Final Destination 5

Final Destination 5 is a 2011 3D horror film written by Eric Heisserer and directed by Steven Quale. It is the fifth installment to the Final Destination film franchise and stars Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, David Koechner, and Tony Todd (who is the only returning cast member of the series).

The motion picture's world premiere was August 4, 2011 at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal, Canada. It was released in Real D 3D and digital IMAX 3D.

Plot

Sam Lawton, his girlfriend Molly and their co-workers are headed for a retreat, when Sam envisions the bridge they are traveling across collapse and killing all of them except for Molly. Sam gets most of them off the bridge just in time before it collapses. Sam and the survivors are taken in for questioning at the police station.

Following the memorial service for the casualties, local coroner William Bludworth mysteriously warns Sam and his best friend and fellow survivor, Peter Friedkin, that Death doesn't like to be cheated. They ignore his warnings and move on with their lives.

At Gymnastic practice, Peter's girlfriend Candice Hooper breaks her back, leaving Peter devastated and at a massage another co-worker, Isaac Palmer, has his head crushed by a falling statue. Bludworth, who has been present for both deaths, tells the remaining survivors that if they wish to cheat Death, they must each kill someone who was never meant to die on the bridge, and thereby claim their remaining lifespan. It is here that Sam reveals to the group that Molly never died on the bridge in his vision, and Peter questions why Molly should have more right to live than Candice. Meanwhile, Agent Jim Block finds the subsequent deaths to be quite suspicious and begins following Sam and his friends.

Olivia Castle, another survivor, goes in for laser eye surgery, and is killed when the machine malfunctions and she falls out of a window. Meanwhile, Nathan unintentionally kills his jerk co-worker Roy by shoving him in front of a lifting hook, which impales him through the chin. Nathan relays this information to the remaining survivors, who realize that it means Nathan was successfully able to claim Roy's remaining lifespan and therefore must be safe. Sam believes that they are going to die in the same order they did in his vision and Peter pressures him to remember who is next. Their boss Dennis Lapman arrives to question Nathan about Roy's death and is killed by a wrench launched by a belt-sander, as Sam remembers it was him.

Later that night, Sam and Molly have dinner in his restaurant after closing. Peter, who has become paranoid and insane after Candice's death, arrives and tells them that he put into thought taking someone's life, but couldn't do it. He then says that Molly doesn't deserve to live more than Candice and pulls a gun on them. Molly and Sam flee into the kitchen, as Block arrives and is shot dead by Peter, which Molly witnesses. Knowing he is now safe from death with Block's lifespan, Peter decides to kill Molly in order to remove all witnesses. Before he can, Sam stabs and kills him, claiming his lifespan.

Two weeks later, Sam and Molly are boarding a plane to Paris when Sam notices a fight break out between two passengers who are revealed to be Alex Browning and Carter Horton, revealing that they are on Flight 180 and the movie is a prequel to the first. Sam and Molly take their seats, as they notice that they plane is on fire. Molly is pulled out the side of the plane by the air and sliced in half, as Sam burns to death. At Roy's memorial, Nathan discovers from a co-worker that Roy's autopsy revealed that he had a brain aneurysm that could have killed him "any day now". As Nathan realizes that this means he is still in danger, the landing gear from the plane crashes through the building and crushes Nathan to death.

Cast

• Nicholas D'Agosto as Sam
• Emma Bell as Molly
• Miles Fisher as Peter Friedkin
• Courtney B. Vance as Agent Block
• Arlen Escarpeta as Nathan
• David Koechner as Dennis
• Tony Todd as William Bludworth
• P. J. Byrne as Isaac
• Ellen Wroe as Candice Hooper
• Jacqueline MacInnes Wood as Olivia Castle
• Brent Stait as Roy
• Devon Sawa as Alex Browning
• Kerr Smith as Carter Horton
• Amanda Detmer as Terry Chaney
• Kristen Cloke as Valerie Lewton

Production

Development

Alan Horn, the head of Warner Bros., confirmed at ShoWest in March 2010 that Final Destination 5 was in works at ShoWest. Producer Craig Perry later added that the film will be shot in 3D. Eric Heisserer was announced as screenwriter in April 2010. The studio initially picked August 26, 2011 as the release date but later changed it to August 12, 2011. In June 2010, New Line Cinema announced that Steven Quale would direct.

Casting

In August 2010, actor and musician Miles Fisher was the first to be cast in Final Destination 5. Three days after Fisher's casting, Arlen Escarpeta, joined the film. In late August 2010 Nicholas D'Agosto, Ellen Wroe and Meghan Ory were. One day later, Tony Todd, from the first three installments, joined the film.

On August 30, 2010, David Koechner and P.J. Byrne were announced to have joined the cast. On September 2, Emma Bell was cast as the female lead; Molly. In mid-September both Jacqueline MacInnes Wood and Courtney B. Vance joined the main cast.

Filming

File:Lions' Gate Bridge (from Stanley Park).jpg

The opening scene was filmed on the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver, and two scale representations of the bridge.

Location filming returned to Vancouver, where the first three films were shot. Shooting with began in September 2010. In an interview with Shave Magazine, Nicholas D'Agosto revealed "the cameras we used were the newest hybrid 3D form. There are still two cameras kind of melded together with a kind of complex, mirrored frame that allows you to shoot in 3D."

Producers have said that this installment would be darker and more suspenseful in style to the original film, rather than the almost comedic route of the fourth film.

Final Destination 3 star Chelan Simmons revealed that the opening scene would be filmed on the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver.

Reception

Critical reviews

Upon release, Final Destination 5 received generally positive reviews. As of September 15, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 61% of 115 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.8 out of 10, making it the first and as of yet only installment of the series to garner a "fresh" certification. The site's consensus is, "It's still only for the gore-thirsty faithful, but Final Destination 5 represents a surprising return to form for the franchise". On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 50 based on 24 reviews. The film was criticized for failing to bring anything new to the franchise, weak character development, and average dialogue. Though the reception to acting has been largely mixed, most positive reviews praised the film for being an improvement over the previous installment in the series, The Final Destination. Reviews also praised the use of 3D, the visual effects, the inventive death scenes, the return of suspense as opposed to a campy feel, and for both the premonition disaster sequence and the ending.

Richard Roeper stated in his review "From the opening credits to the final kill this film displays a great use of 3-D." Todd Gilchrist of Boxoffice Magazine has declared the film in his review for being "the best 3D horror movie ever made." He described Final Destination 5 as "a clean, glossy thriller shot in native 3D (not post-conversion) that maximizes the technology without straining the audience's credulity or their constitutions." He also stated "Calling anything the 'best 3D horror film' has the ring of crowning the world's tallest midget, but Quale uses 3D almost shockingly well." In a review for Toronto.com, Linda Barnard has stated "this could be a case where the 3-D-shot movie is worth the extra few bucks to see".

The visual effects were praised for improving on the weak CGI from the previous installment. Betty Jo Tucker of ReelTalk Movie Reviews said in her review "The film boasts some of the best visual effects ever, especially the bridge-crumbling sequence at the beginning of the film." In his review of Final Destination 5, Roger Ebert said "...the special effects do an excellent job of beheading, incinerating, vivisecting, squishing and so on." "Final Destination 5 contain some of the most fun effects ever seen that purely enhance the thrills and bloody spills, rather than detract from them," stated Lisa Giles-Keddie from uk.real.com.

The death scenes in the film have been praised as being suspenseful, creative and shocking. Shockya.com said the deaths "are absolutely brilliant when it comes to building suspense". "The suspense comes from the ingenious methods that the characters meet their end" stated another reviewer from shockya.com. Boxoffice magazine said in praise "viewers connect to both the relatable pain of everyday injury and the gory gratification of a well-constructed, larger-than-life set piece." Nj.com has said "Admitted, there is a certain inventiveness to the way director Steven Quale stages the violence." San Francisco Chronicle said that the characters are "killed in gruesome and spectacular ways." The gymnastic set piece has been praised as "anxiety-filled", "a beautiful example of successful comic suspense", "Hitchcockian edge-of-your-seat suspense", and "inventively grotesque". Film.com stated in their review "The subsequent deaths are hit-or-miss, but they all show some creative spark. Quale sets them up like a cross between a joke and a magic trick, carefully establishing crucial details."

The opening bridge collapse has garnered considerable critical praise, with many stating it as being on par with the pile up sequence from Final Destination 2. It has been said to be "one of the single best sequences of any film all year" by Boxoffice magazine. Uk.real.com stated that the opening bridge collapse sequence is "beautifully directed and choreographed". Eric D. Snider has stated in his review for Film.com that "The opening premonition is nerve-janglingly effective." The New York Post has called the bridge collapse sequence "spectacular", and Daily News has call it "terrifying". USA today has commented on the sequence "The effect is terrific and reminiscent of the bridge destruction from Mission: Impossible III." Betsy Sharkey, a Los Angeles Times film critic stated in her negative review "I will say, the bus, and the bridge it must cross, does make for a pretty incredible wham-bam opening sequence," she further adds "The big crumble is a stunner of an opener." In a review for MSN.com, Kat Murphy said "the fifth chapter starts out with a slambang catastrophe", then stated that the bridge collapse is "Skillfully orchestrated," and "this sequence is actually enhanced by 3-D: Holes in the disintegrating bridge seem to pull the gaze down -- dizzyingly -- to the river below, and jagged camera angles on hanging railings and sliding debris muddle our sense of what's up, what's down." The Hollywood Reporter praised "This film’s opening sequence is undeniably spectacular." Aaron Hillis from The Village Voice called the bridge collapse "breathtakingly staged". The Advocate stated that "Director Steve Quale and writer Heisserer stage the bridge’s collapse in swift but exacting detail." The Austin Chronicle said the bridge collapse sequence is "spectacularly gruesome".

Box office

Final Destination 5 ranked #3 at the weekend box office with $18.4 million behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes ($27.5 million), which holds the top spot for two weeks, and The Help ($25.5 million). It was also the third biggest Final Destination opening to date behind 2009's The Final Destination ($27.4 million) and 2006's Final Destination 3 ($19.1 million). So far as of September 16, 2011, Final Destination 5 grossed $41.9 million domestically, and a strong $76.3 million overseas, bringing its total to $118.2 million worldwide.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Final Destination 5 was released physically on the 16th of August in 2011, four days after the release of the film. The soundtrack contains 19 tracks composed by Brian Tyler, music composer of The Final Destination. It is also the second Final Destination soundtrack album to be released.

Track listing

Final Destination 5
{{{artist}}}

The album contains 19 cues composed by Brian Tyler, omitting commercially released songs that were featured in the film.

1. "Main Title" (3:47)
2. "Fates Bridge" (6:31)
3. "Repercussions" (4:06)
4. "Kill or Be Killed" (4:30)
5. "Cheating Death" (2:13)
6. "Bludworth" (2:43)
7. "Death's Work" (10:12)
8. "Olivia" (1:35)
9. "Eye Can't See No Good" (4:16)
10. "The Gift Certificate" (2:50)
11. "Meet the Gang" (1:10)
12. "Hook in Mouth" (2:09)
13. "Isaac's Got a Point" (2:08)
14. "Recognition" (0:59)
15. "Mystery" (2:47)
16. "Bend Over Backwards" (4:38)
17. "The Order of Death" (7:20)
18. "Plans Within Plans" (3:45)
19. "Infinite Finale" (1:31)

Commercial songs from film, but not on soundtrack

• "I Will Buy You a New Life", by Everclear
• "Dust in the Wind", by Kansas
• "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)", by AC/DC