Simply A Masterpiece

As Good As It Gets

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is my favourite of all the films. For me it's very different from the other 4. It just has a different air to it. All the clues are there, but I just didn't see them, so I was completely blown away by the ending. Very good. I think this franchise is my favourite horror movie franchise as I really like all the films.

"Final Destination 5" adheres pretty closely to the formula established in the previous four films. Character A, in this case aspiring chef Sam (Nicholas D'Agosto, 'Gotham'), has a horrifying vision of a major catastrophe, and he and assorted others (who died during the vision) are frightened when they escape and witness the catastrophe actually taking place. They spend the rest of the film dying off in spectacular fashion, because as omnipresent coroner Bludworth (Tony "Candyman" Todd) likes to put it, "Death doesn't like to be cheated." They also have to wonder if it's at all possible to avoid what seems to be inevitable.This series still continues to be perversely entertaining in its over the top depictions of ultra-elaborate death set pieces, and the resulting cartoonish gore. It still plays that way at times, but at least writer Eric Heisserer (the "Thing" prequel) and director Steven Quale, the latter making his fictional feature debut, give us enough story and enough character detail to make our intended victims worth watching. They also make sure to give us little moments of foreshadowing that will pay off very soon. The filmmaking is slick, and the wholesale destruction of human bodies consistently offers amusement. One undeniable highlight is a case of laser eye surgery gone horribly wrong.Where this offers some truly interesting wrinkles is when: A) Peter Friedkin (Tom Cruise lookalike Miles Fisher, "J. Edgar") thinks he has a handle on solving his problem, and B) the denouement where events take a very circular turn. It rather reminded this viewer of the way the writers of the "Saw" sequels would go out of their way to tie events & characters together. But this was fairly clever, and appreciated.The cast is personable. D'Agosto and Emma Bell ('The Walking Dead') as his sweetie are likeable, P.J. Byrne ("The Wolf of Wall Street") is a hoot as an uber-sleazy moron, Arlen Escarpeta (the "Friday the 13th" reboot) is engaging, and there are also roles for veterans David Koechner ("Anchorman") and Courtney B. Vance ('Law & Order: Criminal Intent'), the latter playing an appropriately befuddled Federal agent.A reel of highlights from all the previous films precedes the end credits, and one has to feel that this fifth entry does provide a sense of closure...unless, of course, some producer or suit decides to resurrect the series at some point.Seven out of 10.

Several youths once again discover that "death doesn't like to be cheated" after surviving a deadly bridge collapse accident in this final chapter in the 'Final Destination' franchise. Part Five shares some of the weaknesses of the earlier entries - particularly the lack of any clear explanation of why the premonitions occur in certain individuals and why Death chooses to avenge in such complex and grisly ways. Some of the victims to-be in this sequel are also so obnoxious that we simply cannot wait for them to die; P.J. Byrne is especially unpleasant and a grumpy David Koechner is not far behind. For all its drawbacks, Part Five is, however, also a lot more fun than the previous couple of chapters with large doses of humour (especially in a health spa scene) and multiple elaborate death sequences in which it is hard to predict what exactly will deliver the fatal blow; the gymnasium scene is particularly well done in this regard. The absolute best aspect of the film though is the surprise ending that cleverly drums up incredible tension. It is an ending that also makes this a fitting concluding tale in the horror saga. Of course, knowing the current climate in Hollywood, the series could be given the green light for a reboot at any minute, but after the lousy 'The Final Destination', it would be nice for the series to be put to rest on a high note like this film is.

There are very few long-running horror franchises where I can happily say that I have enjoyed every single chapter, but that is definitely the case with the wonderfully dumb and delightfully gory Final Destination series; admittedly that's probably because each successive sequel has been almost virtually identical in format to the enjoyable original, setting the stage with a spectacular disaster and allowing death to do the rest, but I have enjoyed them nevertheless.Part 5 certainly doesn't stray far from the formula. Barring one new plot device—the kill or be killed rule—and couple of twists that, if you've been paying attention, you may very well guess, this is business as usual: a group of people narrowly avoid being killed but find that their reprieve is only temporary while Death gets its act together. As always, expertly orchestrated and spectacularly gory demises await them all, and this time they're even bloodier than before!If, like me, you have enjoyed the previous instalments in this popular series, then it's almost certain that this one will also satisfy your yearning for inventive deaths and over the top splatter. I only hope that they keep 'em coming 'cos I'm not done yet.