REVIEW

DVD Review: Final Destination 3

Written by Matt Paprocki
Published July 27, 2006

The three Final Destination movies are terrible as far as movies go. Their "plots" are meaningless, the dialogue pointless, and the characters are nothing but fodder. After all that, they're still immensely entertaining.

Setting themselves up with the simple concept of people who cheat death only delays the inevitable, Final Destination is about sick innovation. You have never been to a movie that makes someone having their head smashed apart by exercise equipment entertaining. Yet, here we are on a third sequel.

As is par for the series, we open with an elaborate life or death sequence, this time a roller-coaster. While nowhere near the unbelievable carnage of Destination 2's jaw dropping expressway pile-up, it feeds on the fear that we've all been on a roller-coaster and runs with it. That leads to dialogue, mourning, and then death #2 on the list.

Destination 3 doesn't try to anything different, even with an entirely new cast to play with. The only change in the formula are pictures that give the two lead characters clues as to how everyone will end up dead. It's an unneeded twist and far reaching even for a film with an absurd concept as it is.

Oddly, the second film is almost completely ignored, leading to an odd continuity lapse. Any continuation comes at the hand of death, as with each passing film the set-ups become more and more innovative. A few deaths in this one really begin to push plausibility, especially the tanning booth and the hardware store (the latter of which has an excessively long and impossible starting point).

Still, when you come to see blood and gruesome death and it's what you're given, it's hard not to be satisfied. It's nothing new, and the concept has been run dry by this point, but Destination 3 shows that with a little twisted ingenuity, you can always deliver.

It's a little disappointing to watch this one on DVD given the quality of the transfer. It's fuzzy, lacking in detail, and at times heavy on the compression. Color is strong (especially the blood), and aliasing is kept under control. It's a rare sub-standard transfer for New Line.

For audiophiles though, you can't go wrong with this. Full DTS-ES 6.1 audio is worth blaring until the neighbors complain. 5.1 EX is your other choice. Bass is brutal and completely convincing. Surround use is constant. It's also effectively used for ambience during down time. This is what you buy sound equipment for.

Heavily hyped, the key extra here on disc one is the "choose their fate" game. As you're watching the movie, a menu pops up and asks you to make a selection like "jump left" to change a scene slightly or drastically. It's impressive how seamless the branching is. The extra sequences are mild fun, while a few lead to new death sequences.

page 1 | 2
Matt Paprocki is the reviews editor for Digital Press, a video game website with an appreciation for the retro side of the industry. The deep game collection which spans nearly 30 systems and 2,000 games line his walls for research purposes. Matt strives to bring credibility to video game journalism, and take it in a new direction to aid the industry in becoming respected with all forms entertainment media.
Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
DVD Review: Final Destination 3
Published: July 27, 2006
Type: Review
Section: Video
Filed Under: Video: Horror
Writer: Matt Paprocki
Matt Paprocki's BC Writer page
Matt Paprocki's personal site
Spread the Word
Like this article?
Email this
Submit to del.icio.us Save to del.icio.us
RSS Feeds
All RSS Feeds (240+)
Comments on this article
BC articles by Matt Paprocki
Video: Horror
All Video Articles
All Review articles
All BC articles
All BC Comments

Comments

Want comments emailed to you? No spam, promise! Address:

Add your comment, speak your mind

(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/50824)

Personal attacks are not allowed. Please read our comment policy.





Remember Name/URL?

Please preview your comment!

Fresh
Articles
Fresh
Comments