Final Destination Movies Ranked

Movie Rankings #1

Having just finished rewatching all of the Final Destination films, I thought this would be the perfect time to stop and rank all five Final Destination movies from worst to first.

Final Destination is one of the most consistently entertaining horror franchises, with all of them providing entertainment on at least a fun, schlock level. Most of them feature a pretty solid cast and surprisingly good filmmaking, all combining to create one of my all-time favourite horror franchises. However, with there being five instalments there are inevitably some better than others. So let's rank them.

5. The Final Destination


The fourth instalment in the franchise, ironically titled The Final Destination, is an extremely flawed yet still pretty entertaining slasher flick. The reason the earlier films in this franchise standout in the horror genre is due to the fact that their filmmaking is extremely interesting and creative, and the kills utilise some truly great practical effects to create some really gnarly kills. This movie, unfortunately, doesn't manage to keep that streak going. The best example of this is the opening premonition, normally the best part of the films, is full of terrible CGI and extremely unoriginal kills. This movie also tried to fit into the 3D market, and some of the 3D shots in this are so ridiculously gratuitous that it becomes pretty darn funny.

The characters and performances in this movie are also dreadful, with not one of them standing out. This also means that the tension never really delivers, as I could not have cared less if these characters died.

Best Kill: Escalator Crushing

Star Rating - **½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/the-final-destination/


4. Final Destination 5


Though The Final Destination is a worse movie, I find Final Destination 5 to be the boring and forgettable. Once again, this film features no interesting characters or plot points, and also continues the trend of overly CGI'd kills trying to fit into the 3D fad that was going on at the time. This film does feature some interesting concepts, such as being able to kill someone and take their life to cheat death, however it's never fully explored and climaxes in an extremely dull fight scene at the end of the movie.

There are, however, things I enjoy about this film. The opening premonition is a lot better than the NASCAR one in The Final Destination, and there are some genuinely tense moments in this movie. This film also has a great ending twist, and the way it gives a different point-of-view on the first movie is actually a really intriguing idea.

Best Kill: Gymnasium Malfunction

Star Rating: **½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/final-destination-5/


3. Final Destination 2


There is a big jump in quality here, as Final Destination 2 is the first movie on this list to be a genuinely great horror. This is a film full of creative kills, palpable tension, excellent practical effects and surprisingly investing characters. The opening premonition in this movie is absolutely phenomenal, and easily the best in the series, and it sets up the excellent kills to come. The practical effects in this movie are some of the best of the franchise, especially one involving an elevator, which is absolutely chilling.

The characters are all pretty good in this film, and all of the most forgettable ones are killed early on. Reintroducing Clear Rivers into the mix was also a very clever move, as it allowed the movie to speed up but also gave us a protagonist we could instantly get invested in. The screenplay here is what lets this one down, as it gets very bogged down in the rules of this universe which start to get very convoluted in this film.

Best Kill: (Not counting the premonition) Elevator Decapitation

Star Rating: ***½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/final-destination-2/


2. Final Destination


This is definitely one of those rare horror franchises where the original is not the best, however the original Final Destination is still a classic of its genre, and an excellent example of how to do a teen slasher. With a great screenplay, investing characters, horrific kills and a simple yet brilliant premise, this is a horror that delivers on all fronts. The opening premonition of this one is yet another excellent example of how to go about using visual effects to create tension, and this is carried over into the elaborately awesome deaths in this film, and I have to say that this is probably the movie that contains the best kills.

What I love about this film, and the reason its become such a cultural phenomenon, is due to way that it feeds off the single most common human fear: the fear of death. The fact that it presents death from even the most ordinary situations adds to the creep factor considerably, and makes for a truly affecting horror film.

Best Kill: The Bus

Star Rating: ***½


1. Final Destination 3


Final Destination 3 is definitely my favourite instalment of this franchise, due to creativity and originality this film presents, especially impressive for a film this late into a franchise. I absolutely love the whole storyline about the pictures, and being able to see how each character will die. This film also features some incredible kills, with ones such as the tanning bed, the nail gun and the drive-in.

The film also features Mary Elizabeth Winstead giving what is easily the best performance of the franchise, delivering a surprising amount of depth to her role. I will say that this movie's opening premonition is not as good as the first two, however it completely makes up for it with an insane and utterly unpredictable ending that really got to me.

Best Kill: Tanning Beds

Star Rating: ***½
Full Review: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/film/final-destination-3/


I love the Final Destination franchise. I think this is one of the best slasher franchises, excellently combining super gory practical effects with a great premise and some of the most interesting slasher characters to date.

Letterboxd Account: https://letterboxd.com/mystericrow/