Final Destination 3

I wonder why I missed the first two movies of the franchise, given that I'm a fan of gore (the bloodier the merrier). But you need not have watched the first two movies in order to enjoy Final Destination 3, as it's pretty much a stand-alone movie utilizing the same premise.

Which is when someone actually somehow foresees the future, where something tragically fatal will happen to him/her. They pull out from the situation, and following along (whether they like it or not) are a few others. The tragedy happens, and they all escape death. Death is naturally upset, and continues to kill off the characters who were supposed to die.

But of course, if you can cheat death again, you're off the hook. You know you're in for a good, satisfactory ride when the opening credits are stuffed with relative unknowns, meaning they are the fodder who will die in ways imagined by the writer. Co-writer and director James Wong, who was involved in the original movie, returns to extend his vision of the franchise.

There are numerous references to the earlier movies, like the number 180 which pops up, and also to serve as research material for the characters in FD3 (hard to imagine that the first movie was SIX years ago!). Nifty special effects are also the hallmark of the FD movies, which bring to life the filmmaker's sadistic vision of deaths in various ways from being fried alive to huge objects becoming giant human-swatters.

The movie also sticks to the usual slasher/horror conventions, of knowing that bimbos will die in the most idiotic way ever. Don't go looking for logic in the elaborate setup before character deaths - it's like every implausible element that will impact or contribute towards someone's death, will be looked into. The coincidence might make you shake your head at the sheer audacity of it all, but then, if Death's looking for you, all angles must be covered, and you must die. Like right now. In a fashionably bloody manner to boot, as if to punish you for having cheated initially.

Being rated NC-16 here however, meant that certain scenes had to be cut. Strangely, suggestive scenes like a character licking the boobs of a nude woman keychain, and the bimbos stripping down to their birthday suits, get the snip. But the glorious bloodbath (save one) get shown uncut. As the show progresses, you get to see more. So I guess if the movie is rated for violence and gore, most nudity will get cut off, and probably vice versa? One wonders.

Does this movie scream sequel again? Maybe, if the filmmakers can come up with some more creative ways to die, in bloody good fashion, then perhaps the franchise would probably continue. If you're really hard up and stayed until the end, you'll just be rewarded with a maniacal laughter.