For millennials the world over, the above image has caused a lifetime of mistrust when it comes to driving behind logging trucks or anything carrying a heavy load. Not just that, but flying on an airplane, having electronics anywhere near a bathtub, and myriad other potential hazards have become more than potential dangers: they have become warnings. This is what the 2000 film Final Destination did to us, a film based on premonitions of disasters and deaths. You could say this film and its subsequent sequels have made us far more cautious, but it has also arguably turned us into slight sadists; how else can you explain that this franchise is about to release its sixth instalment!? To that end, let’s revisit the previous five destinations before the latest, Final Destination Bloodlines, hits (and fucks up a new generation) the world over.

Final Destination (2000)
Director: James Wong
3.5/5

A fairly solid start and, from what I remember, a pretty original idea 25(!) years ago. From the off we’re thrown in the deep end of extreme disaster, so the adreneline is already running high. It follows a teen’s premonition that results in his and his friends avoiding an airplane explosion and trying to stay alive after Death, feeling cheated, comes for them. The further “freak accidents” and occurrences they experience are consistent, but perhaps too much so, causing a little fatigue and maybe numbness to the shock by the end. The acting is mostly solid overall, though most of the characters are stereotypical for the “teen slasher” genre that was popular at the time, but some of the dialogue might leave you cringing until the end of time. It was also enjoyable to see a cameo from Tony Todd, the Candyman himself. The final scene leaves the ending rather ambiguous, leaving it clearly open to a sequel.

Final Destination 2 (2003)
Director: David R. Ellis
2.5/5

This one felt like it went in a weird direction after the first film. One year post-Flight 180, another group of people avoid a serious road collision, and thus Death starts coming for all of them. This film goes more dialogue-heavy, with more focus on the characters between deaths, giving it a better pacing than the first, however, the quality of the performances (other than leads A.J. Cooke and Michael Landes), story and dialogue has hugely dipped. On top of this, the reasoning for the absence of Devon Sawa’s Alex was a total cop-out, and Ali Larter’s character Clear’s storyline seemed a little ridiculous (and that’s saying something in a film that has a lot of ridiculousness about it). Fun to see Tony Todd pop up again though, and also has a frankly comical final scene. At this point, I’m also beginning to wonder who or what is giving the lead characters premonitions, or “feelings”, about what’s to come. If Death is a thing, perhaps Life is, too? Or am I getting too abstract now?

Final Destination 3 (2006)
Director: James Wong
3/5

Five years after FD2 and another group of teens are thrown together after avoiding a fatal rollercoaster accident, making them stalked once again by Death, though this time there are no direct character links to 1 and 2. There are some great shots in this film (an indication of James Wong being back in the director’s chair), some fun deaths and good suspense with more of a focus on fear being the inability to control what happens, showing a slightly deeper messaging than the previous two films. However, it is once again rather dialogue-heavy and tries to sound smart and *aware* at times but doesn’t really have any meaning to it (“I’m full of shit!”). It’s all a little too predictable, not really trying to do anything new to set it apart within the franchise other than the way Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Wendy goes about piecing together Death’s ‘design’. Sadly there’s no Tony Todd apperance, but he does have a couple of voice cameos. It’s also a marvel how this franchise is able to make poor performers out of usually strong actors. It’s a little more enjoyable than 2, but not quite on par with 1.

The Final Destination (2009)
Director: David R. Ellis
2/5

Featuring a far more enticing and well-designed intro, this one follows the same formula of a group of college students (good call because the audiences watching since 2000 are now almost ten years older) avoiding a racecar disaster and then fighting to stay alive, but then it’s all downhill after that. The CGI sequences within the film are really quite terrible, which is surprising even for the time, though perhaps that could be put down to the film being 3D in theatres. Still, they could’ve spruced it up for home release. The characters aren’t quite as interesting or worth investing in, the story is really lacking and most of the deaths aren’t quite as shocking as ones we’ve seen previously. This is also the only film in the franchise that features nothing from Tony Todd (sadface). Overall this one felt like it was played safe in comparison to other instalments so far, because most of its “alure” was the 3D aspect for theaters.

Final Destination 5 (2011)
Director: Steven Quale
3/5

Once again, a group of young adult professionals (again, growing with its audience) avoid a bridge disaster thanks to their friend’s premonition. This instalment was apparently supposed to be darker and less comical than its direct predecessor, but I found it to be the opposite with some particularly funny deaths alongside some more hide-behind-your-hands moments. It tries to follow a more intricate path with its story, which earns it some kudos, but ultimately it follows the familiar FD structure. It’s a little more diverse in its casting but still prioritises its white cast and doesn’t make use of its slightly more interesting characters. Speaking of which, we have a strong return of Tony Todd, thank goodness. We love a Candyman cameo. This film is an improvement on FD4 but still doesn’t quite compare to the very first film, in spite of its rather *full circle* ending.

Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
Directors: Zach Lipovsk, Adam Stein

Considering the quality of the films since the 2000 original, I’m not holding out much hope for this one, though with new directors and a 14-year gap since the last, hopefully there’s been enough space for breathing some fresh air in the franchise.

Read the Final Destination Bloodlines review here.

One of the best and most terrifying things this franchise does is take every day activities and objects that we generally take for granted and show horrific ways in which they can go wrong, thus resulting in our fear of these things (things that statistically are safe). These films are why hazard perception tests are difficult because EVERYTHING is a potential hazard. The franchise as a whole has at times struggled with its characters, loose ends and dialogue, particularly when it comes to racial, homophobic and sexist slurs, and although it is expected that each film follow the same formula, it definitely gets a little too repetitive, especially if they’re not really introducing anything new with the framework or characters. On the other hand, following the premonition formula means the audience knows what it’s getting, and it was also smart to ensure they didn’t always stick to a teen market, growing the ages of their main characters along with their original demographic. Still, it’s a fairly fun binge with a few drinks and snacks (in my experience!), and I wouldn’t be mad if the franchise was to continue, particularly if they could make one that is at least on the same level as 2000’s Final Destination. Y’know, for sadistic fun,