Final Destination 2 (2003)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309593/
Director: David R. Ellis / Script: Jeffrey Reddick, J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress
Runtime: 90min
Cast: Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, Michael Landens
Genre: Thriller / Fantasy / Horror
Tagline: You can’t cheat death twice.

“There is a sort of force, all around us, everyday & it determines when you live & die.” Kimberly has a premonition of a road accident in which many people, including herself. She saves those who are meant to die, by blocking the way. But death is coming after the survivors, each of them starts dying in freak accidents, and Kimberly must try to stop it.

From the trilogy, this one seemed the best; maybe because this was the first one I have watched. It relates back to the first one, by flight 180, but everything is clear, so that anyone can watch it without having seen the first one. The movie is tense, mysterious and of course gruesome. First of all, premonition was something that has always fascinated me and this movie deals with it too. Kimberly’s premonition – the accident – is violent, cars crashing, fire; shows clearly that the director is fond of stunts. It’s interesting how the little things gain importance in the film. There are little events that prefigure the tragic accident; like if they were all signs that something bad is going to happen. And this mysterious approach sends chills down the viewer’s spine. Also, the fact that the survivors, who are made up of all kinds of people, start dying one by one accordingly to death’s plan, is puzzling. Then there is the way they die. Again, seemingly insignificant items prove to be important as one thing leads to another and all the coincidences lead to horrific deaths. There are all kinds of accidents during the movie, and you never know which one is going to be fatal for someone. The deaths are pretty inventive, I must admit. The music also contributes to the feeling of mystery and tension.

It’s an interesting thriller from the writers of “The Butterfly Effect”, successfully dealing with a different “what if”. It kept me anxious about how the next person was going to die; the freak accidents were mostly the reason why I watched the whole trilogy. And the whole process, the one thing leading to another was just too nicely executed to not to be puzzled by it.