Final Destination 2 (2003) User Reviews (556)

Final Destination 2 doesn't break too far from its predecessor, but it is a decent follow-up

[IonicBreezeMachine · 6/10 · 7 October 2022]

College student Kimberly Corman (A. J. Cook) sets off on the road for Daytona Beach with her friends when she has a premonition of a multicar pileup on the freeway before exiting the on-ramp. Kimberly blocks the on-ramp with her car and tries to tell police officer Thomas Burke (Michael Landes) of the pileup but it happens anyway but not before Burke pulls her out of the way of a speeding car carrier that kills her friends. While other survivors of the pileup are dubious of Kimberly's premonition, Burke is more inclined to believe her as he was involved in the cleanup of Flight 180 one-year prior which experienced similar circumstances. As survivors of the pileup begin dying off, Kimberly seeks help of the voluntarily institutionalized Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) who has isolated herself from anything and everything since the death of Alex Browning. But Kimberly has visions that could lead to them escaping death's plan.

Following the success of the first Final Destination, then New Line Cinema President Toby Emmerich approached Jeffrey Reddick to commission a sequel which Reddick agreed to do. Reddick stated his intent with this entry was to "expand the mythology" in order to avoid telling the same story over again. Previous film's director and writers James Wong and Glen Morgan were unavailable as they were busy with their respective projects of Jet Li's The One and the Willard remake respectively. The film instead was helmed by David R. Ellis whose prior directing credit was Homeward Bound II in 1996 and had more frequently worked as a second unit director and stunt coordinator with writers Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber coming on board as co-writers. Upon release, the movie had a respectable opening weekend of $16 million at number 2 opening behind The Recruit and eventually made back $90 million worldwide against its $26 million budget, a slight step down from the original's $110 million haul but still profitable. Critical reception while still mixed was somewhat improved from the first one with some like Roger Ebert who gave the original three stars only gave one and a half to the sequel. While Final Destination is fairly similar to the first movie in terms of setup with a formula pretty settled at this point, it is well made and delivers and what you expect and it does continue on from the first film.

Unlike the first film whose cast of teen archetypes were very much molded by the late 90s framework of post-Screamsploitation that defined a number of horror films in terms of marketing and writing, the characters in Final Destination 2 are slightly more likable and less grating than they were in the first film, even ones who are supposed to be kind of abrasive have some redeeming moments. A. J. Cook is no surprise here a solid lead especially for anyone who's seen her work on Criminal Minds, and I also enjoyed Michael Landes as Burke and Ali Larter's reprise of the character Clear Rivers. Tony Todd also returns as the Mortician (credited as Mr. Bludworth) and much like the first film his creepy commanding presence is welcome and is probably the closest thing we have to the personification of an antagonist. The story is still pretty thin as it is mostly a lose chain of accidental deaths that follow some kind of path, but it does try to add new elements to avoid falling into a repeat such as the characters seeking a way to beat Death's plan by way of "new life" and while it's not 100% successful at avoiding sequel pitfalls it works well enough and the fact that the film has a relatively closed ending (albeit one with a very mean spirited joke) makes Final Destination 2 feel more like the closing half of a two parter rather than something overtly cynical as you've seen with some sequels.

If you liked Final Destination, odds are you'll probably like Final Destination 2. It doesn't stretch too far from what was established and there is some sense of "deja view" as is the case with most sequels, but there are attempts at doing things differently from how they were done the last time and the ending that eschews sequel baiting was rather refreshing so take that for what it's worth.

Buckle up.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 12 June 2009]

Kimberly Corman has a terrifying vision that a highway pile up will claim her life and that of her friends. Blocking the entrance with her car, Kimberly watches in horror as the crash unfolds, thus saving her life and that of the people in the queue behind her. But the grim reaper is not impressed and he's coming to claim the deaths of all those who should have died in the crash.

For a sequel to truly work well it has to come up with something fresh, otherwise why do a sequel eh? Well the makers of Final Destination 2 choose to use the basic same formula of the hugely enjoyable first film, only adding more black humour into the crazy death design broth. Opening with a quite horrific highway pile up, FD 2 then takes us on a journey that sees an assortment of folk offed in various and gruesome ways. The story remains the same as the first film, even though writers Bress and Gruber think they are being intricate by weaving this plot into the original story, but ultimately it's just a devilishly nonsense fun picture. Ali Larter returns for a second helping, and she in turn is joined by a bunch of no mark actors waiting for death, which is perfectly fine for the genre discerning fan.

This is a riot, and as long as you don't look too deep into it (why would you really?) you may just find yourself having a real good time. 7/10

Clever And Entertaining Sequel

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 8 August 2010]

The original FINAL DESTINATION was a smart reworking of the teen horror film . Instead of horny teenagers getting their heads lopped off by a mad axeman in a mask , the protagonists , who are composed of a cross section of society , are stalked by the worst monster in the world - death itself . FINAL DESTINATION 2 follows the same formula

Kevin Williamson pointed out in one of his screenplays for SCREAM that sequels up the ante , everything has to be that little bit bigger with a higher body count and the sequel gets off to a great start with a premonition of an explosive car crash . The film's heroine Kimberly knows what's coming next so holds up the traffic saving numerous drivers from a fiery death . Unfortunately destiny doesn't like being cheated and no one will be appearing on WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE , the bad things that are going to happen to the protagonists will indeed be final

There's a term used by film critics called " Hierarchy of image " which , if the director lingers on an object then it has meaning to the plot . Ironically perhaps the best example of this is the television series CASUALTY where if the camera shows a chip pan then you can be sure it'll burst in to flames later in the sequence . In some ways this is a film employing the anti- hierarchy of image since it toys with the audience in to thinking they're going to see an object kill the hapless victim only for the rug to be pulled from under their feet . It's a different take on the horror film and it probably doesn't stand up to a second viewing since all the surprises are gone but it's highly entertaining the first time you see it

Shock Value -- 7 (Good Flick)

[jimboduck · 7/10 · 18 July 2005]

You know that feeling you get when you're watching America's Funniest Home Videos and the oblivious son hits his hapless father in the crotch with an aluminum bat? It gets a quick reaction, like, ooh, I feel your pain man. FINAL DESTINATION 2 is a 90 minute or so string of those painful shots, as each character one by one meets an unfortunate death by household appliance. Bodies are slammed by trucks, heads are impaled, and limbs fly through the air. When one of the characters dies when her car's airbag explodes out of nowhere, I blurted "Yeah! Wow, did they do that??? Yeah, they DID do that. Right on!" Although the film has a very serious atmosphere about it, what with the creepy score and people sincerely freaking out and everything, it still retains a campy humor about it buried beneath its high-budget exterior. Many movies would shy away from smashing up plastic ketchup-filled dummies, opting instead to avoid the gore. Not FINAL DESTINATION 2! This movie is an honest approach to movie-making, hearkening back to the day when you got together with friends and said, "Okay, in this scene we cut to the dummy falling off the building, it's run over by a Mack truck, and it splatters chunks of blood all over that Oldsmobile over there." As for the premise behind FINAL DESTINATION 2, how do I put it into words? A.J. Cook has premonitions that people died in a nasty pileup on the highway. Thing is, this never happened. And ... she continues to have premonitions that those same people will die in due time. Those people eventually die. Did I get that right? The universal law of nature is that, well, Death sometimes misses its mark and has to fix its mistakes (which usually involves electrical equipment getting wet and other freak accidents of home improvement). If this all sounds convoluted, watch the movie. You'll see what I mean. The premise of FINAL DESTINATION 2, as much potential as it might have, doesn't make much sense and is pretty hokey, but if you medicate your inquisitive mind with heavy sedatives, you'll be able to look past the flimsy premise and enjoy the movie. I'm definitely looking forward to a Final Destination 3.

Creepier, gorier and better put together than the first

[Agent10 · 7/10 · 31 January 2003]

I was apprehensive when I didn't Devon Sawa in the credits or this movie, but then again, this film didn't really need him. This wasn't a sequel in the purest sense, but the film makers created methods to link all of the new characters to the old ones, creating a flow which wasn't too jarring. Unfortunately, the dialogue was the only real stinker in this film. The pretentiousness, the obviousness and the downright hokiness that came out of the mouths of the characters really detracted from the tension, turning their performances into a bunch of acting class rejects. But I digress. The only thing people are looking for is how Death will get the new set of escape artists. The sheer surprise and execution of the executions made me jump and crawl. In such a desensitized world we live in, being able to jump out of my seat means this film is a winner.

Second 'Destination'

[derekauthor · 7/10 · 27 August 2005]

As good a sequel as the filmmakers could have made, "Final Destination 2" still delivered the goods the original did.

Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) and her friends go on a road trip, but Kimberly has a vision of a big pile-up involving not only her and her friends, but a lot of other people. She manages to save some of them after blocking the entrance to the freeway, but soon after the survivors start to die.

Although not as scary as the original, it's still a lot of fun. Also, it makes you think about death itself. The ways the survivors die are still clever, but are a lot bloodier than the original's. If you don't have a strong stomach, then beware. There is also a revelation about the survivors which is clever as well.

If you liked the first one, you should have no problem liking this one.

More Deaths, Less Quality

[marcus_stokes2000 · 5/10 · 2 October 2006]

*Final Destination SPOILERS*

When a young woman (A.J. Cook) has a premonition on her road trip that ended up killing her friends & the young woman was saved by a police officer (Micheal Landes). While some people have died in the huge car accident. The young woman managed to save the lives of other people (Jonathan Cherry, Terrence T.C. Carson, Keegan Connor Tracy, Lynda Boyd, James N. Kirk, Sarah Carter). But Death wants them back, and the only person who can help them try to survive is the last survivor from flight 180 (Ali Larter), but will her help be enough?

Final Destination 2 doesn't work; first, we get a heroine who does very little, secondly the story is quickly forgotten for the death scenes, thirdly the plot twist (the survivors from Flight 180 saved the new survivors from the deaths they were destined to) leaves quite the hole, as we'll never know if the survivors who died before this revelation were part of that or not, fourthly, if it's a sequel, where is the theme from the original?, and lastly, the ending is cheap and stupid.

As a horror movie, it deserves a 6/10 for effort, however, compared to the first and the third, gets a 2/10.

I'll guess I'll be fair...

Final Destination 2: 5/10.

THE BEST OF THE FRANCHISE. One of the Best Sequels of all-time.

[lukem-52760 · 8/10 · 9 July 2019]

Final Destination 2 is the best film in the whole franchise in my opinion,i was lucky enough to see this at the cinema back in 2003!!!

This gory as hell sequel is so much fun,it's smart & thrilling & exciting so much more than the first film. Yes i liked the first film it was great but part 2 is even better.

FD2 packs more ferocious,spooky atmosphere into an exciting rollercoaster ride that is pure Horror-thriller entertainment with dark humour & awesome creative kills.

Ali Larter gives a strong performance once again as survivor of death, Clear Rivers, from the first flick & the new bunch of death deserters are well casted characters that very cleverly are each connected by the impact of the deaths of all the characters from the first film. Final Destination 2 is a super smart sequel the truly ups the thrills & fear factor. This is one of those films i keep comic back to for shear fun entertainment even after all these years.

This film also has the best & most terrifying scene in the franchise,the pile-up car crash on the motorway.

That sequence is terrifying & probably the most iconic & memorable scene in the entire franchise.

Final Destination 2 is basically just good gory-fun,a good night's entertainment especially if your a Horror genre fan like myself!!!

Yes i have Nostalgia for it but i also saw the first film way back on video & then was excited for the sequel.

Just sit back with a nice hot cup of Coffee one evening & stick on Final Destination 2. It's a real Gem from an otherwise messy franchise, it's a great supernatural thriller flick & one of the best franchise sequels ever.

Tony Todd is a Horror genre gem.

Great popcorn movie fun.

Brian, I think you'd better go check that barbecue.

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 17 February 2008]

This was almost like a flashback to a few weeks ago when the exact same thing happened for real on Interstate 4. It wasn't a log truck, but fog and a controlled burn that caused an 80-car pileup and much burning of trucks and bodies. I could not help but think of that when I saw the incredible accident scene in this film. It could have been used as news footage.

This is probably only the second film in which I have seen A.J. Cook (JJ from "Criminal Minds") and Ali Larter ("Heroes"), but they did a credible job in a film where the story was far more important than the individual characters, none of whom rose to any significance. In fact. most were probably former WB stars. The only one I remember with any interest was Odessa Munroe.

But the story and the special effects and the gore and, certainly, the suspense, made this film worth watching and peaked my interest in the prequel and the sequel, although not having seen the first one does not take anything away from this one.

Check it out.

Horror makes way for humour and gore

[Stevieheuge · 5/10 · 30 July 2004]

Final Destination was a decent film. Original idea, pretty suspenseful directing, and some death scenes that while inventive, were creepy to boot.

This time around, with a new director and a new approach, we get a very different film. The first movie was a horror - this is'nt. In fact its not even a thriller, its basically a load of silly dialogue acted out badly by very silly actors, with some dead people in-between.

The thing is, that doesn't make the movie all that bad - The deaths and the gore are the pay-offs, and great care has been taken to ensure that all of them would get a great reaction from a packed cinema theatre.

The car pile up at the start is bone crunchingly violent, with buckets of blood being splattered everywhere - and its very entertaining stuff.

Various methods have been used here for the subsequent death scenes (CG, green screens, puppets, models) but it all cuts together very well, and most of the deaths would have your average cinema audience whooping with crimson tainted delight...

The impressive trickery used in killing off each character, intertwining supsense and surprise, is so effective, that many people will come away from this film forgetting that there wasn't actually anything else good about it - apart from the eye candy of course.

Worth a watch - you'll recoil in disgust and laugh more than you would watching most movies of this genre. try to catch it before you die.

Dying for more of the same?

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 12 December 2009]

If you loved the original Final Destination, then you will almost certainly enjoy the sequel, a virtual carbon-copy of the first film, except that everything is bigger and much, much bloodier.

This time around, a group of travellers narrowly avoid being involved in a spectacular freeway pile-up thanks to an eerie premonition experienced by driver Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) as she waits on the on-ramp. Feeling cheated once again, Death alters his grand design to try and claim the lives of those who escaped his clutches. As the survivors of the accident begin to die in the order witnessed in her vision, Kimberley realises what is happening, and tracks down the sole survivor of flight 180, Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), for help.

Despite working with material that rarely explores new territory, director David R. Ellis directs with gusto: his freeway pile-up is an absolutely jaw-dropping piece of cinema—a brutal, bloody and disturbing set-piece—and the subsequent death scenes are masterfully orchestrated pieces of mayhem that tease the audience with several possible bloody conclusions, before delivering their always impressive pay-off (gory fatalities are caused by a falling ladder, a sheet of glass, a faulty elevator, an air-bag, a flying wire fence, and a barbecue!!!).

In amongst the graphic bloodletting, Ellis also finds time to throw in some very nice visual touches (such as the tree shadows which resemble clutching skeletal hands) and lots of delightfully dark humour (gotta love that final shot!). A thoroughly entertaining piece of OTT popcorn horror, Final Destination 2 gets a very respectable 7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Ghoulish accident comedy

[Dr. Gore · 4 May 2003]

*SPOILER ALERT* *SPOILER ALERT*

Watch the signs! Another teen prevents people from dying. Death gets upset. Soon Death will come for them all and have his revenge. Death has got a sick sense of humor. For some reason he likes planting ominous signs all around so people can have a sense of how they will die. The survivors try to cheat Death by beating his design. The foolish ones ignore Death's helpful clues and die horrible deaths.

People die in ghoulish accidents but you can't help but laugh. "HAHAHA..See! That's what you get. You should have looked at the warnings stupid! They were right in front of you!" The accidents are gruesome but funny when you take into consideration all the foreshadowing Death likes to give. For instance...

*SPOILER ON DEATH FORESHADOWING*

Before the heroine pulls onto the highway, you hear a bus full of students chanting, "Pile up! Pile Up!". Then she sees a kid playing with his two car toys, smacking them together. The best one is when the guy who just won the lotto is cooking. Notice the magnetic letters on the side of his refrigerator. One of them drops into his food. Notice what word the remaining letters spell. That Death is pretty hilarious. He spelled the guy's demise out! Watch the signs!

Overall, I enjoyed it. Gruesome fun.

More of the same creatively put together.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 8 June 2006]

In this case, more of the same, is not a bad thing. Basically the movie its plot is just the same as in "Final Destination", only with different characters and settings this time. I however feel that the Final Destination franchise is one of the few horror-movie franchises that can have multiple sequels, without loosing any of its power or originality. The concept of the movie can be used over and over again; a person has a vision of an upcoming accident which will lead to the death of several people. Thanks to that vision the person prevents himself/herself and others from dying. They cheat death but the death eventually catches up with them again, as every person that should had died during the accident, dies one by one.

"Final Destination" had a plane crash, "Final Destination 2" has a highway pileup. Sounds smaller and less impressive but it really isn't. The car crashes are massive and awesomely choreographed and filmed. It truly honestly is one of the very best and certainly most spectacular car crashes out of cinema history. You have to see it to believe it.

It's one of the things in the movie that makes it obvious that this time they had a far bigger budget to spend, compared to the first movie. Not only the beginning is more spectacular, also the deaths later on in the movie are better constructed and especially better looking and more graphic. The story and concept of the movie might not be original anymore but the death certainly are. It makes "Final Destination 2" a wonderful sequel that still can be original and surprising, even when you've already seen the first movie.

The movie however makes a crucial mistake. Basically the movie has a fresh story with new characters and settings but yet it feels the need to constantly refer to the events in the first movie and even bring back a character from the first movie. A quick reference to the events in the first movie would have sufficed but instead the movie heavily relies on the events of the first movie. It makes the movie a bit hard and less understandable to watch for persons who haven't seen the first movie. Basically every Final Destination movie should be a movie on its own, with new characters and settings every time. I haven't seen part 3 yet but I hope they haven't made the same mistake there.

But really, who cares about the story in a movie like this. Basically all that makes this movie good and original are the deaths that are featured in it. They are extremely graphic and quite brilliantly put together. You just never know what is going to happen, which helps to make the sequences tense as well as scary. It doesn't really matter that the characters aren't really interesting and the story is quite unlikely and far fetched at certain moments.

An highly recommendable horror sequel but perhaps only if you've also seen the first movie.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Very entertaining and better than the original

[christian123 · 5/10 · 17 May 2005]

Final Destination 2 is a very entertaining sequel and while the story is weaker then the first, the deaths are better. Kimberly (A.J. Cook) is a normal teen who is taking a road trip to Daytona with her 3 friends. She has a vision of a horrific traffic accident and so she blocks some of the cars from entering the highway. Sure enough they vision comes true and they have all just escaped death. Kim visits Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), the only survivor of Flight 180 who is convinced to help out the survivors of Route 23. Alex, who died between films, had been hit in the head with a falling brick. Kim, Clear and other strangers that are left must try to stick together and cheat Death again. The plot may sound stupid but its actually not all that bad. The story may not make sense at some scenes and the story is filled with holes. Its hard though to write a good story for something like this and I think they gave a good effort. The first film was very good and a lot of fun to watch. The sequel is even more fun to watch, even if it does get silly at times. Its better to watch the original before watching this so it would be easier to follow the story. Most horror films today are to silly to take serious and that's why you shouldn't really approach this one expecting an Oscar quality film. The acting was decent with the best being Ali Larter. She and Tony Todd are the only stars returning from the original film. A.J. Cook plays Kimberly and she does an okay job. The rest of the cast are mostly unknowns and aren't worth mentioning. David R. Ellis directs and he does really good job. He also directed the fast paced and exciting Cellular. The film is very gory and also very fun. Final Destination 2 was very creative when it came to killing off the characters. A couple of the death scenes do go over the top though the film delivers the goods for the most part. The film is only 90 minutes long so it's a quick film to watch. The movie also never gets boring as its always entertaining. I wouldn't say the film is to scary but there are some moments that may leave with fear. In the end, this is a very good sequel, that's better then the original and worth checking out. I just hope Final Destination 3 is just as good or even better then this film. Rating 7.8/10, check this film out as its very entertaining.

Entertaining sequel and again with horrifying killings

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 31 January 2008]

This sequel of successful original by James Wong deals about beautiful girl(A.J.Cook)has a vision of car crash and aware which by avoiding it, she and others(Michael Lastres, Lynda Boyd, James Kirk,Sarah Carter,Jonathan Cherry, Kevin Connor, among them) around her have saved but soon begin dying in bizarre accidents. Being the sole character repeating from Ali Larter who now finds herself locked into sanatorium.

This sequel displays suspense, tension, thrills, and creepy death. The chief excitement lies in seeing what new and astonishing victim can be dreamt by the believable FX technicians. Movie exist for only aim of murdering its protagonists and all around in terrifying realistic detail . Death seem to dispatch new weird killing every few minutes of movie, throughout car crashing, beheading, blowing up, glass crushing, fire, etc. It's frightening entertaining though predictable but we have seen the original with similar and interesting premise. Although its predictability is redeemed in part by the charismatic acting of protagonists and all around. The motion picture is well directed by David R Ellis. He has a long career as stunts coordinator, assistant director and finally filmmaker, directing Box office success such as ¨Cellular and Snakes on plane¨. Followed by a second sequel.

Cheating Death Part Deux

[george.schmidt · 3 February 2003]

FINAL DESTINATION 2 (2003) *** Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, Michael Landes, Terrence ‘T.C.' Carson, Keegan Connor Tracy, Lynda Boyd, Sarah Carter, Jonathan Cherry, James N. Kirk, Justina Machado, David Paetkau, Tony Todd. On par with its predecessor this sequel to the smash horror hit continues a year later with Larter as the sole survivor who aids another group of doomed fate testers when Cook stops their predestined traffic accident (and boy is it a doozy; one for the film vault in its violently affective execution) leading Death to stalk them one by one in a variety of grisly misfortunes along the way. Faster paced and inventively designed ‘accidents' (thanks to screenwriters Jeffrey Reddick, Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber) make for a breathless entertainment one should be ashamed to admit yet enjoy none-the-less with its thrills and shocks aplenty. (Dir: David R. Ellis)

Death returns with a vengeance

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 1 December 2017]

While it was not a great or perfect film (particularly in the dialogue, ending and some of the acting), the first 'Final Destination' was entertaining and effective (especially with its terrific opening plane sequence and the creative deaths) with a fascinating idea done well.

'Final Destination 2' gets my vote as the best of the four sequels and generally it's just as good as the first film. Like its predecessor it's patchy and uneven, but 'Final Destination 2' takes a bigger and bolder approach and executes it just as cleverly and effectively. Horror sequels have a patchy history, 'Final Destination 2' is one of the better examples. Structurally, the story is a re-tread basically except with cars rather than a plane but has enough freshness to stop it from being repetitive and the novelty from wearing off.

Visually, 'Final Destination 2' may not be quite as stylish as its predecessor. It is all the same still as slick and atmospheric, with the special effects still being pretty good in particularly the opening sequence. The music has a suitable haunting eeriness.

David R Ellis' direction shows a genuine understanding of the concept and the horror genre, breathing atmosphere, fun and freshness into a tried and tested formula. To me, he is second only to James Wong for the first film when it comes to ranking the 'Final Destination' films directors.

Although there is a little too much of an over-reliance on gore, not all of it necessary, the death scenes are bolder, more elaborate and more creative. The film is never dull and much of it is fun, suspenseful and creepy. The highlight is the terrific opening car pile up, which is as high in the terror stakes as the opening plane sequence in the first. Liked the irony in some of the dialogue.

The acting is very variable however. The best performances come from returning Ali Larter, providing a nifty link to the first, and a creepy Tony Todd. AJ Cook had her moments, but did overdo and underact some scenes, that she is so much better in 'Criminal Minds' is an understatement.

Michael Landes looks uncomfortable the entire time and Jonathan Cherry is irritating. Again the characters are generally one-dimensional and not developed much beyond that which doesn't always make it easy to care for them.

Excepting some nice irony and that the exposition isn't as clumsy, the dialogue doesn't flow particularly well and reeks of cheese. The ending is contrived and illogical.

Overall, enjoyable if imperfect. 7/10 Bethany Cox

As I said before I like all 4 FDs but this is my best!

[zfiany · 7/10 · 13 October 2009]

This part is full of creative deaths and though was like all the rest using the same plot as the first and building on it, didn't make it the least boring for me. I loved it and I found out that I never got turned off by this detail that the whole story is repeating itself in all 4s.

There is something about the idea of this movie that makes it watchable even if it reached the 100th provided that the deaths scenes get more challenging.

The characters in this movie also were no less convincing than the characters of the first.

My best death scene in this part is the elevator death. Pretty amazing!

Poorly Written And Not Very Scary Teens-In-Peril Horror Yarn

[ShootingShark · 4/10 · 22 May 2005]

A teenage girl has a premonition of a horrific traffic accident and blocks an entry road with her car. The accident happens, but all the people she prevented from entering the road, including herself, seem cursed to die to by violent freak accidents.

This is a very stupid movie whose only purpose is to set the characters up to get smooshed in bizarre and icky circumstances. We have people impaled in the head by ladders, beheaded by elevators, blown up at barbecues, sliced up by netting, and so on. Call me old-fashioned, but I like a movie to have a plot and characters I can get interested in. The cast of catalogue-models are uniformly wooden, except for the ever-reliable Todd, who provides a few minutes' sinister grace. The digital effects for the short-and-sudden deaths are quite imaginative but not really very interesting or plausible - people just liquefy into computer goo and they're over in about ten frames. I much prefer the good old prosthetic latex approach, which is gorier and more realistic (see Scanners, The Fury, Day Of The Dead, Robocop, etc). There is a nice score by Shirley Walker which creates some suspense, the opening highway pile-up has some great stuntwork and most of the characters have horror-film director names. However, this indicates the golden rule of film-making - if what's on the page is lame, the movie will always be a turkey.

Awesome follow up

[acidburn-10 · 8/10 · 7 June 2012]

I remember when I saw the first Final Destination movie at the cinema, and I really enjoyed it, it was something fresh new original and exciting, and when I heard that they were making a 2nd one, well at first I was a bit sceptical, but when I saw the trailers, I was excited.

Well the plot to this one, not all that different from the previous movie, only instead of an aeroplane, this time we get a traffic accident and the central character Kimberley (AJ Cook) has a vision much like Devon Sawa did in the first one. Only with a slight difference, this time the deaths work backwards.

Sequels are often associated with disappointment, as many often only manage to be pale imitations of their predecessors. The second Final Destination is anything but, as it's bigger, slicker, and altogether more fun than the original. Overall this one has a different tone to the first one, this one's more blood and a lot more gore, which is always a bonus in my eyes, another aspect is that the deaths are way over the top, which is awesome and something that was missing from the first movie.

The performances again doesn't fail to deliver, with yet again another group of interesting characters, AJ Cook is this time the main character and she hits all the right notes, she's resourceful and likable. Michael Landes plays it cool and low key but also comes across as likable and has great chemistry with AJ Cook. Ali Larter I enjoyed her in the first movie and I was glad they brought her back she gave a very credible performance and Jonathan Cherry plays the comic relief drug addict really well and came off as very natural.

All in all a brilliant follow up and companion to the first movie and them both even each other out really well.

Sick Kills and Gruesome Humor

[LanceBrave · 7/10 · 7 November 2013]

I never would have thought that "Final Destination" would have become one of the most enduring millennial horror franchises. The original wasn't a bad movie. It was a fairly clever update of the slasher formula which owed more then a little to "The Omen." (Both series dispatch their victims through convoluted Rube Goldberg-style accidental death traps.) However, it was horribly earnest and, beyond the wacky death scenes, it had little else to offer. I think the only reason the "Final Destination" series has had the longevity it has is because, unlike the "Saws" and "Paranormal Activities," the series hasn't burnt itself out with yearly installment. The movies are elaborate enough to force a few years between each installment. The reason I say this is because none of the movies are all that good. Except for this one. (And part five but I'm not talking about that one right now.) And it's good the same way a "Friday the 13th" sequel is good. From a writing perspective, these movies are… Dumb. The entire premise is kind of dumb. Lots of people survive near death experiences every year and most of them aren't brutally killed afterwards in ridiculous, contrived manners. There's a reason that, despite five films being made, none of these movies have ever attempt to build up any kind of mythology, aside from throwing out more ways to escape "Death's design" that most certainly do not work. It's never been said but can certainly be assumed that the psychic visions that open each film are provided by Death. So why does Death give people these vision just with the intention of then brutally murdering them afterwards? Why does Death brutally murder people anyway? It's Death! He can off you in any way! Why make such a show of it? The only real thing we can gleam from all of this is that the Grim Reaper has an utterly brutal sense of irony and is also a passive aggressive jerk hole. Tony Todd's character shows up every couple of movies to sinisterly hiss some bit of vague misinformation, as if he really knows what's going on.

So the story is utter nonsense. Like a "Friday the 13th" film, each entry in the series has the same blueprint. Character has vision of horrific accident that gorily kills loads of people, some how manages to avoid said accident, himself and his friend proceed to suffer horrible accidental deaths… Or deaths that seem accidental anyway. Part two is no different. The characters aren't great. They roughly break down into stereotypes: Final girl, an initially skeptical love interest, stoner guy, snarky chick, Mom, Son, Angry Black Man. Some of the characters get a smidge of personality. Angry Black Man panics nicely. My favorite moment is when Stoner Guy knows he's the next in line to die. He tells Final Girl to, after he dies, go into his apartment and remove all his drugs and porn, anything that will "break his mom's heart." It is a surprisingly touching moment in a movie that otherwise dispenses with any character moments. None of the actors are bad, with one exception: Ali Larter, the returning survivor from the first movie. Holy spit, how did this lady become a star? She's wooden, wears one slightly constipated expression throughout, and can never make a single line sound convincing. The "Resident Evil" movies clearly deserve her.

None of that matters anyway because the entire movie is built around the death scenes. And, holy cow, they are incredible. The opening freeway pile-up is hugely intense. The motorcyclist sliding across the glass is uncomfortably realistic to anyone who has survived a bike crash. The entire sequence will make you nervous every time you pass a truck hauling logs. It's a heck of way to open the movie. The kitchen sequence is the first sign of the movie's darkly humorous wit. It's an over-the-top, extended game of misdirection that has an amazingly nasty, unpleasant payoff. Characters explode into ludicrous giblets with little provocation. A battering log smears a man to splattering meat and blood. In the best kill in the movie, a teenage kid is squashed by a falling plate of glass, dissipating into an explosion of blood and gore. Person one second, puddle the next. Even for a seasoned gore fan like myself, it's almost too much. The dark humor shows up again when the Jaws of Life have the opposite effect. My second favorite kills involves a flying barb-wire fence dissecting a guy into four parts. The stunted look on the guy's face is almost hilarious, even if the globs of intestine are nasty. The movie never quite tops those moments even if the hospital set last act rolls along at a decent pace. The gore comedy mentality continues into the final scene.

And that's why "Final Destination 2" is awesome. The death scenes are some of the wettest ever put to film and any mean spirit intentions are grinned away by the movie's dark wit. That's one of the reasons why three and four disappointed me so much. They returned to the dead serious tone of the first entry. Only five featured the same sick kills and gruesome humor. Hopefully the inevitable part six will continue that tradition.

Ludicrously entertaining (spoilers)

[Caps Fan · 5/10 · 28 July 2003]

The first "Final Destination" movie took an intriguing concept, assembled an attractive cast to realize it, and forged ahead with gusto and its tongue planted firmly in its cheek. The result, aided by an ingenious script, was a highly entertaining film - sometimes funny, sometimes scary, sometimes just good. But it was a concept that could only really stand one examination.

The second film is a step too far. Once again, we see an interesting cast playing characters who are slaughtered in various imaginative ways. But at least two of the death scenarios really labor the point to the extent that, by an hour into the film, I was laughing too hard to have any energy left to suspend disbelief.

Not wholly unentertaining for all that, but only see this if you've nothing else to watch. Rating: 5/10.

An Ace Sequel!

[vengeance20 · 9/10 · 11 January 2013]

Seeing this was pretty good! It was very well put together!

The opening was good explaining the events from the first film! The motorway disaster was epic! The Explosions, the Gore & the Destruction was top notch!

The deaths were pretty good! Evans Death especially! How everything went together perfectly! The omens were good too! The Ladder impaling his eye was just well done!

The other deaths were good like Tim Death with the dentist chair & the glass pane crushing him! But the deaths suffered the whole Buildup suspense pattern! They were like the first one too quick & over in seconds! But they were good! How they referred to how the cheated death the first time & how in the first film they caused a rift in deaths design & if not one of them (The cast from the first Final Destination) had died, then they wouldn't have lived as their deaths had an effect on theirs lives too! Just clever!

A pretty good sequel! 9/10

Scarred for life but worth it

[tiffanyla89 · 7/10 · 3 October 2023]

Love these movies. But I'm pretty sure they gave me anxiety for the rest of my life lol positive actually.

EVERYTHING'S A SIGN THAT DEATH IS NEAR

I had no idea reviews had to be so many characters. I'll keep typing trying to think of stuff.

I definitely freak out every time I see an 18-wheeler on the interstate carrying tree logs.

Also, every time I'm driving and "highway to hell" by AC/DC comes on the radio, I immediately think of this movie and also consider pulling over. The signs really are everywhere if you look for them. Thank you writers for the trauma and extra anxiety in my adult life. I love you.

Is it wrong to like death scenes?

[krissikrissa · 3/10 · 24 July 2010]

I am going to get straight to the point because we all know where this is going. Final Destination 2 is a really bad movie in most areas and she doesn't really try to hide it. Acting, direction, script, just name it, it's all bad in the words strongest meaning. In some places she is like the earlier film, innocent fun and pretty cool death scenes even though the quality is a bit low.

Final Destination 2 Is just the most pointless sequel to a movie ever! She connects to the first one a little bit but not a lot happens with the plot they just keep picking them off, one at a time and most of it repetitive. Sometimes you even feel you're watching the first one again -- only with funnier (yes I said funnier) death scenes This film is not as entertainingly dark as the first one (Not like that's a surprise -- former X-files guys behind that one). Rather boringly bright and that dragged the movie a little down in the ratings for me. But most of the work goes into the disgustingly awesome kill scenes and nothing else unfortunately. Maybe that doesn't sound appropriate but it's all apart of the Final Destination ride and if you don't like it, get of it! The accidents scenes are a lot better here then in the earlier film but over all this is a mild disappointment with a couple of laughs.

But how can you not laugh at the final death scene? Had to mention it! 3/10