Final Destination 2 (2003) Dir: David R. Ellis
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As a teenager, I watched these disaster films and loved them, but I haven't seen any of them for a long time. I recently rewatched the first film, and while I did enjoy it, I didn't like it as much as when I was younger. I expected a similar reaction to this David R. Ellis directed sequel.
I actually thought the story was a lot better than that of the first film. If anything, the context of the aforementioned first film informed that of this sequel quite nicely. It felt like a more complete story, though certainly not perfect. I like that this one had a more definitive ending too - it made it feel like a full story.
The death sequences weren't as good as the first film, to be honest - except for one, which was admittedly hilarious. Sure, they were all over-the-top and silly, which is part of the charm of these films, but they didn't feel as creative or entertaining as before. I was hoping for more, in that regard.
A.J. Cook didn't give a bad performance, but she was a bit forgettable, if I'm being honest. She also suffered because of the arrival of the much more memorable and charismatic Ali Larter, who was much easier to watch from the moment she stepped on-screen.
Michael Landes had some alright scenes, but never really crossed the threshold of being genuinely good. The same can be said of Terrence Carson, although he did have one pretty solid monologue towards the start of the film.
Beyond them, there were a few fine enough performances from the likes of Jonathon Cherry, Keegan Connor Tracy, Tony Todd, David Paetkau, Lynda Boyd and James Kirk, in their respective roles.
Overall, perhaps this was a case of lowered expectations helping the cause, but I felt like I enjoyed this sequel a lot more than the original. It was more of an actual film than a spot-fest, so-to-speak. It wasn't a great film, mind you, but I had fun with it, and I'm definitely glad I revisted it.
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