More about this DVD  •  DVD Info  •  Movie Main Page  •  Message Board

It is two years after the events of the previous Final Destination, and Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) has suddenly developed the power of premonition (why now, of course, is never explained). See foresees a terrible car accident and awakes from her trance just in time to save some (but not all) of the victims. Of course, this pisses Death off, and the grim reaper always keeps his end of the bargain. Meanwhile, the sole survivor from the last gruesome massacre, Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) has locked herself away in a mental asylum to hide from Death's wrath (of course why Death can't just cause an earthquake remains a mystery). Will Kimberly be able to convince Clear to once again confront Death and save what's left of the ever-dwindling pack of survivors?

Just like the previous Final Destination, this one is full of enormous plot holes. You would think Death could just cause heart attacks or strike people down with a bolt of lightning, but no, the contraptions he/she/it comes up with are so elaborate and noisy you wonder how anything gets done on time and within budget down there in hell. Also peculiar is that none of the characters seem to question their own responsibility to the rest of the world. By preventing the opening car crash, for example, Kimberly then causes a whole slew of other people to die instead, not to mention all the destruction and dismemberment that follows as she tries to save her own skin. Perhaps she should just commit suicide and save us all the trouble?

With such questions ignored, at least the flick looks slick. Long one of Hollywood's most accomplished second unit directors, first-time helmer David R. Ellis doesn't so much direct as stage accidents, letting the actors recite incidental dialogue in-between. But these are good-looking victims and highly suspenseful accidents, and the cast try their best to give their wafer-thin characters at least a glimmer of humanity. Just stupid enough to laugh at and pathetic enough to feel sorry for, the minimal character setup makes it both fun and queasy to watch them get splattered one by one. As body count goes, this is as good and gory as it gets.

It is fair to say Final Destination 2 doesn't mean anything, and probably was never conceived to have any such aspirations. But that is a bit of a disappointment, because in its own meager way at least the first film tried to explore vaguely existential concepts within the confines of a populist teen horror thriller. Here, we get a film filled with nothing but violent, ridiculous death sequences, which are a lot of fun, but it could have and should have been more. Even the title is nonsensical - if the last destination was so final, how can there be a second one? But we don't go to horror movies for logic these days, just jolts and gore. And on that level, Final Destination 2 delivers in spades.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Another superlative New Line transfer. Presented here in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, this ranks with the first Final Destination as a reference-quality transfer. Everything about this presentation is dead-on, pun intended. Crystal-clear print, rock-solid blacks and excellent contrast guarantee a very three-dimensional, film-like image. Colors are rich and perfectly saturated, with excellent fleshtones and no signs of noise or bleeding. Detail is wonderful with excellent shadow delineation, so important in a dark horror film like this. There is also no sign of any edge enhancement, and despite all the extras, the wizards at New Line seem to have tricked Death, er, the DVD compression devil and I noticed no artifacting. Superb.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Yikes, this soundtrack may be even better than the transfer. Available in Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS 6.1 Discrete options, this is a very aggressive, often stunning sonic experience. The opening car crash sequence makes for great demo material, that is if you can get past all the disturbing gore. Frequency response is stunning, especially considering that this was a moderately-budgeted film and not a $100 million blockbuster. The sound design here is quite impressive, with excellent use of the surround channels to create a very three- dimensional, highly engaging experience. The .1 LFE delivers a wallop, especially during any scene involving an accident, which is about half the flick. Discrete effects are noticeable and often very ingenious, and it only gets better on the DTS track. This is a clear case where the DTS option enhances the experience, with tighter bass, more transparent imaging and noticeable detail in the surrounds. But either way you go, this is a bloody good show.

Also included is an English 2.0 surround option, along with English subtitles and Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

New Line has put together another Infinifilm extravaganza, which allows you to access plenty of video- and audio-based content in a variety of ways. Also impressive is that New Line remains the only studio that completely and totally gets how to present such material on a DVD; all the supplements are presented in anamorphic widescreen (with even the full frame music videos encoded anamorphically with black mattes on the sides), runtimes clearly labeled and the quality of the extras just about on par with the main feature. I think New Line should hold a few courses on how to do DVD right.

First up, let's start with the commentaries, both of the aural and text variety. The screen-specific audio commentary features director David Elllis, producer Craig Perry and screenwriters Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber. All four join in together, so there is certainly never a dull moment. The track is largely technical, with even the screenwriters not seeming too interested in the existential ramifications of the franchise. It's fun to learn about how all the various effects are done, but with the video-based supplements doing such a terrific job of that, there is some redundancy in the commentary. While a must for fans, if you are more of a casual viewer, you can probably skip this and go straight to the featurettes. Also included is a text fact track. Accessible with or without the Infinifilm interface activated, this is a lot of fun as expected, with plenty of factoids on various aspects of the movie, from in-jokes, extras who can't help but stare at the camera to notes on the music and actor's bios. However, as a horror fan I would have liked more depth on the history of slasher flicks and the like, which is largely absent here. Also, note that the track is a bit slow, only starting after the credits end and disappearing to allow for gaps for the Infinifilm pop-up prompts.

Next we have two featurettes located in the "Beyond the Movie" section, each focusing on a topic related to but not directly connected with the film. Reality TV fans will get a kick out of The Terror Gauge (14 minutes). Here, we visit with Dr. Victoria Ibric, PhD., who convinces three unwitting test subjects to watch Final Destination 2 strapped to classic mad scientist devices, which record their responses. Ever wonder just what the physiological effects of horror movies really are? Perhaps this featurette wasn't really a good idea! Next is the very humorous Cheating Death (18 minutes). Interviewed are a number of survivors of near-death experiments, some so our there they are totally campy. Did I believe any of these people? I dunno, but I certainly believe that they believe it. This would make a great faux- Saturday Night Live parody. Also included in this section is the Choose Your Fate game. However, it is really simple and more of a gag, really - pick one of three cards and wait for the funny message. "Mystery Date with Death," DVD-style.

Saving the best for last, a must-see is Bits & Pieces, a 31-minute documentary on the rise of the splatter film and how the gruesome effects of Final Destination 2 were created. I think this just may be the most gory R-rated movie I've ever seen, and this is a terrific look at how all the nastiness was created. Newly interviewed are historian David del Valle, critic Drew McWeeny and the godfather of gore himself, Herschell Gordon Lewis. Mainstream splatter is not as new as it may seem, with the form dating back to the late 1800's and the rise of the Theatre of the Grand Guignol. But this documentary doesn't stop there, and next comes a breakdown of every major gore effect in the film. Ellis, Perry and the effects crew take us through each disgusting moment, step by step, and it is fascinating. (One moment involving real pig intestines literally made me nauseous). This is the best look I've ever seen on splatter on a DVD. A must for slasher fans.

In a somewhat unusual move for New Line, there is also a number of other video-based vignettes that can only be accessed via the Infinifilm interface. I counted about 20 segments in all, including screen tests for many of the actors and EPK interview snippets with the cast and crew. All combined, they make for a more traditional half-hour type of making of piece, which is about the only thing that would have seemed to have been absent from this disc. Accessible either via the traditional menus or via the Infinifilm interface are collection of deleted scenes, five in all and totaling over 9 minutes. Nothing exceptional here, just a few dialogue extensions, a nice but short cut car chase moment, and a slightly more graphic death scene in the hospital. All the scenes come with or without commentary, and look just great, presented in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby surround.

Rounding out this great package are two music videos - "Middle of Nowhere" by Blank Theory and "Seven Days a Week" by The Sounds (although neither seem to have anything to do with the movie itself) - plus theatrical trailers for both Final Destination flicks, plus the upcoming Hitcher-esque Highwaymen. All are, predictably, presented in anamorphic widescreen and 5.1.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

As if all the DVD-Video extras weren't enough, New Line has also delivered a wealth of exclusive ROM content that is a slash above. The custom interface is snazzy and suitably scary. You'll find basic player controls, plus weblinks to various New Line websites, including the official Final Destination 2 site and a link to the Infinifilm portal, which is scheduled to have even more exclusive content when the disc streets. (Watch this space for an update.)

Exclusive here is a cool interactive game Chain Reaction interactive game. Ever wanted to be a part of a real-life Final Destination battle with death? Well, now's your chance. The only thing missing is the ability to send your friends scary death messages ("You have only ten hours to live, bwa ha HA!") Also included is the handy-dandy script-to-screen viewer, which in typical New Line fashion is expertly laid out. Access the whole script, scene by scene, and watch the corresponding scene, either reduced or full screen. You can also print out the whole thing or just select scenes. Other ROM goodies include custom wallpapers to adorn desktop. What a cheery way to say hello to the morning....

Parting Thoughts