Final Destination 5 (2011)
Final Destination 5 (2011), directed by Steven Quale, is the fifth installment in the Final Destination franchise, but it stands out with a major twist that ties it back to the very beginning of the series. This film offers not only more of the signature gruesome death sequences and intense suspense but also expands the mythology of Death’s design. Set against the backdrop of a terrifying bridge collapse, it explores the same familiar theme: those who escape Death will still meet their fates, but this time with an added element — the possibility of survival by killing someone else and taking their remaining lifespan.
The Premonition: The Bridge Collapse
The story begins with a group of co-workers from Presage Paper traveling to a corporate retreat. Among them are Sam Lawton (Nicholas D'Agosto), his girlfriend Molly Harper (Emma Bell), his best friend Peter Friedkin (Miles Fisher), Peter’s girlfriend Candice Hooper (Ellen Wroe), and their boss Dennis Lapman (David Koechner). Joining them are Olivia Castle (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood), and Isaac Palmer (P.J. Byrne). As they ride across a suspension bridge, Sam suddenly has a horrific vision of the bridge collapsing, leading to the gruesome deaths of all his friends and co-workers.
In his premonition, the bridge begins to crack, sending vehicles and people plunging into the water below. The support cables snap, and large sections of the roadway fall apart. One by one, his friends die in terrible ways. Candice is impaled by a metal pole, Isaac is crushed by falling debris, and Olivia plummets into the river. Peter tries to save Molly, but they both fall into the water. Sam watches helplessly as everyone is killed, including himself.
Snapping back to reality, Sam is overwhelmed with panic. He begs his friends and colleagues to get off the bus and leave the bridge immediately. Though some are skeptical, they follow him off just in time. Moments later, Sam’s premonition becomes reality as the bridge begins to collapse exactly as he foresaw. The survivors narrowly escape the disaster, but as in previous films, their survival comes at a price: Death is now coming for them.
Survivor's Guilt and Death's Pattern
In the aftermath of the collapse, the survivors struggle to cope with what happened. Sam, who is an aspiring chef with dreams of moving to Paris, is particularly shaken by the accuracy of his vision. The group attends the memorial for those who died on the bridge, where they are approached by William Bludworth (Tony Todd), a mysterious coroner who has appeared in previous films. Bludworth warns them that just because they escaped the bridge collapse, it doesn't mean they are safe. He cryptically explains that Death has a plan, and they are all still part of it. Bludworth hints at the possibility of cheating Death by taking someone else's life, but the survivors initially dismiss this eerie suggestion.
Soon after, the survivors begin to die in horrifying accidents that follow the same sequential order in which they were meant to die on the bridge. The first to fall victim is Candice. During a gymnastics practice, a series of small, seemingly insignificant events — a frayed wire, a misplaced screw, and loose chalk powder — lead to a deadly chain reaction. Candice attempts a complex gymnastics move on the uneven bars, but loses her grip and is thrown into the air, breaking her neck in a gruesome fall. Peter is devastated by her death and begins to believe that something sinister is at play.
Next, Isaac, a sleazy office worker, meets his end during an acupuncture session. While undergoing treatment, a fire starts in the building, and Isaac becomes trapped. In a panic, he falls off the massage table, causing several acupuncture needles to stab deep into his body. As he tries to escape, a Buddha statue topples onto his head, crushing him. With each death, the survivors realize that they are all targets, and they begin to understand the truth of Bludworth’s warning.
The Struggle to Survive: Breaking the Chain
As more people die, the remaining survivors, including Sam, Molly, Peter, Olivia, and Dennis, grow increasingly desperate. Sam, who has rekindled his relationship with Molly after the collapse, tries to find a way to break the chain of deaths. However, the deaths continue. Olivia, who had already lost an eye in the bridge collapse vision, visits an eye surgery clinic in an attempt to repair her vision. Unfortunately, a series of accidents during the surgery results in her eye being forcefully ejected from her skull, and she plummets to her death from a window.
As Death’s design continues to claim lives, Sam and Peter struggle with the implications of Bludworth’s warning: they can only escape Death by taking someone else's life and stealing their remaining years. This idea weighs heavily on Peter, who is still mourning Candice’s death. His grief turns into anger and desperation, and he begins to contemplate whether he can kill someone to save himself.
The next to die is Dennis, the group's boss. During a routine inspection of the paper factory, a loose wrench is flung across the room and strikes him in the head, killing him instantly. The survivors' numbers dwindle, leaving Sam, Molly, and Peter as the last targets of Death's design.
A Desperate Choice: Kill or Be Killed
Peter becomes increasingly unstable as he fixates on the idea of murdering someone to save himself. He confronts Sam and Molly, revealing his plan to kill one of them and take their remaining lifespan. Peter’s descent into madness culminates in a violent confrontation at a restaurant where Sam works. Peter attempts to kill Molly, believing that by doing so, he can cheat Death. However, Sam intervenes, and a brutal fight ensues.
In the end, Sam is forced to kill Peter in self-defense, inadvertently taking Peter’s life and his "remaining years." For a moment, it seems as though Sam and Molly have finally broken the chain and survived Death’s design. They believe that by killing Peter, Sam has successfully altered their fate and saved them both.
The Twist: A Full Circle Revelation
In a shocking twist, the final moments of Final Destination 5 reveal that the entire film is actually a prequel to the original Final Destination. Sam and Molly, believing they have escaped Death, board a plane to Paris. As they settle into their seats, Sam notices a commotion in the back of the plane: a young man, Alex Browning (from the first Final Destination film), is being forcibly removed after having a premonition of the plane's destruction. Realizing that they are aboard Flight 180 — the doomed flight from the first film — Sam and Molly are horrified.
Before they can react, the plane begins to disintegrate mid-air, just as it did in the original film. Sam is engulfed in flames, and Molly is sucked out of the plane. The twist reveals that Death’s design is an endless loop, with no true escape for its victims. The survivors of one disaster are often already part of another tragedy in Death’s larger plan.
As if to drive home the point that Death’s reach is all-encompassing, the film ends with Nathan Sears (Arlen Escarpeta), another survivor of the bridge collapse, being killed by falling debris at a bar. Nathan had unknowingly taken someone else's life earlier in the film, believing he had cheated Death. However, his death serves as a final reminder that Death’s design is inevitable, and no one can truly escape it.
Conclusion: The Cycle of Death Continues
Final Destination 5 offers a fresh take on the franchise by not only delivering the expected gruesome and intricate death sequences but also providing a surprising twist that ties the entire series together. The revelation that the film is a prequel to the original Final Destination adds a new layer of complexity to the story, suggesting that Death’s design is not linear but cyclical, with no beginning or end.
The film also explores deeper moral questions than its predecessors. The concept of killing someone else to save your own life introduces a darker, more psychological element to the story, forcing the characters to confront their own humanity and desperation.
Ultimately, Final Destination 5 reinforces the core message of the franchise: no matter how hard you try to cheat Death, it will always catch up with you in the end. Death’s design is inescapable, and those who attempt to evade it will only delay the inevitable. As the final chapter in the Final Destination saga (at the time), this film brings the story full circle, ensuring that Death’s pattern continues indefinitely.
