Every Final Destination Movie Ranked
One of the greatest horror franchises there will ever be.
Since the first Final Destination came out, the movies have largely followed a consistent formula. Someone foresees a disaster and saves themselves and a group of people from it, but in doing so they cheat Death itself. And so, Death itself begins to wipe out the survivors in a series of brutal freak accidents - the number of everyday things these movies have ruined for people is off the charts!
Though the films haven't always been popular with critics, Final Destination deserves to be ranked as one of horror's greatest, most consistent franchises. As well as being some of the most paranoia-inducing movies ever (to this day, no-one wants to drive behind a log truck!), they're also detailed and intelligent horror flicks filled with neat little clues, omens and easter eggs, and they've also been impressively good. Unlike IPs such as Halloween or Friday the 13th, Final Destination has stayed good over the years (aside from one terrible sequel).
With the long-awaited sixth instalment finally out, it's a great time to rank the series. Most can probably guess what's coming in last place, but how do the others stack up?
6. The Final Destination
In nearly every Final Destination ranking, 2009's fourth instalment lands in last place and there is a good reason for that. Even franchise producer Craig Perry recently said he thinks this one sucks.
Released during Hollywood's regrettable obsession with 3D in the late 2000s, this one basically coasts along on that one gimmick while ignoring mundanities like suspense, likable characters, tolerable dialogue, originality or remotely convincing CGI. To be fair to the movie, the 3D was implemented well but there's a good reason this gimmick died out: a turkey is still a turkey, and some lame gimmick will never be enough to make up for that even if it's used well.
The previous two sequels might've been the first movie remixed but at least they were made with real passion and creativity; this one felt like it was made by an algorithm. It's such a lifeless, by-the-numbers and tension-free bore, populated by preternaturally dull characters played by a fantastically awful cast.
Even those who just came for a fun gore-fest will be disappointed; aside from the opening racetrack sequence the death sequences are boring and devoid of personality. Many of them are ripped off from other Final Destination media, with a certain set-piece involving a bathtub being a carbon copy of a death scene from a Final Destination spin-off novel (titled End of the Line), further betraying this one's fatal lack of creativity.
Apparently, this was designed as an end to the series... thankfully it wasn't. Imagine if this had been the grand finale.