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5 Reasons You Should Give Final Destination 3 Another Chance 10 Years After Its Release

Published

8 years ago

August 15, 2016

I’ve always been a fan of the Final Destination franchise, and it’s one of the few that I’d actually like to see continue indefinitely. Much like my favorite franchise – Friday the 13th – it has a basic formula that allows new characters to be easily plugged in for various creative death sequences with satisfactory results. While even the best franchises miss the mark from time to time, I feel that Final Destination 3 has been unfairly maligned. The film tends to be brushed off as a blemish on the franchise, but if you ask me, it holds its own among the more highly regarded entries. I’d even go so far as to say that in some ways it tops the much more popular second installment.

This year marked ten years since its theatrical release, and here are five reasons to consider watching it again (spoilers included).

1. Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Final Destination 3

Above all else, Final Destination 3 has one thing sorely lacking from the rest of the franchise: Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The movie was my first experience with Ms. Winstead though it was far from her first acting role. While she had also appeared in the previous year’s The Ring Two, she quickly established herself as a presence in our beloved genre – a presence that continues today. If you like her work in 10 Cloverfield Lane, Swiss Army Man, Faults, Death Proof, or anything else, it’s worth revisiting one of her earlier films.

2. Tony Todd and the Mystique of William Bludworth

Tony Todd as the devil in Final Destination 3

I admit that it would have been nice to see Tony Todd back for a third round in the flesh, but we do get his voice as the devil on the ill-fated rollercoaster and as the subway station announcer at the end of the film. In fact, the more I think about this, the more I like the approach here. He could have just popped up in a forced-in scene to talk to the lead characters about death, but we already saw that twice. His voicework in FD3 adds another layer to the mystique of his character and his connection to death itself.

3. The Return of Morgan and Wong

Let me be clear. I love Final Destination 2. It has an amazing opening disaster sequence and some great kills. It’s a lot of fun. That said, the writing leaves a great deal to be desired, particularly in the dialogue department, and the acting often suffers as a result. This kind of adds to the charm and fun of watching it (another connection to the Friday franchise), but there is a noticeable improvement in quality here with FD3 if you ask me. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing award-worthy here either, and there is still the occasional cringe-worthy line, but overall, it’s a step up. This may have something to do with Glenn Morgan and James Wong, the famous X-Files duo who collaborated on the first film, returning for round 3.

I also appreciate that they tried to add another layer to death’s mythology, which was basically scrapped in the following films. In FD3, Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character discovers clues about death’s design in photographs, which I find kind of interesting. At the very least, it was an attempt to do something a little different without straying too far from the “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” formula of the franchise.

4. The Kills

Final Destination 3 Nailgun

If there’s one thing Final Destination 2 did right it was the kills (including the epic highway pile-up premonition scene), and I’m not sure any of the subsequent films have topped 2 in this department. It’s understandable that some would be let down by FD3 after that, but if you look at FD3 by itself, it has its share of memorable kills.

The stand-outs include: the famous tanning bed sequence; Frankie’s head getting its comeuppance thanks to an engine fan from a truck that runs into his car in a fast food drive-in; Lewis getting his head crushed by weights; and my personal favorite, Erin getting a number of nails shot through her face.

5. It’s On Netflix

Tanning Bed Final Destination 3

If you’re a Netflix subscriber, which I believe most of you probably are, you don’t have to go out of your way to find a copy of the movie or hunt it down. It’s right there waiting for you. In fact, it’s the only film in the franchise currently available to stream on Netflix.

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Look, I’m not going to sit here and try to tell you that Final Destination 3 is the pinnacle of the franchise. I’m just saying it’s an entertaining entry and doesn’t deserve black sheep status. I’ve seen it quite a few times over the past decade and I can honestly say I’ve never failed to have a good time watching it.

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

Published

2 mins ago

April 26, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

19 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.