The Final Destination

While horror movies have, as of recent, relied on gore and gruesome scenes to bring in box office, seeing such graphic violence in "The Final Destination" is still shocking.

But it's no shock that they're there. In fact, it's all "The Final Destination" has going for it, which is a sad realization for anyone involved in the production or viewing of this film, the fourth in its series.

Anyone familiar with the previous three "Final Destination" movies will already know everything about this one. There is a hunky guy who gets a premonition of death to come, and by saving his friends from the tragic incident, he dooms them to inevitable death. But not just any deaths, but inventive ones that would be more laughably absurd if they weren't so graphically disturbing.

The deaths though, are the most thoughtful part of "The Final Destination." The dialogue is typical to the first three films, the casting is almost taken from a blueprint, and the one-liners are top cheese.

Add the 3D feature, and "The Final Destination" is every bit aware of its lack of dimension. As tires and stones are seemingly flung into the audience, they're supposed to feel all the fright and terror of the characters. But no such feelings can be had when a horror movie is turned into a recipe for gore.

Add four parts cute twenty-somethings, a splash of doubt and speculation, a cup of half-hearted script writing, and ten pounds of spooky death coming to get you in all sorts of hair-brained traps, and "The Final Destination" doesn't taste satisfying at all. Actually, it tastes like a meal served three times before.