Death comes back to start the game anew...... (Final Destination 2 (DVD))

Member Name: sparkymarky1973

Product:	Final Destination 2 (DVD)
Date:	28/10/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some very shocking, gory and surprising moments that will make you jump from your seat in terror

Disadvantages: Does pretty much follow in a similar vein to the original film, not for the squeamish

Final Destination 2 is the second (and arguably the best) of three sequels to the highly unique and original film that was Final Destination. Taking a whole new cast and cleverly linking them to characters from the first film, the movie provides lots of twists, turns and shocks as fans try and second-guess how each character is going to die...usually in the goriest ways possible.

For those not familiar with the first movie, a group of school kids aiming to fly to France on a class trip narrowly averted all being killed when one of their friends had a chilling premonition at the airport that the plane was going to crash soon after take-off. Many of the students and teachers who refused to believe stayed on the plane and it was only because teenager Alex Browning caused a fuss that he and some of his friends were ejected from the flight!! But, like the tag-line to this movie says, you cannot cheat Death and pretty soon each of these survivors found themselves fighting for their lives as the Grim Reaper attempted to claim their souls in a variety of very nasty accidents.....

The second film begins a year later and a group of teenagers are all going on a road-trip when one of them experiences a similar vision (in one of the film's most chilling and bloodthirsty moments that really sets the scene for whats to come) of a very horrific accident that will happen just ahead and wipe both her and all her friends completely out. As in the first film, this teenager causes enough of a scene that her friends are forced to pull the car over just as the multi vehicle pile-up she "saw" takes place just ahead of them barely moments later. Chilled to the bone, each of the survivors (that includes a random group of strangers who were stuck in the cars behind the friends) counts themselves lucky but what they fail to realise is that they have put into motion yet another cycle as Death comes back to claim the lives of all those he missed first time around.

As each of the survivors dies in turn, Kimberly Corman, who had the vision, remembers the case of Flight 180 the year before and the bizarre accidents that followed that plane crash. Tracking down the last surviving member of that flight in a secure mental institute, Kimberly tries to discover how Clear Rivers managed to escape the cycle and persuades her to help her and her friends likewise cheat Death a second time around. Meanwhile the deaths pile up getting bloodier, gorier and nastier with every kill providing the audience with plenty of "jump" moments and scenes that will have you positively reaching for a cushion behind which you can hide your eyes!

Many sequels end up being very disappointing but thankfully FD2 manages to maintain the fast-paced action, tension and suspense that made the first film such a big success! Wong and Morgan, both veteran writers from The X-Files, once again manage to deliver the goods and the corelation between this and the first film is also very very cleverly devised! Each of the survivors in this film, you see, has their own personal links to Flight 180 and that is why Kimberly has her vision just before events are set in motion. Of course there are rules and thankfully "Candyman" Tony Todd is back as a scary funeral attendant to explain how the game is to be played this time around in what is a highly disturbing cameo and a very welcome return from the first film.

There are plenty of reasons why this sequel probably shouldn't work (it rehashes ideas from the first film, uses similar shock tactics and amps the blood and gore up another level as it tries to usurp its predecessor, has characters just begging to be taken out and killed) and yet.....this is quite simply a highly awesome and effective film that remains as good every time you watch it. Even knowing what is to come, I still jump every time I see it and that is a sign of an excellent horror flick!

This is without any doubt, horror at its best. Its just a shame number 3 was such pants!

Summary: A teenager narrowly avoids a violent car-crash but finds Death hasn't finished with her yet!