Review - Final Destination 2

New life is the only way to cheat death - huh?

Hmmm. . . in my opinion they really could have left out the whole Mr. Bludworth (Tony Todd) scene altogether. I mean don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Tony Todd as a character actor, but there just was no need for him in this installment of Final Destination. And remember how I thought we got away without him in the 3rd installment? Well I was wrong - he was the Devil’s voice at the theme park . . . well at least he wasn’t spouting some kind of wacked out advice, at least not directly.

At any rate, Final Destination 2 was full of the fabulous death scenes that permeate this series. One of my favorites from this film has got to be when Kat (Keegan Connor Tracy) was in the truck after their accident and the fireman causes her airbag to inflate, smashing her head into the PVC pipe that she so narrowly escaped only moments before. Or then there is the scene on the elevator with Nora Carpenter (Lynda Boyd) where in trying to escape the man with the hooks she “loses her head” and gets herself wedged into the door of the elevator. Of course, then there is her son, Tim (James Kirk) who meets his fate under glass. They were all just so good that again it is hard to pick just one favorite. On top of all the subsequent deaths, you had Kimberly’s (A.J. Cook) original premonition of the way it was supposed to happen with all of them dying at once . . . that was a great scene too!

Enter Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) from the original who now has herself locked up in a padded cell to escape the cold, hard hands of Death. It was interesting how they did try to show some sort of connection to the original Final Destination film by stating that everyone who was now running from Death (or who had already been caught) had some sort of Death cheating experience due to the Death cheaters from the original film. According to Clear, Death is now just tying up some loose ends.

Convinced at one point during the film that the “new life” comment made by Bludworth had to do with Isabella Hudson (Justina Muchado - I absolutely loved her in Six Feet Under as a fabulously proud and passionate Latina) delivering her baby alive. After all, a child who was never supposed to be born would be “new life” wouldn’t it? Maybe, maybe not, you’ll just have to watch the film to find out now won’t you?

There is one other remarkable death scene I have to mention. It is the one where Evan Lewis (David Paerkau) - the new lottery winner - trying to escape a fire in his apartment, slides down his fire escape and ends up slipping in his own spilled spaghetti and is impaled by the drop down ladder. The best part of this Death scene is not the actual death itself but when the magnet falls off the refrigerator into his lo mein. Take a good look next time at what is spelled by the remaining alphabet magnets. It seems so obvious now that I’ve seen the film a second time, but I missed it on the first viewing. Tres ironic.

Directed by
David R. Ellis (as David Richard Ellis)

Writing credits (WGA)
Jeffrey Reddick (characters)

J. Mackye Gruber (story) &
Eric Bress (story) and
Jeffrey Reddick (story)

J. Mackye Gruber (screenplay) &
Eric Bress (screenplay)


Cast (in credits order)complete, awaiting verification
Ali Larter .... Clear Rivers
A.J. Cook .... Kimberly Corman
Michael Landes .... Officer Thomas Burke
Tony Todd .... William Bludworth
Terrence 'T.C.' Carson .... Eugene Dix (as T.C. Carson)
Jonathan Cherry .... Rory Peters
Keegan Connor Tracy .... Kat Jennings
Lynda Boyd .... Nora Carpenter
James Kirk .... Tim Carpenter
David Paetkau .... Evan Lewis
Justina Machado .... Isabella Hudson
Sarah Carter .... Shaina
Alex Rae .... Dano
Shaun Sipos .... Frankie
Andrew Airlie .... Mr. Corman
Christina Jastrzembska .... Administrator
Eileen Pedde .... Anesthesiologist
Jill Krop .... Anchorwoman
Marrett Green .... Anchorman
Don Bell .... Biker
Odessa Munroe .... Biker's Girlfriend
Noel Fisher .... Brian Gibbons
Benita Ha .... Dental Receptionist
Aaron Douglas .... Deputy Steve
Eric Keenleyside .... Detective Suby
Enid-Raye Adams .... Dr. Kalarjian
Fred Henderson .... Dr. Lees
Veena Sood .... ER Nurse
David Purvis .... Guest
Marke Driesschen .... Host
Darcy Laurie .... Man in Elevator
John R. Taylor .... Man with Hooks
Alf Humphreys .... Mr. Gibbons (as Alfred E. Humphreys)
Chilton Crane .... Mrs. Gibbons
Klodyne Rodney .... Obstetrician
Rheta Hutton .... On-Ramp Lady
John Stewart .... Paramedic at Farm
Cam Cronin .... Paramedic at Hospital
Alison Matthews .... Physician
Mark Lukyn .... Rescue Worker
Lorne Stewart .... Skate Rat
Jenny Lang .... Young Woman

rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Roger R. Cross .... Isabella's Husband (scenes deleted)
Michael S. Bolton .... Sheriff Perry (uncredited)
Laura Marie Gustafson .... Girl in Car (uncredited)
Sarah Hattingh .... Nurse in Delivery Room (uncredited)