Directed by David Richard Ellis

Characters by Jeffrey Reddick
Story by J. Mackye Gruber, Eric Bress and Jeffrey Reddick
Screenplay by J. Mackye Gruber & Eric Bress

Producers
Richard Brener ... executive producer
Toby Emmerich ... executive producer
Justis Greene ... co-producer
Sheila Hanahan ... associate producer
Matt Moore ... executive producer
Craig Perry ... producer
Jeffrey Reddick ... executive producer
Warren Zide ... producer

Ali Larter ... Clear Rivers
A.J. Cook ... Kimberly Corman
Michael Landes ... Officer Thomas Burke
Terrence 'T.C.' Carson ... Eugene Dix
Keegan Connor Tracy ... Kat
Enid-Raye Adams ... Dr. Kalarjian
Sarah Hattingh ... Nurse

Other credited cast listed alphabetically
Lynda Boyd ... Nora Carpenter
Sarah Carter ... Shania
Jonathan Cherry ... Rory
Cam Cronin ... EMT
Aaron Douglas ... Deputy Steve Adams
Andrew Downing
James N. Kirk ... Tim Carpenter
Justina Machado ... Isabella
David Paetkau ... Evan
Tony Todd ... Mortician William 'Bill' Bludworth

Original Music ... Shirley Walker
Cinematographer ... Gary Capo
Editor ... Eric A. Sears
Production Designer ... Michael S. Bolton
Art Director ... James Steuart
Set Decorator ... Louise Roper

Rated "R" by the M.P.A.A. for "strong violence/gruesome accidents, language, drug content and some nudity"
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG

For every beginning there is an end…

Final Destination 2, the sequel to the hit 2000 supernatural thriller, finds Clear Rivers (Ali Larter) the only survivor of the crash of Flight 180 left alive. Locked away by her own choice in the perceived safety of a psychiatric hospital, Clear now lives in constant terror that Death is coming to claim her, as it did all her friends.

Clear may be considered crazy, but she's not wrong. Death is moving toward suburban Route 23, heading south.

En route to a weekend getaway with her friends, Kimberly Corman (A.J. Cook) watches helplessly as a logging truck careens out of control and loses its deadly payload, setting off a horrifying chain reaction that leaves twisted metal and dead bodies in its wake - including her own.

A moment later, Kimberly finds herself still stuck in on-ramp traffic, with a line of commuters she saw die moments before trailing behind her. It was only a vision. But was it also a warning?

Shocked into action, Kimberly blocks the cars from joining the traffic on Route 23 as a young police trooper (Michael Landes) arrives on the scene. The commuters begin to honk and complain …until Kimberly's premonition comes powerfully and tragically to life before their eyes.

Death tears up the highway in a massive pile-up, with those left on the onramp narrowly escaping with their lives. But Kimberly knows it's not over. Death won't be cheated so easily. Now this random group of strangers, who in Kimberly's vision were all meant to die in the freeway disaster, must join her in a thrilling race against time and their own paralyzing fear to do what all but one of the survivors of Flight 180 couldn't - stay alive.

A FUN FILM
I had a lot of fun with this film. It contained so many spiritual connections and concerns, both apparent and not so apparent. When watching this film keep your eye on the backgrounds and Archetypes. In this scene pictured here, for example, notice the hearse (apparent symbol of death) and the not so apparent angel of death.

THE DEVIL HIMSELF
Note the Mortician, he is an Archetype of Satan. He places bodies in the fiery furnace. And he seems to have insight into the mysteries of death. Death in this film is personified as the enemy of humanity. There is a reflect here of Biblical passages that call death the "last enemy" and that Satan comes to "rob, kill and destroy."

CONNECTS WITH A JUDEO-CHRISTIAN CULTURE
Any story written in western culture will reflect a Judeo-Christian understanding of life regardless of the author's orientation. In Final Destination 2 this reflection seems to be very intentional. This increased my pleasure in viewing this film.

It made several statements and asked good questions. For example:

"Death is not mere coincidence",
and "Death is part of the grand design." These lines echo such Biblical passages as:

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences.
--Hebrews 9:27 (MsgB)

"New life defeats death." This echoes such Biblical passages as:

Jesus said, "You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to—to God's kingdom."
--John 3:3 (MsgB)

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins.
--Col. 2:13 NLT

The film proclaims that the certainly of death can be defeated through the birth of new life. This is presented in the context of a woman (a Virgin Mary type) who gives birth to a child (a Jesus type). This echoes such Biblical passages as:

Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it's logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil's hold on death.
-- Hebrews 2:14 MsgB

"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
--John 3:16 MsgB

"Can you cheat death?" An interesting question which the film answers with a qualified "no." There is a door through which death can be defeated. This echoes,

Who got the last word, oh, Death?
Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now?
It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!
--1 Cor. 15:55-57 MsgB

I could go on, but I won't.

MYTH ON THE SCREEN
Although this film reflects a Judeo-Christian foundation, it does NOT reflect a view that is in accord with a biblical theology of death. It's personification of death reflects a deep seated myth within pop culture about death. But, myth speaks of truth in ways we can understand. And, the truth spoken of in this film is: Death is an enemy and it needs to be overcome.

BULLETIN BOARD (Rules)
Post your thoughts in the forum
View or post comments -click here.

Your Private Comments.
I will not post these comments. What are your personal thoughts?  I also welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs.  I will correspond with you, usually within two weeks. Click here