Final Destination 3

Every new instalment of the Final Destination series is better than its predecessor. If it continues, we should have a world-beating movie by the 10th or 11th instalment. The third movie is more easily digestible than the early parts of the franchisefor a number of reasons, including a truly spectacular opening sequence - the best of the series so far.

It also features actors who are more realistic than in the previous films, a script that is not laughable or needlessly dramatic, and an ending that doesn't cheat. Plus, most importantly, there are the deaths, which are just as, if not more, impressive than before. Director James Wong approaches the moment of maximum bloodletting with a macabre and effective sense of humour so the enjoyment comes not only from trying to figure out who is going to get it but how it's going to happen.

Death is the ultimate serial killer and he's on another rampage. However, he needs to practice more with his scythe as his aim is terrible. He fails in his bid to kill a bunch of people in a rollercoaster ride accident, so has to go to the trouble of offing them one-by-one. Admittedly, this allows for more creativity in the manner in which the characters find themselves dead.There are 10 unexpected survivors for Death to take down. A tanning machine accident, a fast food drive-in mishap, a workout gone awry, an unfortunate incident with a nail gun, and so on and so on...

Our heroine and main babe Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and our hunky hero Kevin (Ryan Merriman) figure out what Death is up to. Moreover, they do it without any help from a babbling Tony Todd, the Candyman-like character who shows up in the other two Final Destination films. But the question remains - can they stop him?

The creativity with which characters are dispatched ensures the movie keeps your interest until late on in the proceedings, when the deaths come more quickly and are set up with less elegance. Believe me, this is not a good movie to see the day before you head to Alton Towers. As the movie becomes more plot-intensive, it degenerates into the enjoyable dumbness and improbabilities seen in Final Destination and Final Destination 2 - but don't worry, the killings keep coming to the very end.

There are no cast cross overs between other Final Destination movies and the new one, although there are references a plenty to the events in the others that will excite the fans. The plucky Wendy is played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who does as competent a job as one could expect in these dire circumstances. In case she looks familiar, she played Samara - the freaky, scary kid - in The Ring 2 and as a friend of mine said, "It never hurts to have a good-looking girl get most of the screen time". Her male co-star, Ryan Merriman - who has an extensive list of TV credits - is the generic good-looking young male actor whose talent limits are not tested by the screenplay. Sadly no one else really stands out as major characters but its easy to see why. In essence, they're bodies just waiting to see be cut up.

For any Final Destination fan, it's unlikely the third will disappoint. If you like horror/thrillers with plenty of cartoonish blood and gore, this will hit the spot. Based on the box office tallies of the first two pictures and the expected takings of this one, it's unlikely this will be the last in the series. Overall, a surprisingly good film that will suit anyone looking for a simple film full of nonsensical violence that doesn't strain the brain.