SPOILER WARNING: A relatively unknown director, Steven Quale, took over what was a somewhat successful franchise at the time. With the exception of the most recent installment (The Final Destination [2009]), each of the films improved from the last. Quale found himself in a precarious situation as he needed to not only improve upon the formula used for the past ten years but he needed to find a way to successfully wrap up one of the goriest mainstream film franchises in recent memory. He certainly did a wonderful job of improving the franchise as his crew hired better actors, crafted a better (and more relatable) tragedy and, overall, found better ways for Death to deliver disgustingly fatal blows to the many protagonists. Eyde Belasco (casting director) managed to find a group of young actors who worked incredibly well with one another and were able to successfully outshine the actors from the previous film. Nicholas D'Agosto (Sam), Emma Bell (Molly) and Miles Fisher (Peter Friedkin) played so well off of one another and they were able to effectively portray appropriate emotion even in the most tense scenes. The most surprising aspect of the film was the fact that Quale and writer, Eric Heisserer, put together a film that did not effectively end the series. They, rather, created a film that served as a prequel to James Wong’s introductory film and connected to the theme of cheating death in new and exciting ways. It seems difficult to find a way to effectively end death and wrap up the franchise, however, it seems that a conclusion would have been the only way to fully please audiences. Even though Quale, and the rest of the crew, avoided coming up with a definitive conclusion to the series, they were able to make significant connections to previous films that allowed audiences to rest easy and appreciate the final product. The series ended on a high note and most fans are able to say that this film, regardless of its inability to effectively cap this saga, was a fun and acceptable way to end the franchise. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1622979/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
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