With the recent release of Final Destination Bloodlines, I think it’s the perfect time to look back and rank the movies of the series from worst to best. I don’t think I need to waste any time, and we all know what comes in in last place…
6. The Final Destination (2009)
The Final Destination series as a whole is known for its relatively consistent quality. Of course, there is a cheesy, tongue in cheek element to all of the movies, and I wouldn’t say any of them are cinematic masterpieces, but you can quite assuredly enter the theater knowing you’re getting something at least pretty good every time. That’s true, except for with The Final Destination.
This movie is outright terrible, and features just about zero redeeming qualities. The 3D effects have aged like warm milk, the characters are at their least likable, the budget looks lower – I mean, I just about can’t think of a single thing I like about the movie. I suppose it still has some moderately funny kills, like the pool butt-suck explosion, but that’s about all it has going for it, and I’ll find myself skipping this one any time I’m in the mood for a rewatch of the series. Everything else, though, is pretty great.
5. Final Destination 2 (2003)
After getting past Final Destination 4, it’s actually extremely difficult to rank this list. They’re all hovering around the same rating, between a 6 and 8 out of 10 to me, so they’re all within a score or two of each other. And every single movie left has tons of redeemable and even lovable qualities. When it comes to Final Destination 2, it has some of the franchises most unforgettable moments.
The clearest example of this is the opening log truck scene, which may actually be the most memorable scene of the entire series. So memorable, in fact, that it may or may not be referenced in the most recent film…
But while there are many fantastic setups and kills, the characters in this movie are pretty much just throwaway. Sure, a lot of final destination movies are like that, but when it comes to final destination 2, they’re really really over the top. And, there are a few sections of the movie where it grinds to a halt, so despite it being one of the shortest movies it feels the longest. So a good movie, but not exactly my favorite to return to.
4. Final Destination 5 (2011)
Final Destination 5 takes all of the abysmally terrible 3D effects from 4 and promotes them to pretty decent. I love that there is an attempt to put a twist on the formula, as 5 films deep it starts to feel like we’re really running on fumes. And, there is one of the best horror twists of all time, which really pays homage to fans of the original while tying in in a natural way.
I think that the romance here is quite weak, and the dialogue could use a lot of work, but for a Final Destination movie, this gives you pretty much everything you could want.
There’s a lot of unique, creative kills, and enough new stuff to make you want to come back. If it wasn’t for some of the corny dialogue, there is a chance this could have made it slightly higher on the list. That gymnastics kill will forever haunt me, though.
3. Final Destination (2000)
While there are some aspects of this movie that leave a lot to be desired, the main reason this movie feels so special is that it just feels like a classic. As you watch it, it evokes a foregone era. It somehow gave me shades of Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man film, with the whimsical music and dirty film grain. It sets so many of the iconic kills that are either repeated in future movies, or even parodied in Bloodlines.
The opening premise alone is such an addictive idea that you can’t help but sit on the edge of your seat as you discover, alongside the characters, what’s going on. In future installments, you already know the rules that death plays by, so there isn’t really anything to discover, but this movie feels like something so fresh, especially on your first watch.
Some of the deaths, however, feel a bit underwhelming as the premise of the movie isn’t fully focused around the kills. And, Clear’s romance with Alex feels rushed and out of place at times, due to reshoots and re-editing after poor test screenings. But you gotta give it to them for establishing such a prolific franchise and executing it as well as they did.
2. Final Destination 3 (2006)
I previously used the term “cheesy” in a negative way to describe aspects of the final destination movies, there is a hugely positive way to incorporate that campiness into your movie. Final Destination 3 is the perfect example of how to execute this right. There are silly, over-the-top characters all over the place, and the dialogue is ridiculous at times.
But, the movie leans into that while still designing disgusting and horrific kills. I think it does a great job of balancing this silliness and brutality that makes this one of the most enjoyable films in the franchise, from start to finish. That, and it wastes no time jumping from kill to kill. They know why we signed up to watch a final destination movie, and that’s why it ends up being one of the strongest crowd-pleasers.
Finally, this movie likely has the strongest lead character in the entire series, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead carrying an ok-written character to a strong character with her charisma and star-power. I was certain that this would be the best final destination movie until the end of time. That was until I saw number 1.
1. Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)
Bloodlines was the first final destination movie that I saw in theaters, and I was not expecting much. Sure, the series is known for its consistent quality. And sure, Saw returned to startling success with the recent Saw X, but something had me holding my breath. I avoided all trailers, and entered with extremely wary optimism.
And, I was greeted with a movie that gives essentially every single thing I wanted in one of these films, with one major caveat. I think the ending is a bit half-baked. I couldn’t even clearly see what was happening in the theater, as the entire climax is poorly lit. Outside of that, we have the best final destination movie yet. There are numerous fantastic kills and a great twist on the formula to keep things fresh.
The best part of the entire movie, though, was Erik, played by Richard Harmon. He brought a sense of fun and charisma to the series not seen since Mary Elizabeth Winstead. And, the fact that the movie plays on audience expectations with a few twists with his character keeps the entire sequence fresh. Finally, it’s fantastic to see Tony Todd one last time. It was hard to not shed a tear in that dramatic moment, and we’re in a flipping Final Destination movie!
Minus the ending weakness and a few CGI moments, I see this as a perfect final destination movie, and I hope we continue to get more in this vein!
Nightwalk 
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