Review of Final Destination 3 (2006) by Ryan M — 06 Aug 2011

6.4/10.

With James Wong back in the director's chair, "Final Destination 3" already has plenty of potential. I watched it and tried to enjoy myself, and I did. Wong is good at making movies like this. He knows how to stage death scenes and plot his movies in this franchise in an almost satirical, funny way. This installment is closer to what I liked about the first film than the first sequel, and it hits the spot, for what it is. Nothing can save it from its stupid, ludicrous plot and its shallow characters, but look at the bright side: at least you get to see them all die in genuinely creative ways.

Probably the biggest down-side, aside from what I've already described, is that Tony Todd does not have a physical appearance in this film. He does, however, lend his vocals to a few cameo voice-roles. You'll notice them off the bat if you know what Todd talks like; and how distinctive his awesome voice is. Oh yes: it is awesome. And you know it.

Wong opens his movie like a master filmmaker, with shots of the doomed carnival/amusement park that set an ominous mood. He manages to make roller-coasters look like the home of the ill-fated. After the brilliant opening sequence, the film gets messy, but in a fun sort of way. Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is visiting the very carnival that was depicted in the opening credits with her senior friends. She brings along a camera so that she can take pictures, and by the film reaches the half-way point, she'll be glad she did, as the fine piece of photographic technology actually plays a big part in the film's plot.

Wendy has one of those "horrific" premonitions, but this time it doesn't involve a plane-crashing or even a big-ass traffic jam. This time, it's an off-the-rails roller-coaster. In Wendy's vision, the thing spirals out of control and everyone dies: the end. Of course, like in the rest of these movies , she freaks out and gets kicked off the ride along with a few of her friends. The others that don't kick off, one of them which is Wendy's boyfriend, die in the accident that was destined to happen.

After that, Wendy returns to her life as a guilt-stricken older-teen. We don't feel bad for her because we're not expected to care about anyone in these movies. I think even director James Wong understands that; he understands everything. The problem from here-on-out in the film's story is this: Wendy discovers that the photographs she took are accurate predictions of how any of the fellow survivors are going to die. When the coincidences turn out to be much, much more; she panics, and tries to save whoever she possibly can.

If you've seen the other "Final Destination" films, then you need no further explanation. There's not too much separating "3" from "2" aside from the fact that it's actually pretty well-made, and significantly more pleasurably. I enjoyed how the film abandoned the serious nature that the second film tried to attach to the franchise, and James Wong knows how to make a movie. The story is crap, and so are the stupid, stupid characters; but I admire the craft that went into making the film a guilty pleasure.

Good cinema this is not; good fun it is. I can't recommend "Final Destination 3" because technically, it's not a good movie. However, a film as well-made as this one might get some of the attention it deserves from fans. It is a mindless, but old-school blood orgy that never lets up; never slows down. Lame, lame, lame; and I can't deny that it is. But if you try to see what James Wong was trying to do, you might just appreciate what he has actually done, and it all amounts to something. Just not enough to satisfy a whole lot of people. But, yeah: all-in-all, not all that bad.