Final Destination Movies Ranked
4. Final Destination 5 (2011)
Another Final Destination movie released in the height of the 3D boom, Final Destination 5 also suffered from moments that pandered to the high-paying glasses wearers of the time, dating itself with direct-to-camera flying objects and splatters of blood, though it wasn’t nearly as bad as its predecessor The Final Destination.
Opening with the destruction of a cable bridge that plunges dozens to their deaths, Final Destination 5 was somewhat low on logic and perhaps trying too hard to re-find the magic of the first three films, but it was a clearly motivated effort to redirect the franchise back into steady waters, with a reasonably good cast, some genuinely inventive deaths and a noticeable shift towards the film-stock-inspired look of the best entries from the franchise, putting an end to the bland 3D-appropriate aesthetic of the previous film.
Perhaps the biggest faux pas that Final Destination 5 committed was ignoring the “deaths in ordinary scenarios” (at the dentist, in the bath, exiting an elevator) mantra of the best films in the franchise, instead overreaching to offer deaths in less common scenarios, therefore decreasing the relatability and tension.
This film will undoubtedly be best remembered for its killer ending (pun intended), in which the final scene shows the leading duo board the airplane that spectacularly exploded in the original film, revealing this fifth franchise entry to be a surprise prequel directly linked to Final Destination 1. It’s a revelation that never fails to send shivers down your spine, and one that increases the likelihood of giving the whole series another watch by linking the entire universe together in its final moment. As of 2020, Final Destination 5 is the last Final Destination film on record, and while the creators refuse to put the series to bed, there is surely no better way for it to go out than this?
3. Final Destination 2 (2003)
Final Destination 2 was directed by the same man, David R. Ellis, who directed The Final Destination (the worst in the franchise), yet in putting the two films next to each other it would be difficult to see the similarities. In contrast to the fourth franchise entry, Final Destination 2 is creative, tense and entirely in line with what we had come to enjoy about the original film released three years earlier: it offers deaths in relatable scenarios, after prolonged sequences of tension and misdirects, to characters who question the sanity of those who believe death is chasing them down, all the while building on the mythos of the universe and its lore.
Final Destination 2 is by no means a perfect sequel – that being a film that takes the best elements of the first and twists them and refines them into something more thrilling, airtight and believable – but it is by no means a monumental drop off in quality. Where this entry lacks in performance (especially from the leads who are seemingly dropped from being the focus of the narrative when the director realises their relative lack of talent) and at times in character motivation, it makes up for in budget; a budget of course seen all over the screen in the form of explosions – most notably the prologue highway crash involving several vehicles, logs and more – and exceedingly gory deaths.
This entry into the Final Destination series is notably more blockbuster than its predecessor and feels way less tense than franchise entries one and three, but it remains an enjoyable watch with genuinely intriguing and exciting moments for horror fans; a solid entry relative to the rest of the franchise.
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