todd, who returns for the fourth time to play the mysterious Mr. Bludworth. When commenting on the film, Tony seemed surprised and humbled by his character's ongoing popularity.

"I'm still shocked that I'm here," he said jokingly. "Somehow Bludworth's lines are memorable. It's really a wonderful job. Bludworth is completely honest and he's a man of few words."

Perhaps Jacqueline best summed up what horror fans can expect from this particular Final Destination movie.

"If you haven't seen the other movies, it doesn't matter. You can still enjoy the ride," she said. "But for someone who is a die-hard Final Destination fan, there are key scenes here that you will definitely love."

You can check out FD 5 when it hits theaters this Friday. And don't forget, the box office horror fest continues next week with the release of the highly-anticipated Fright Night reboot!

What's your all-time favorite horror movie? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Final Destination, Final Destination 5, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Miles Fisher, Movies & CineMás, Nicholas D'Agosto, Tony Todd

By Michael Lopez

Oh yea, you knew this was coming. With over $600 million in total gross at the box office, the Final Destination sequels keep chugging along. This week marks the release of the franchise’s fifth installment and director Steven Quale spoke to Tr3s about what to expect in the latest chapter.

"For this movie, I concentrated on three things," Quale explained at recent press conference. "I was concentrated on the visuals, I was concentrated on the characters and the cast, and the whole 3D aspect. I wanted to use the medium to its fullest extent."

And having seen the movie, we can vouch for its excellent use of 3D. Every blood-curdling demise guarantees at least a few flying body parts. Of course, as Quale puts it, the death scenes aren’t the scariest parts of the movie.

"It’s about the suspense leading up to the execution of the kill, not the kill itself," he said. "If you don’t have the suspense, it’s an empty kill."

For those unfamiliar with the Final Destination premise, these movies aren’t about a masked murderer or an evil spirit. The freaky part about these "kill scenes" is the fact that each character is undone by circumstances beyond their control. The force of death is never seen, but rather insinuated by gruesome mishaps.

Quale went on to explain how he built the tension for the movie’s scariest moments.

"My take on it is like music and dynamic range. If everything is like a pop and loud, it gets deafening. But if it gets really loud then gets really quiet then gets really loud again, you have this thing called dynamic range. And you can integrate that into the way you shoot a film."

And don’t worry all of you die-hard FD fans, Steven has made sure that the franchise’s trademark humor has remained intact too. But he was quick to point out that the laughs won’t be based on cheesy dialogue or unbelievable scenarios (as with previous Destination entries).

"I didn’t want any camp humor with wink winks to the camera," Quale said. "I wanted the humor to be completely organic."

You can experience the laughs, frights, and a whole lot more when Final Destination 5 hits theaters this Friday.

Are you a fan of the Final Destination series? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags 3D, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Exclusive Entrevistas, Final Destination, Final Destination 5, Horror Movies, Movies & CineMás, Steven Quale, Tr3s Exclusives