The Ranking
The Final Destination series
FOUR EMPIRE WRITERS TAKE ON THE DEATH-CENTRIC FRANCHISE. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
RUSSELL MOORCROFT
OUR CRITICS
CHRIS HEWITT Hasn’t left his flat since the first movie.
HELEN O’HARA Is very careful when flagging down a bus.
MIKE MUNCER The only fair ride he dares go on is the teacups.
BECKY DARKE Sees a logging truck, throws it into reverse.
Chris: So, then: Final Destination. Time to rank the franchise before they make 7, 8, 9 and 10 in the wake of Bloodlines’ success. How do you feel about it?
Helen: I have moderate feelings. I watch them. I’m like, “Hey, that was clever,” and then I forget they ever happened. It’s a franchise that has basically refused to evolve very much.
Chris: Like, where do the visions come from?
Mike: The joy is not knowing. What Helen is talking about is a feature, not a bug. It’s not bogged down in mythology, or exploring the origins of certain characters. You just get this incredible thrill ride every time.
Helen: But it hasn’t even explored different groups of people up until Bloodlines. It’s all been teens and twentysomethings, with a token adult thrown in.
Chris: This is a franchise that knows exactly what it is, and knows that it has, right from the off, cracked a magical winning formula. And why fuck with the formula?