Hi, it's been a while since I've been on this fandom. And I'm surprised and glad to see that I'm ranked #9 on this wiki. So while I listen to Maroon 5's 4th album, I'm going to rank the Final Destination movies. Just a heads up, I don't find any of them to be bad to be honest.
Spoilers, duh.
5. The Final Destination (2009) - 6/10
It's an okay movie in my opinion, but it has some flaws. First, I think it's too short. It seems like this movie is trying to quickly go through everything within 81 minutes. The first (or second if you count Nadia Monroy) survivor, Carter, dies 21 minutes in. Samantha is next, but she's surprisingly killed 29 minutes in. The third/fourth survivor, Andy, dies 38 minutes in. You'd expect the second, or even first survivor to die 38 minutes in, but not in this flick. While this doesn't sound that bad, the problem for me is that it rushes through the events without letting character moments and scenes sink in.
And that's another problem I have, the characters. There's a bunch of unlikable characters here, and a bunch of bland nothing ones too. Nadia is barely a character (heck, there's a debate whether she's a survivor or casualty), Carter is an irritating racist asshole, Andy is just a mechanic that doesn't have much depth (outside of one scene, and he immediately dies after it, so...), Hunt is a horny jackass, Jonathan is barely in the movie and is barely a character (there's a reason why Nick and his friends forgot about him), and even Lori is bland. I do kind of blame the actress, Shantel VanSanten, for her emotionless and dull performance as Lori though. Nothing against her, but I don't think she was good in this film.
So that really only leaves Nick, Janet, George, and Samantha to root for. Okay, Lori is fine, and Andy isn't a bad person, but Lori is just a whatever person to me, and Andy isn't onscreen enough for me to give a shit.
Then there's the effects, which I have a lesser problem with, but I will criticize them. Some of the CGI here is just bad. Like, why? Why didn't they make this look better?! And the mini visions that Nick has are subpar at best.
There's also a weird plot hole, where Jonathan dies before Janet and Hunt, but in reality, those 2 are scheduled to die before Jonathan.
But onto the positives. I do like some of the performances, specifically the actors for Nick, Janet, George, and Samantha. I'm surprised I liked Janet to be honest. And those 4 characters are decent to me. And again, Lori and Andy are alright...
I like the mini visions. Even though they don't look that great, I like their concept and contributions to the film. I like how this story plays out like a "you must go here and stop this or else this person is dead." I find it to be intense. The opening premonition and disaster is decent, and the mall premonition and sequence is just great in my opinion. Hunt's death is my favorite in the entire series, and that scene was scary as hell. Some of the other deaths are neat too, like Samantha's, Andy's, and the end with Janet's, Lori's, and Nick's deaths. Speaking of the end, that was awesome.
All in all, this movie is okay, but flawed in my opinion.
4. Final Destination (2000) - 8/10
I like Final Destination a lot. From its original and creative concept, to its execution, to its lead protagonists, to its signs and deaths. The iconic Flight 180 premonition is honestly terrifying. Dying on a plane is a simple and effective fear to me. I also really like the acting from Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Seann William Scott, Amanda Detmer, and Kerr Smith.
I guess if I had to explain why it's at #4, it's probably because it's very simplistic compared to later installments, and there's weird subplot ideas that aren't executed or explained well, like Clear Rivers' emotional connection Alex. Doesn't make much sense to me. But I still very much like this movie.
3. Final Destination 3 (2006) - 8/10
I only really put this film above the original for 2 reasons. One, it's very entertaining. It's honestly a joy to watch for me. Two, more importantly, this movie has Wendy Christensen as the protagonist, and she's played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She probably gives the best performance in the entire series in my opinion, and yes, I think she reigns supreme over Tony Todd as William Bludworth, but that's because she's a protagonist and he's a minor character. I'm sorry (I'm not actually, it's just a common thing to say), but she is the fucking best! I love her and her character in this movie!
Simping fanboy me aside (even though I'm gay and in a relationship), I also really like Kevin and his character development with Wendy. These 2 characters are stellar on screen together, and I just love it. I also like supporting characters, like Julie, Ian, Ashlyn, and Ashley. The death scenes are top notch in this flick and for the first time, I got emotional during the opening incident. I felt sad after seeing Jason and Carrie die, as I kind of liked watching them. And that premonition with the Devil's Flight rollercoaster is amazing!
I do have 2 problems though, and it's why this movie is in 3rd place. One, it doesn't try anything that new. This plot is quite formulaic and what it tries new is half assed. There's this underdeveloped theory where if the last person on the list kills themselves, it screws up Death's list and they all live. But, is it actually explored? No. Does it go anywhere? No.
My other problem is some of the characters are flawed. Frankie is an obnoxious pervert, Perry is even less of a character than Nadia, Erin isn't that interesting, and Lewis is so fucking insufferable, annoying, and immature bitch. But I still do enjoy this film, and its Choose Their Fate feature.
2. Final Destination 2 (2003) - 9/10
This sequel expands upon the original, and has the most unique plot out of all the sequels. Its new rules are nice welcome additions, such as new life being able to destroy the list and Death working backwards to tie up loose ends. On top of that, the intensity and gore has increased in the premonition and deaths. And the group here is just full of great characters. Kimberly is a great lead, Officer Burke is a solid secondary protagonist, Clear's return is awesome, and other characters like Eugene, Kat, Nora, and Rory are fun additions here. However, there is one movie I like more...
1. Final Destination 5 (2011) - 10/10
This is my favorite film due to how professional it is. The direction, writing, characters, acting, and tone are all top notch here, and come off as, "expertise" (the complete opposite of amateurish, there). Not only is the new rule of being able to murder someone to take their life quite interesting, but the death scenes and character interactions are more intense. And the light comedy is a nice touch.
Also, this sequel has a nice plot twist at the end where it reveals to be a prequel. That was fantastic.
So that's my list, how would you rank the films?