For my next Halloween ranking, it's time for Final Destination! A franchise that I just finished. I had never seen any of these before the last couple of weeks, but I wanted to get in the Halloween spirit, so this is a new franchise I decided to try my hand at. I really liked some installments, yet hated others. I will mention some spoilery specifics in my reasonings, so if you haven't seen these films yet, or just some of them, you may just want to ignore those parts. If you are a fan however, I would love to hear your thoughts and ranking!
5. The Final Destination (2009)
This was no doubt the weakest entry in the franchise for me. If nothing else, it's worth noting this is also the only film in the franchise not to feature Tony Todd in any way. Todd's cameos were always a highlight, and even though he was limited to voice work in the previous installment, his outright absence here feels wrong. I also didn't really resonate with any of the characters here. Some of them were downright unbearable. Many of them go unnamed here, which should have been a sign in it of itself.
4. Final Destination (2000)
I imagine ranking the first entry in this franchise so low is pretty shocking for many fans, but I found it to be just okay. The concept itself is interesting, but I found myself unable to connect with a lot of these characters as many felt they were here just to pad the kill count. I also felt some of the more interesting characters were killed off too early. However, I respect it and the franchise is started.
3. Final Destination 5 (2011)
How lucky are we that they decided the previous entry in the franchise was not, in fact, the final destination. I found this film to be pretty enjoyable, but what made it a pretty good film were the new wrinkles and rules added to the franchise. The option for our heroes to kill others to trade their lives makes for such a cool story tool. It allows them the choice of being a victim or a killer. We get to see what each person chooses and the ending shows how that choice might backfire, which was a clever way to end the film. The other great aspect of this film is the big reveal at the end, it's actually a prequel. I was so caught off-guard by this. I thought them getting on a play was just a clever farewell to how the franchise started, but then when they look over and see the characters from the first film, it all started to come together. This made for such a good way to end the franchise, even though Final Destination 6 is in the works.
2. Final Destination 3 (2006)
1. Final Destination 2 (2003)
For me, this is easily the best entry in the franchise, and it's not even close. This opening with the log truck is absolutely iconic, and was the only thing I knew about this franchise before watching it. It not only ups the stakes, but does it in such a compelling way that it blows the original out of the water for me. I was skeptical upon watching the original film. I thought it was a serviceable way to spend time, but I began to dread watching the rest. This one showed me what this franchise could be. I found Clear's death to be utterly shocking. I assumed she would be the character to stick around for all entries.
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