Final Destination 5 (2011) is directed by Steven Quale and written by Eric Heisserer. It stars Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, P.J. Byrne, Ellen Wroe, Courtney B. Vance, David Koechner, Brent Stait, and Tony Todd. When Sam (D’Agosto), a young corporate underling, has a premonition that saves him and his coworkers from dying in a tragic bridge collapse, he takes it as a sign to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend, Molly (Bell), and finally pursue his dreams of becoming a professional chef. Unfortunately, his plans are upended when the coworkers he saved on the bridge begin dying one by one in strange, gory accidents. Desperate for answers, they soon discover a new, but costly way of potentially removing their names from Death’s hit list. This soon pits the survivors against one another in ways they never could’ve anticipated, reminding the viewer that no kind of being deals death more efficiently than the human kind. 

On paper, these characters are easily the strongest of the four sequels, so it’s disappointing that Nicholas D’Agosto and Emma Bell give performances that are either laughably unconvincing or torturously dull. The attempts to develop their relationship are not only ham-fisted but also don’t make much sense. The details of what led to the initial rift in their relationship are left frustratingly vague and ultimately make Sam seem unhinged, even though it’s clear that’s not how the film wants us to feel about her. It’s implied that she initially broke up with him because he wouldn’t pursue his dreams, which he says is because he doesn’t want to disappoint her, but she’ll only get back together if he pursues them? This behavior makes zero logical sense and turns the film’s romance into an unintended punchline. 

Thankfully, the various supporting characters end up stealing the show despite their archetypes feeling somewhat familiar. P.J. Byrne is easily the best “absurdly horny douchebag” character of the franchise and provides the perfect kinds of scummy laughs we almost feel bad about falling victim to. The real standout, however, is Miles Fisher as Sam’s initially caring supervisor who slowly loses his cool once the people around him begin to die in unspeakable ways. Fisher gives what’s easily the film’s strongest dramatic performance, but the character is also written to feel like a unique, much-needed addition to the franchise. 

The choice to make the pool of victims coworkers this time around provides an organic, believable reason that these various, clashing personalities would spend time with one another. Honestly, the silly comedic elements occasionally makes this feel like a fucked up episode of The Office, and I mean that as a compliment. Other than the previous installment which was a total piece of crap, this is easily most comedy forward film in the franchise so far. Like the second film, Final Destination 5 strikes a satisfying balance of comedy and horror regarding its various, convoluted deaths, multiple of which could easily be considered some of the best of the franchise. The heavy use of CGI that began in the third film is still a slight issue, but it’s clear that a lot of time was spent polishing these visuals so that they hold up for as many years as possible. The best example is the opening disaster sequence, which is heavy on CGI but remains fun due to its massive scale and creatively conceived carnage. 

Although I only consider this a good sequel rather than a great one, what sets it apart from the previous installments is that it features the franchise’s strongest third act. This includes but doesn’t rely upon a fun, shocking, and surprisingly fitting twist sure to make most fans giddy. It proves that even though the last two installments felt creatively bankrupt, the franchise still has a lot of gas in the tank; it just needs the right people to start the engine. 

It’s no wonder this entry is a common favorite among fans. It expands upon the series’ general concept in ways that fans had desperately craved, and it also succeeds in providing the franchise’s first fully satisfying third act. Unfortunately, these improvements don’t particularly stop the film from feeling formulaic when looking at the big picture. The deaths, although well-executed, occasionally feel familiar, and the lead performances are some of the weakest of the franchise, despite how well their characters are written. It’s a decent Final Destination movie that doesn’t strive to be anything more and, because of this, ultimately delivers exactly what franchise fans crave. C+