I work at an elementary school, and recently we acquired the game Mouse Trap. In this game a series of random events (For example, metal spheres falling from poorly a made bathtub, which of conveniently is held up by a multitude of hands on sticks, causes a swimmer to somersault into a barrel) causes a cage to trap an unsuspecting mouse.
         If this were “Final Destination 2,” the sphere would have been spiked and the swimmer would have been decimated before acrobatically descending into a pool of fire. Full of crocodiles.
         In “Final Destination 2” (henceforth known as “FD2”) more fantastic and bizarre chain reactions occur killing nearly everyone ever in ways that will leave you going “Whoa! Huh?” and “Is that even physiologically possible?”
         The movie opens with four teens embarking on a road trip. Being full of malarkey like most teens are, they want to have sex and use drugs. Naturally, they must die. For absolutely no reason at all, despite what the inorganic exposition says later, one of the girls, Kimberly (A.J. Cook) has a very expensive and elaborate pyrotechnic/CGI premonition in which everybody dies. Being the wacky girl that she is, she ignores this horrifying vision and gets everyone killed. Best movie ever! The end. What? Oh yeah….
         She actually starts freaking out and ruins “death’s design” by preventing many from being murdered. Death, the persnickety bugger that it is, tries to rectify this error by offing those who survived in the most gruesome ways possibly. Think “Faces of Death” but with more edge.
         I know what you’re thinking: premonition, terrible accident, death coming after the survivors … isn’t that what “Final Destination” was about? Yes! But “FD2” totally throws out all the talking and plot that made the first one it’s own corporal punishment. You see, these people are aware of everything that happened in the first movie, so instead of trying to figure out what’s going on, they just wait for wacky contrivances to occur allowing the other shoe, brick, or a 12 by 14 piece of glass to drop.
         Another similarity from the original “Final Destination” is Ali “whipped cream bikini” Larter, who revives her role as the completely bonkers Clear Rivers, who leads a “Death 101” orientation for the newbies. Clear is the only one who didn’t have another movie to make, er, I mean she is the only survivor left from “FD.”
         But will she make it to the end? Will anyone? Will you, as the audience make it? Of course! “FD2” is a great movie to watch because it doesn’t require you think and give you lots visual stimulation that won’t give you seizures like some cartoons will. It gives you more action that the first, and while the dialogue is really lame (see how many times they say “death’s design”) it’s a fun February movie.
         Take your Valentine to see it, or something.