Written by Matt Goldberg

I’m surprised to reach the ground in New Orleans and have there be…ground.  Last I heard about New Orleans was that it had been converted into an aquatic city inhabited by no one due to the ravages of Hurricane Katrina and the Bush Administration’s complete incompetence and indifference.  So stepping foot on dry land made me realize that I worked way too hard to get my scuba gear through airport security and that I should probably quit making assumptions.

The easiest assumption would be about the film itself.  All “Final Destination” films follow a simple premise: Teens go to place, the lead one has a premonition where he or she sees horrible death for everyone, manages to save people who were supposed to die, and that messes with “Death’s design” so now Death has to take the survivors out in inventive and gruesome ways.  It works because it takes the slasher flick to a different place where it’s no longer about the slasher but about the kill and making it as inventive and as memorable as possible.

This time around, the lead-off massacre is at a stock car race.  A group of four friends who have just graduated college and have their whole lives ahead of them go to enjoy a day at the races only for one of them (Bobby Campo) to see that such an environment is less than safe and by saving himself, his friends, and a few miscellaneous other racing fans, he’s done pissed off death and should prepare to get the business. What makes this film different from the first three is not only the 3-D aspect, but having Campo’s character be more of an active protagonist where he’s having constant premonitions and is fighting Death’s redesign to save people.  Of course, it doesn’t always work out because a movie where a guy just keeps saving people is boring (yeah, eat it, Superman).  Nevertheless, it’s admirable that they’re trying to keep this series’ fresh by keeping what works (the sweet, sweet murder) but improving things on a narrative level as well as the visual level. 

For instance, I should not assume that it’s dull to be on a movie set if you don’t have a job you’re actively doing.  It certainly isn’t when producer Craig Perry is willing to talk about the production down to every fascinating and entertaining detail.  Honestly, if all producers were as cool as Perry, they wouldn’t get a bad wrap.  I mean, I expect a producer to glad-hand the press.  I expect a good producer to know the brass tacks of his productions.  But there’s something to be said when you can combine those skills and elucidate the very new technology of 3-D HD and the challenges presented in taking that technology where it has never gone before: on location.  If “Beowulf” is trying to write the cinematic language of 3-D and “Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D” is trying to write it with a live-action film (sorry, motion-capture doesn’t count) shot largely on a sound-stage, then “Final Destination 4” is taking it a step further and Perry does an excellent job explaining why they’re having to think on their feet when figuring out how to bring this technology into say, a car that’s filling up with water.  And since he’s been the producer on all the “Final Destination” films, he’s a wealth of knowledge on not only the progression of the series, but is honest enough to admit where they fell short and where they could be improved. 

Moving on, a set visit certainly isn’t dull when you’re ogling the eye-candy of lead actors Bobby Campo, Shantel Van Santen, and Haley Webb.  They talked about stuff but I was too busy falling into their eyes.  Thankfully, my tape recorder was turned on and my fellow journalists were able to break free of their entrancement long enough to ask a question or two.  While these young actors (I say young being one year older than them) are very sweet and kind, sitting at the same table, you realize how grotesque you are as one of the normal people.  I was seriously considering a search for a good plastic surgeon that could fetch me some killer cheekbones.  That’s where the magic happens: in the cheekbones.

Visiting a set certainly isn’t dull when you’re the first to view footage from the film in the world’s only PACE trailer which allows for the compositing and rendering of the 3-D HD footage and see that what they’re trying to do with this fun little horror franchise isn’t capitalize on a trend but continue to define this new medium as a genuine mode of filmmaking and not just a gimmick to pull people back into theatres.  All of the journalists agreed that the underwater shots (which weren’t just done because they look cool; they serve a narrative purpose) in a community swimming pool are gorgeous.  While the “Final Destination” movies are at their heart fun horror flicks that don’t have to carry the baggage of a personified killer, the film’s fourth installment is going to show you some things you’ve never seen before in a film and not just in a gimmicky fashion.

And that’s what truly refreshing about the whole experience because the general agreement among the folks working on the film was that if 3-D is going to be taken as a serious medium, then you can’t make a 3-D film.  You have to make a good film that happens to be in 3-D.

That was the motto of not only of Craig Perry but of the easy-going and practical-minded David Ellis.  Ellis had time to talk with us since he’s not only on budget but ahead of schedule.  That’s an impressive feat made all the more noteworthy considering the new technology and the unforeseen problems such tech could cause on any production.

But even if my cynicism had managed to push through all of that, this was a day where they blew up a movie theatre will.  But I was hooked the moment I walked on set and saw loads of extras walking around with a heavy case of shrapnel-face. 

While Perry’s description of the “Final Destination” movies may be “…Bad things happen,” that would certainly be the last way to describe my day to the set.  I have loads more to write but I’ll just let you know that James Cameron’s “Avatar” isn’t the only 3-D film coming out next year that warrants your attention.