By now the Final Destination series is simply all about set pieces with its makers catering to an audience who really don't care much about logic or story but are more interested to see what grand scale disaster they're going to kick things off with and, after that, how many different ways the cast bloodily gets killed off. This fourth time out though, New Line Cinema have added in the fad of 3-D to the proceedings which makes for a whole slew of obvious shots meant to jut out at the audience and is probably the main reason I didn't bother checking this out when it was in theatres - I am definitely not a supporter of 3-D in any form but that's a rant for another place and time.

From plane crash, to highway pile-up, to roller coaster disaster the Final Destination films always start off in the goriest way possible. This time out a bunch of friends are at a NASCAR race and the ridiculous factor is ramped up early, and often, as a huge car crash leads to people being cut in half, having a spike driven through their head and out the mouth (Hello, 3-D!), and things crushing everyone. This, of course, is a premonition of things to come as seen by Nick (Bobby Campo) who soon convinces his pals to get the Hell out of the stadium while the getting is good.

If you've seen any prior entries in the series you're well aware of what happens next as all the survivors find themselves becoming targets of death itself because, as we all know by now, you just can't cheat death. What follows is our young cast going through the motions waiting to die as Nick has various visions of the upcoming carnage, which is, for some unknown reason, shown to us using really primitive-looking CG effects. Soon come the kill scenes, which are built on coincidence more than realism as various tiny accidents snowball leading to the big pay-off that the viewer has been waiting with anticipation for. Only problem is the dispatches this time aren't as creative as they've been in the past and a lot of them cater to the 3-D such as the scenes involving a chain-link fence and a pool drain.

Director David R. Ellis returns to the series (he previously helmed the second entry) and brings a workman-like efficiency to the proceedings. He was probably a good choice considering his past, B-movie feeling films like Snakes on a Plane and Cellular. Also back from part two is writer Eric Bress who simply recycles the basic premise while trying to dream up new ways to murder young actors.

Speaking of young actors, the cast here does well enough and seem to know what's expected from them for this type of film. Campo is a bit too wimpy as the "hero" but comes across okay, as does Shantel VanSanten as his girlfriend Lori. Nick Zano gets the unfortunate task of playing the stooge of a frat boy Hunt and gets to deliver some really bad dialogue such as when he proclaims, "Your choice, heads or tails, but you know I like head" after requesting one of his female friends kiss his lucky coin.

Really, the deaths are the only reason anyone is even bothering going to the Final Destination movies nowadays and this fourth entry does what it sets out to do and is really nothing more than a popcorn flick. If you go into it with low expectations it's not the worst way to waste 82 minutes. This is likely to appeal more to the teenage set than the seasoned horror fan anyway and as long as New Line can make money at the box-office the first few weeks they'll continue making them - which they apparently can since this made the most money of the series and has since been followed by an announcement of another sequel burdened as of this writing with the (awful) moniker, 5nal Destination. (Chris Hartley, 7/5/10)

Directed By: David R. Ellis.
Written By: Eric Bress.

Starring: Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Krista Allen, Mykelti Williamson.