Final Destination 2 is Like a Highway Riddled with Plot Holes

When talking about the dreaded horror sequel, let's be real, no one's expecting gold. I mean, the horror genre is already sneered at by most "legitimate" critics, but when it comes to sequels? Well, sometimes it's hard to get excited about them even as hardcore fans.

A prime example is in the Final Destination series. The first one is at least enjoyable as what it is. It's a new horror franchise with an unbeatable villain which really means infinite possibilities. What happened next in the series, with Final Destination 2 was a clear evolution, but that's just it. There was no tension, no character development, and no overwhelming desire for anyone to live. Now I'm not saying that there are people out there that I want to die, but when you pack your movie with so many irredeemable characters? Well, you're sorting of asking for it at that point.

I mean, within the first 10 minutes, the movie shows boobs, at least two different forms of drug use, and plenty of other aberrant behavior. By horror standards, you're guaranteed to know who dies by the end of the film. Final Destination 2 in true horror sequel fashion, packs no punches. Anyone who's read Men, Women and Chainsaws or even seen Scream knows the "rules" of the horror movie and this flick chooses to cash in on all of them. That type of lazy writing, which really should be more surprising than it is, plus these characters that aren't even given a glimmer of development until 5 minutes before they check out, really slow down Final Destination 2.

The problem with Final Destination 2 honestly doesn't have that much to do with the characters. They make the film irritating to watch for 90 minutes, but let's be real, not too many folks out there are watching for the stellar acting. If you are one of the odd people that does look for credibility and consistency in your horror movies, then I'd say Final Destination 2 isn't for you. But back to my main point. What's lacking from this film is audience engagement. It too often does something random and half-hearted to provide a cheap thrill. As a fan of gore, I'll admit there are some times when the method of death is just unimportant as long as I get my splatter. The movie provides it in some instances, but it just is. An even bigger problem is that, when it does come, the thrill of the first kill has already worn off. The death scenes, when you're given no reason to like any of the characters, are too far apart to warrant spending all 90 minutes of your life watching it. Do yourself a favor and skip it entirely or at least fast forward to all the kill scenes. I mean, it is pretty obvious when they're coming so you have plenty of time to hit play.