Final Destination 5: Formalist Analysis

Trigger Warning:

Violence, Gore, Frightening and Intense Scenes

Background Information

Director: Steven Quale

Writers: Eric Heisserer, Jeffrey Reddick

Genre: Horror

Synopsis:

During a bus ride with his colleagues to a corporate retreat, Sam experiences a horrifying vision: the suspension bridge that they and many others are crossing starts to crumble around them. When his vision ends, the event starts to come true. Therefore, Sam takes quick action which saves a number of people, including his girlfriend, Molly, and his best friend, Peter. However, the survivors soon find that Death cannot be denied.

Why this movie belongs to Horror genre?

It is because of its characteristics in the story which are :

• Foreshadowing- There are always signs of death including wind, shadow, light, broken things and blood.
• Suspense — When the foreshadowing elements appear, it creates the suspense to audience which they expect the survivors will be dead soon.
• Mystery — There are no reasons why Sam has a terrifying vision and there are no reasons why his girlfriend has to be dead with him because she is the only one who Sam can save in his vision.
• Fear — This film create fear among audience because this film is full of bloody and violence.

Theme:

No one can cheat death.

Rating

3.5/5

Formalism is used as a tool to analyse and criticise a film named Final Destination 5.

No one can cheat death is a theme of the film named Final Destination 5 as a foreshadowing of this film can support this theme of the film. Even though there are signs that tell characters in the film which they are going to die such as wind, shadow, and broken electronic things, etc. Even if most of the survival characters from a bridge accident try to find ways to escape death or cheat death, eventually, everyone must be dead as they are destined to die at the collapsed bridge, eventually, everyone must be dead as they are destined to die at the collapsed bridge.

This film is full of foreshadowing which it also gives a suspense to audience to expect what is going to happen in the film such as death or accident. Nevertheless, the foreshadowing in this film conveys the suspense of death for every single survival character from the bridge the most. Wind, shadow, light, broken things, and blood are elements which foreshadowing death to every survival character. For example, Nathan, knowing methods to save his life through killing other people in order to be alive, so when he notices that there is something wrong about a machine, he knows that death will come to him, so he pushes his client named Roy to be dead instead of him. However, in the ending scene, he is dead because of a aeroplane’s crashing falling to a bar club that he communicates with his boss. This shows that even if he notices a sign (foreshadowing) of death like a broken machine, and tries to save his life by pushing Roy away to the broken machine, but he eventually dies because he is destined to die from the bridge accidental event. This example shows that no one can escape the death even they try so hard or find methods to save their lives.

Final Destination 5 can also reflect Thai society’s belief. For example, most of Thais are Buddhist, so their security always lean on Buddha images or amulets. Some of them even bought the expensive Buddha images as they believe that the Buddha images will save their lives and made them feel safer. Sometimes, some Thai parents bought the Buddha amulets to their son when their son has to go to war or join the army so that the Buddha amulets will save their lives. However, as everyone knows that no one can escape death because a fact that everyone is born and died is the fact which cannot be changed. Moreover, most of Thais like to pledge belief for their safety or for their beloved that are going to die. For example, some people do it when their mother or children are sick or nearly death, but the pledge are meaningless because no one can escape death. Let imagine that you are being in last stage cancer, even you pledge which costs much money, but you are not going to be alive because this stage cannot be cured. Therefore, this film reflects that even though everyone is trying so hard to find methods to save their lives or their beloved’s life from death such as buying the expensive Buddha images, and pledge to what their belief, it is a meaningless action because no one can escape from death.

“Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of it. By living our lives, we nurture death,” (Murakami, 1987, p.327).

No one can cheat death is a meaningful message to present audience from Final Destination 5. You do not have to fear death because all of humans have to die at the end of their lives. Moreover, you do not have to waste your money for your belief like fulfil your vow from the pledge to save someone’s life because it is a natural thing to die. Therefore, Final Destination 5 is worth to watch and study whether for receiving a moral or studying the horror’s elements from this film.

I gave 3.5/5 rating for this film because this film is exciting and scaring me all the time even I know what is going to happen. Moreover, I like the theme of this film which is no one can cheat death because it is reflecting my society which my surrounding people always waste their money through the pledge to save their beloved’s life. However, I do not like the ending scene of the film which I think it does not make sense at all for Sam’s girlfriend. In his vision, only his girlfriend is survived, but in the ending scene, she is dead with him in the aeroplane. Moreover, I do not know how useful of Sam’s special ability — having a vision of the bridge accident because he cannot save anyone’s life including himself as well too.

References:

Headlee, A. (2014). Core Elements of a Horror Story.

Retrieved from https://thesarcasticmuse.com/2014/11/05/core-elements-of-a-horror-story/

Murakami, H. (2000) Norwegian Wood. London: The Harvill Press.