When a horror flick gets tedious, it's DOA.
Final Destination 2 (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:106
Fresh:50
Rotten:56
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: This sequel is little more than an excuse to stage elaborate, gory scenes of characters getting killed off.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong violent/gruesome accidents, language, drug content and some nudity
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Jan 31, 2003 Wide
Box Office: $46,455,802
Synopsis: In FINAL DESTINATION 2, the basic notion of cheating mortality is further refined with an even more gripping plot provided by Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber, the duo behind the film BLUNT. Director... In FINAL DESTINATION 2, the basic notion of cheating mortality is further refined with an even more gripping plot provided by Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber, the duo behind the film BLUNT. Director David R. Ellis revels in film as an entertainment vehicle and the result is a no-holds-barred raucous good time. Ellis' background as a stuntman and stunt coordinator helps him build electric suspense through a chain of seemingly simple actions that in fact loaded and lethal. In the original, FINAL DESTINATION, a group of students avoided the tragic crash of Flight 180 when Alexander Browning had a premonition. Death, however, didn't like being outwitted, and one by one the survivors died in freak accidents. The sole survivor was Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) who voluntarily checked into a padded room at Stonybrook Institute. FINAL DESTINATION II takes place on Flight 180's one-year anniversary. Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) is joyriding with some friends on Route 23 when she "sees" herself, her friends, and other drivers involved in a massive multi-car pileup. The scene is so artfully executed, it physically hurts to watch. She and police officer Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) save a group of people who would have otherwise died in the crash. But, as ever, death approacheth, taking the likes of Evan (David Paetkau), the Trans Am-loving lottery winner who puts up a good fight but is ultimately impaled on a fire escape ladder; and Tim (James Kirk), who almost chokes to death at the dentist and is later flattened by a piece of industrial glass. Clear Rivers busts out of the psych ward to help the remaining survivors pool their efforts and read the signs of impending death before it claims their lives. [More]
Starring: Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, Michael Landes, T.C. Carson
Starring: Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, Michael Landes, T.C. Carson, Jonathan Cherry, Keegan Connor Tracy, Sarah Carter, Lynda Boyd, David Paetkau, James Kirk, Tony Todd
Director: David R. Ellis
Director: David R. Ellis
Screenwriter: J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress
Producer: Jeffrey Reddick, Warren Zide, Craig Perry
Composer: Shirley Walker
Studio: New Line Cinema
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Reviews for Final Destination 2
A sloppy and graceless but fun sequel that serves to illustrate the difference between having a great story and a good screenplay. Still: a matinee idol in a world of false pin-ups.
'Final Destination 2' exploits the universal fear of death -- but it does so with a creepy, creative flair.
The moviegoers most likely to enjoy this aggressively stupid sequel will be those lovers of over-the-top gore effects who cheer out loud when a character is sliced into three pieces that slowly slide apart.
In director David R. Ellis’s feeble and rancid offering Final Destination 2, we’re treated to more of the same nonsensical gory goings-on. This disjointed display of recklessness is bluntly overwrought, blatantly numbing and downright laughable.
If my mini-anxiety attack driving home following the film is any indication, Final Destination 2 if nothing else, may just give you nightmares for days afterward at the mere thought of getting onto the highway.
And when a group of folks narrowly escapes dying in a particular order, expect them to be knocked off, one by one, in the exact sequence they would have died originally. In other words, not only is Death relentless, it's also anal retentive.
This sequel to the surprise 2000 horror hit Final Destination takes scream and squirm levels to new highs.
Final Destination 2 repeats just about everything from the first installment, only with tighter plotting and more enjoyable chills.
What a novel conceit: take exactly what's wrong with modern horror movies (i.e. boredom and predictability) and flip the proverbial script on 'em. The beauty of the Final Destination flicks is that anyone can die at any time - and often do.
Part of the fun here is anticipating the Rube Goldberg-style machinations by which Death catches up with its targets.
That there is an audience for a movie in which innocent people suffer hideous accidental deaths is troubling enough, but that a group of creative people chose to direct their energies on this repulsive spectacle simply provokes disgust.
The filmmakers clearly set out to make a film that featured lots of footage of really disgusting annihilations, then threw together a haphazard script and hired a few hot actors to play the corpses.
With most every ounce of effort and imagination going into figuring out 'creative' ways to kill the various characters, the film is otherwise an empty exercise in brutal and sadistic horror humor.
If you think of all this as an elongated Three Stooges short with bones breaking and membranes splashing, maybe it will go down easier.
Latest News for Final Destination 2
November 20, 2007:
Are You Ready for Final Destination 4?
Final Destination 2 director David R. Ellis will soon be taking moviegoers to the most final-est destination of all. More...
June 27, 2006:
Snakes on a TV Clip!
It's not exactly a full-blown trailer, but if you're down with the "Snakes on a Plane" thing, then this 30-second TV spot should be a fun way to spend ... 30 seconds. More...
May 16, 2006:
"Snakes" Handler Ready for "Asylum"
David R. Ellis, director of "Final Destination 2," "Cellular," and the upcoming smash hit "Snakes on a Plane," has settled on his next project.... More...
March 17, 2006:
First Look At "Snakes On A Plane"!
The first trailer for the notoriously well-titled "Snakes On A Plane," which is about -- you guessed it -- snakes let loose on a plane, is making the rounds online. ... More...
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