One of themost popular horror/thriller franchisesover the last few decades has undoubtedly been none other thanFinal Destination. With a super-fun and unique premise about cheating and outrunning death, theFinal Destinationseries finds itself being enjoyable with almost every single entry, thanks to the spectacle on display with each of the wild deaths that occur.
With death itself being the enemy and always finding nutty and bonkers ways to kill off its protagonists,these movies don’t necessarily always need a good story so long as they can keep people entertained by the sheer amount of spectacle.With the newest installment in the franchise after 14 years of nothing, people are finding themselves looking back on the previous films and their quality compared to the newest flick.
Final Destination
6’The Final Destination' (2009)
Critics Score: 28% / Audience Score: 35%
The fourthFinal Destinationmovie is, by far, known all around as the worst of the series. In 2009,The Final Destinationhit screens and had people leaving the theaters wishing they’d be next on death’s list. While no one expects this franchise to deliver Shakespeare on the storytelling front, it needs to at least be somewhat serviceable.But outside of even that,The Final Destinationpretty much goes against everything that made the series good in the first place.
A big part of what made thefirst threeFinal Destinationmovies' kills so goodis the pacing and tension that came with said killings. The movies make you dread what gory and horrific things could possibly come next, butThe Final Destinationdoes not. This fourth movie decided to be way too big for its britches and used the larger budget it had to craft deaths that had zero tension and simply felt big, bombastic, and didn’t hit whatsoever.
The Final Destination
5’Final Destination 3' (2006)
Critics Score: 44% / Audience Score: 57%
Who doesn’t love to see the one and onlyMary Elizabeth Winsteadon screen in any way, shape, or form? While not as good as the first two,Final Destination 3is still a relatively enjoyable film to watch. It certainly has some of the better performances in the franchise, thanks to Winstead andRyan Merriman, which is a big plus for the franchise.
The best way to describeFinal Destination 3is that it’s not too great but still manages to be a pretty fun watch.It is way more bombastic than the two prior movies, while still keeping some of the tension that makes the franchise’s death scenes so special.Said scenes are a lot of fun, and the chemistry between Winstead and Merriman makes their scenes together enjoyable, even when perilous things aren’t happening on screen. This makes it a relativelyrewatchableFinal Destinationflick.
Final Destination 3
4’Final Destination' (2000)
Critics Score: 49% / Audience Score: 68%
The movie that started it all,Final Destination, set the bar and expectations for what a goodFinal Destinationmovie should be. So, of course, this movie holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts for being such an impactful film for not just the franchise, but the horror genre as a whole. DirectorJames Wongbrought a movie to life that may not be perfect, but is pretty dang good.
It set the rules of the world, defined what kind of deaths constitute worthiness for this franchise, and encapsulated audiences everywhere.There’s a reason that the franchise has exploded to be as popular as it has become. While it may seem tame compared to the others, that can also be considered a good thing, keeping in mind how getting bombastic has also proven to not be great for the series.
3’Final Destination 2' (2003)
Critics Score: 52% / Audience Score: 58%
After a hit likeFinal Destiantionwas (making a massive $112.8 millionoff of just a $23 million budget), it was only inevitable that the studios would ask to bring the franchise back for a sequel.Final Destination 2added directorDavid R. Ellisto the series and did what any good sequel should: took what was good about the first and enhanced it—but not too much.
Bringing a new cast to the fold and a whole new array of wild deaths (the most iconic being the log truck incident, one of the best in the franchise),Final Destination 2exceeded fans' expectations and found itself to be even better than the first in a lot of people’s eyes.The characters had quite a fun story, too, which brought not only the series mainstayTony Toddback,but the only survivor of the first film, Clear Rivers (Ali Larter).
Final Destination 2
2’Final Destination 5' (2011)
Critics Score: 63% / Audience Score: 53%
Up until recently,Final Destination 5was known as the best in the franchise. Not only did it showcasesome of the coolest deaths(who could forget the gymnastics incident), but the characters are easily some of the most compelling in the entire series. It also introduces new concepts that haven’t necessarily been touched on in the four prior projects.
At the time of release, in 2011,Final Destination 5was clearly supposed to be the last movie in the franchise,and it does a very good job at this. It doesn’t just end by revealing itself as a prequel to bring the franchise full circle, but brings the entire array of concepts established in the first film to a close, as well.
Final Destination 5
1’Final Destination: Bloodlines' (2025)
Critics Score: 92% / Audience Score: 88%
The Rotten Tomatoes scores forFinal Destination: Bloodlineshave skyrocketed above the likes of the rest. Coming in 14 years after the previous installment,Final Destination 5, which was supposed to be the last, everyone questioned what warranted a sixth installment after all this time. The conflict ofFinal Destination: Bloodlinesis a concept completely new to the series.
Final Destination: Bloodlinesasks the question ofwhat would happen to the bloodlines of people who were supposed to die—bloodlines that would never have been born had the original person died?It’s wildly compelling and keeps a franchise that is so simple, feeling as fresh as ever. Lastly, this is also Tony Todd’s final performance before his death, and it’s heartwarming to see him again one last time.
