Final Destination 3

Final Destination 3
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	James Wong
Written by	Glen Morgan James Wong
Produced by	Craig Perry Warren Zide Glen Morgan James Wong
Starring	Mary Elizabeth Winstead Ryan Merriman
Cinematography	Robert McLachlan
Edited by	Chris G. Willingham
Music by	Shirley Walker
Production companies	Hard Eight Pictures Practical Pictures Matinee Pictures Zide/Perry Productions
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date	February 10, 2006 (2006-02-10)
Running time	93 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Box office	$117,719,158

Final Destination 3 is a 2006 American horror film, and the third installment of the Final Destination franchise. It was directed and co-written by James Wong, who also directed and co-wrote the first film, and was produced by Wong and his writing partner Glen Morgan, with franchise producers Craig Perry and Warren Zide. Released on February 10, 2006, the film performed well at the box office and gained a mixed reception from critics.

Plot

Wendy Christensen, a high school student, visits an amusement park with her boyfriend Jason Wise, best friend Carrie Dreyer, and Carrie's boyfriend Kevin Fischer for their senior class field trip. As they board the Devil's Flight roller coaster, Wendy has a premonition that the hydraulics securing the seat harnesses and roller coaster cars will fail, killing everyone on board. When she panics a fight breaks out and several people leave or are forced off the ride, including Kevin; best friends Ashley Fruend and Ashlyn Halperin, alumnus Frankie Cheeks, athlete Lewis Romero, and goths Ian McKinley and Erin Ulmer. As they leave, they witness the roller coaster derail, killing the remaining passengers, including Jason and Carrie, leaving Wendy devastated.

Afterwards, Kevin tells Wendy about the explosion of Flight 180 and the subsequent deaths of the survivors. Believing that Kevin is mocking her, Wendy dismisses his theory and leaves. Later on, Ashley and Ashlyn are killed at a tanning salon when a loosened shelf falls and locks them in the overheating tanning beds. Now convinced that Death is still after them, Wendy and Kevin set out to save the remaining survivors using omens hidden within photos that were taken of them the night of the accident, and realize that the survivors are dying in the order they sat on the roller coaster.

Frankie dies next at a drive-thru when a runaway truck crashes into the back of Kevin's truck, causing the engine fan to blow out and slice off the back of Frankie's head. The next day, they try to save Lewis at the gym. He tells them he doesn't believe them, shortly before two iron weights from the machine he is using swing down and crush his head. Next, they find Ian and Erin working at a hardware store. Wendy manages to save Ian as he is about to be impaled by falling planks of wood, but a chain reaction causes Erin to stumble backwards onto a nail gun and she is shot repeatedly through the head. This leaves Ian devastated, and causes him to resent Wendy.

Later, Wendy learns that her sister Julie was also on the roller coaster, and rushes to the county fair to save her. She and Kevin are able to prevent Julie from being impaled on a harrow, and Wendy asks Julie who was sitting next to her on the roller coaster, as they are next on Death's list. Her question is answered when Julie's friend Perry Malinowski is suddenly impaled by a flagpole that is launched by a rope tied to a horse, as Wendy and Julie watch in horror. Wendy saves Kevin from an exploding propane canister caused by all the commotion and is confronted by a deranged Ian, who blames her for Erin's death. A set off fireworks go off in their direction, and nearly hit Wendy, but she ducks and they strike a nearby cherry picker instead. As Ian shouts that Death cannot kill him, the cherry picker collapses and crushes him in half.

Five months later, Wendy is on a subway train with her roommate Laura and friend Sean. After seeing more omens Wendy attempts to leave the train, but she encounters Julie as she enters the carriage and decides to stay. Wendy then notices Kevin sitting at the back end of the carriage. Suddenly the train derails and everyone on board dies: Julie is hit by a stray wheel; Kevin is ground between the train and tunnel wall; and Wendy survives the crash but is hit by another train. This turns out to be another premonition, and the three attempt to stop the train. The screen then cuts to black, followed by the sound of screeching metal.

Cast

For more details on the characters, see List of Final Destination characters.

• Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Wendy Christensen
• Ryan Merriman as Kevin Fischer
• Kris Lemche as Ian McKinley
• Alexz Johnson as Erin Ulmer
• Sam Easton as Frankie Cheeks
• Jesse Moss as Jason Wise
• Gina Holden as Carrie Dreyer
• Texas Battle as Lewis Romero
• Chelan Simmons as Ashley Freund
• Crystal Lowe as Ashlyn Halperin
• Amanda Crew as Julie Christensen
• Maggie Ma as Perry Malinowski
• Ecstasia Sanders as Amber Regan
• Dustin Milligan as Marcus
• Cory Monteith as Kahill
• Agam Darshi as Laura
• Dylan Basile as Sean

Alternate Versions

Throughout the entire movie, "Choose Your Fate" comes where the viewers get to choose the character's fate.

(Rollercoaster Scene) Heads or Tails- If you choose Kevin to flip for heads, the scene goes normal when Wendy has the premonition of the rollercoaster on the rollercoaster, as she, Kevin, Ian, Erin, Ashley, Ashlyn, Julie, Perry, Lewis, and Frankie get off the ride, as Jason and Carrie are still on the rollercoaster as it derails. But, if you have Kevin pick tails, Wendy has the premonition of the rollercoaster derailing, as Jason flips the coin and Wendy grabs it in mid-air, she freaks out that the rollercoaster will derail, as Carrie, Jason, and Kevin follows her, as they all witness the rollercoaster derailing, meaning all four survive, and the movie ends, also it tells what happened to Wendy, Carrie, Kevin, and Jason and the credits roll. A question comes up "Wish you picked heads", If you choose "yes" the viewers will have a chance for Kevin to flip for heads, but for "no" the credits will continue to roll.

(Ashley and Ashlyn's death) 73 degrees or 76 degrees- When Ashley and Ashlyn enter the tanning bed room, Ashlyn complains that the room is cold, and decides to turn up the heat. A question then comes up, whether or not Ashlyn should set the temperature to 73 degrees or 76 degrees. If you choose Ashlyn to set the temperature to 73 degrees, the scene will be normal as the CD shelf traps both Ashley and Ashlyn in the malfunctioning tanning beds. After panicking and a few attempts to escape the tanning beds they later, both get incinerated to death. But, if you choose Ashlyn to set the temperature to 76 degrees, the scene will completely change, as Ashlyn gets out of her tanning bed as the tanning beds malfunction, but is knocked out by the CD shelf. The shelf then traps both tanning beds, like the original version, but this time, Ashley is the only one trapped in the tanning bed, who then starts screaming. After gaining consciousness, Ashlyn hears Ashley panicking, and frees her out of her tanning bed. But as Ashlyn grabs Ashley's hand to free her out the glass below Ashley cracks, causing her to get electrocuted, which sends the electric current to Ashlyn, electrocuting her as well, killing them.

(Frankie's death) Honk again or no- When Wendy and Kevin are at the drive-thru, they notice Frankie, and warns him that he will die. A question comes up whether or not Wendy should honk the horn again or not. If you choose no Frankie will die, involving a fan blade, but if you chose yes, Frankie will survive, but is ended up going to jail for sexually harassing a woman.

(Lewis death) Should Wendy take another look?- Yes or No- When Wendy checks the photo of Lewis, she took on the night of the rollercoaster derailment, a question comes up, asking if Wendy should taking another look or not. By choosing Wendy not to take another look at the photo, the scene goes normal, as she and Kevin are at the Sultans" gym, where they both convince him that he's next on death's list. At the gym Wendy sees strange things at the gym and the swords above nearly kill him. However, thinking he won, he then lifts the weights, but they ended up crushing his head. But if you choose Wendy to take another look, the scene will change as she and Kevin are going to the Sultans" gym, planning on how to convince Lewis. As they're in the gym Lewis says to Kevin "Fischer, what the fuck are you doing here?" The weights then crushes his head like the original version.

(Erin's death) Kill shot or Warning shot- Right when Ian shoots the nail gun at the pigeons, a question comes up, if he should do a kill shot, or a warning shot. By choosing the kill shot, he shoots it at the pigeon, but does not miss. As Wendy and Kevin convince him and Erin that they're next, a chain reaction, is caused at the store. After the plywood fell, one popped up a bag of sawdust, which sprays all over Erin's face, causing her to stumbles at the nail gun, which then shoots nails multiple times at the back of Erin's head. But if you choose Ian to do a warning shot, he misses firing the nail gun at the pigeons. The scene is almost the same as the original, but this time, the cause for Erin to fall backwards into the nail gun are pigeons instead of the sawdust. The nail gun then shoot nails repeatedly at the back of Erin's head.

(Ian's death) Jump left or Jump right- As Ian confronts Wendy for the cause of Erin, a question comes up if he should jump left or right. If you choose Ian to jump left, the scene will go normal, as the cherry picker behind him bisects him. If you chose him to jump right, the scene will change where he gets crushed by the cherry picker. Also in that version, Wendy grabs the camera and Julie promises to her that she didn't take any pictures. Wendy then throws the camera onto the ground and smashes it. Wendy, Julie, and Kevin all survive and leave the park, thinking it's over, unaware that the camera takes another photo.

(Ending) Map or No Map- If you chose Ian to get bisected by the cherry picker, the movie will continue. Five months later, Wendy is shown observing the train's map. A question the comes up whether or not Wendy should check the rest of the map or not. By choosing her not to check the rest of the map, the scene will be normal, after she meets up with Julie and Kevin, and the train derails. After train 081 derails, Wendy, with a broken leg, witnesses the corpses around her. After this another train comes, Wendy then screams in terror, but as it approaches to Wendy, the whole thing is revealed to be a premonition, as she, Kevin, and Julie attempts to escape the train, the movie fades black as the sound of the train derailing is heard. If you have Wendy check the rest of the map, an extra scene is added, with a homeless man sleeping, using a newspaper as a blanket. The wind blows over the newspaper, and reveals what happen to Kimberly and Thomas Burke (Characters from Final Destination 2). The newspaper states that they were both mutilated by a wood chipper. Later, after Wendy meets up with Julie and Kevin the train then derails and after the train derails Wendy, with a broken leg, investigates the dead bodies around her, and another train comes, as Wendy scream in horror, and ends up getting hit by the train. Her blood then splatters as the credits roll.

Production

Development

Final Destination 3 was originally considered as the final part of the trilogy and was in talks since the release of Final Destination 2, according to the interviews of the last-mentioned film's makers. The idea of death omens appearing in photographs was taken from the 1976 horror classic The Omen, in which characters are impaled and decapitated.

Casting

Main article: List of characters in Final Destination 3

"Taking over for Devon Sawa and A.J. Cook before her, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (2005's "Sky High") is Wendy, the beleaguered heroine who experiences the premonition. More so than Cook, Winstead is fully convincing and even touching in her portrayal of a young woman struggling to handle the traumatic events thrown at her."

— Dustin Putman compliments Winstead's performance over Cook's from the previous movie

On March 21, 2005, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ryan Merriman, co-stars of The Ring Two, portrayed the main characters Wendy Christensen and Kevin Fischer. Winstead's performance was met with generally positive reception from critics.

James Berardinelli says she "does as competent a job as one could expect in these dire circumstances." Felix Gonzalez, Jr. speaks positively of Winstead and Merriman's performances, saying "the film is not entirely unwatchable. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ryan Merriman are likeable in the lead roles." In the DVD features, it is revealed by James Wong that he originally intended for Wendy to be a perky blonde. Winstead, who had previously auditioned for the previous two films, eventually won the role as she reportedly brought emotion and character that impressed Wong and Glen Morgan.

In April 9, 2005, Ginger Snaps actor Kris Lemche and Canadian singer and former Instant Star actress Alexz Johnson took the roles of goths Ian McKinley and Erin Ulmer. One of the critics wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer: "The characters are so loathsome, you're glad to see them go. Except for two: the goth couple Ian and Erin. He's a cynical know-it-all, like Dennis Miller with black fingernails; she's like Parker Posey with raccoon mascara." Jesse Moss, who was also starred in Ginger Snaps, joined the film to play Jason Wise, Wendy's boyfriend. Texas Battle, known to star in Coach Carter, portrayed athlete Lewis Romero. Chelan Simmons, who portrayed in television films It and the 2002 television remake of Carrie, took the role of popular girl Ashley Freund. Underclassman's Sam Easton portrayed school alumnus Frankie Cheeks and novice actress Gina Holden played Kevin's girlfriend Carrie Dreyer.

Crystal Lowe joined the cast as student Ashlyn Halperin. Tony Todd, who appeared in the first two films of the franchise, did not return for his role as the mortician Bludworth but provided the voices of the devil statue at the roller coaster and a subway conductor in the end.

Other cast members, Amanda Crew portrayed Wendy's sister Julie Christensen, Maggie Ma and Ecstasia Sanders portrays Julie's friends Perry Malinowski and Amber Regan. Dustin Milligan, Cory Monteith and Harris Allan appeared in the film with small roles.

Music

The soundtrack for Final Destination 3 was composed by Shirley Walker, who composed the scores for the first two films. Final Destination 3 is also the only film in the series to not have a released musical score.

Songs that are featured in the movie are:

1. "Smokin" – Performed by Boston
2. "Amos Moses" – Performed by Jerry Reed
3. "Turn Around, Look at Me" – Performed by The Lettermen
4. "New York City" – Performed by the Statler Brothers
5. "One Step Forward" – Performed by The Desert Rose Band
6. "Bed of Rose's" – Performed by the Statler Brothers
7. "Turn" – Performed by Eddie Rabbitt
8. "I Love a Rainy Night" – Performed by Eddie Rabbitt
9. "Love Train" – Performed by Tommy Lee (main theme)
10. "Killing Time" – Performed by (hed) p.e.
11. "Make the World Go Away" – Performed by Mickey Gilley
12. "Tribal Dance" – Performed by 2 Unlimited
13. "Turn Around, Look at Me" – Matt Ellis
14. "Love Rollercoaster" – Performed by The Ohio Players

Release

Box office

Final Destination 3 grossed $19,173,094 on its opening weekend. At the end of its run, March 30, it made $54,098,051 in North America while grossing $63,621,107 overseas, for a worldwide gross of $117,719,158. For a time, it was the highest grossing film in the Final Destination franchise until the arrival of 2009's The Final Destination, which grossed $186,167,139 worldwide.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on July 25, 2006 in both widescreen and fullscreen. There is a second disc of special features, including three documentaries. Two of these documentaries involve the making of the film, while the third is about the final girl character in horror films.

The DVD also includes an optional "Choose Their Fate" feature which allows the viewers to make different decision at few points in the film. Most provide only a minor alternate scenes, but the first choice allows the viewer to stop the four characters from getting on the roller coaster before the premonition, ending the film immediately.

Reception

Critical response

Final Destination 3 received mixed reviews from critics. Rating site Rotten Tomatoes reports that the film holds a 43% approval rating, based on 115 reviews and an audience rating of 58%. The site's consensus is: "Final Destination 3 is more of the same: gory and pointless, with nowhere new to go." BBC film reviewer Stella Papamichael described the reference to the 9/11 attacks as tasteless and gave the film 3 stars out of 5; she awarded the first installment four stars and the second three. Positive reviews praised the death scenes, such as the tanning bed and nail gun deaths, describing them as "gruesome" and "painful". Most of the critics praised Winstead's performance, stating: "...the real tragedy is that promising young actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead must endure this torture."

Accolades

The film was nominated at the 33rd Saturn Awards for Best Horror Film and Best DVD Special Edition Release for the Thrill Ride Edition on May 10, 2007, but lost to The Descent and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, respectively. It was also nominated at the 2006 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards for Highest Body Count, Line That Killed (Best One-Liner) for Crystal Lowe, Most Thrilling Killing for the drive-thru scene and Sickest FX (Best Special Effects).

External links

• Final Destination 3 at IMDb
• Final Destination 3 at AllMovie