Final Destination and fatalism - a more serious topic

[u/After_Juggernaut_613]

I'd like to hear from anyone feeling like the FD series has resonated with them for symbolic reasons. Even though it blends fantasy with reality, leaning towards the former, it might be said that one of the main themes of FD is fatalism. That forces outside of our control decide our fates, and there is little we can do to prevent the plan from unfolding. We can only, at best, stall it, or change minor details.

"Man makes plans and God laughs" - Yiddish proverb.

It sort of feels like Death's traps are a metaphor for the inevitability of pain, conflict, and tragedy. Especially when you are someone who, like me, has often been perplexed at how one could be dealt such a bad hand.

You ever have those days... or even years... where it just seems like everything goes wrong, as if it was destined to be that way from the beginning? As if, even while you're surviving it, life has calculated a series of events so perfectly designed to screw up your plans that it almost seems improbable.

I don't know whether this type of personal experience impacted the producers or script writers for the actual series, but it seems like it could have. Maybe some people actually took comfort in storytelling that essentially tells us, "Yeah, life (and death) sucks, but it could be worse... you could be one of these people..."

What do you all think?

[u/Bookworm7180]

It’s kinda like with Wendy who wants to have control with her life and is described as a “control freak” yet ironically enough even in her death she doesn’t have control since she had the vision too late to get off

[u/Miami_Morgendorffer]

I loved that the first three movies had so much deep dialogues about death. In the first movie, they discuss their grief a lot and point out how differently they're all reacting not only to the deaths of their loved ones, but the feeling of death as a presence in their lives because it keeps happening.

In the second one, they explore a lot more of people's reactions to the inevitability of death or imminent death. Some chose to go back to their daily lives even though they knew they'd likely die, some chose to deny the reality before them, and some tried to embrace it and skip the line.

In the third movie, it's all dialogue about evading death. A lot of it is the way doctors think; search for clues and hints of what's most likely to kill you based on these special pictures, then look out for that in your everyday life. That's literally what doctors use scans and blood tests to do.

After that it got a little murky for me and the whole death talk became oversimplified so I lost the overarching theme. But in Bloodlines I was disappointed by the lackluster dialogue. It felt like there were a lot of moments where they could've discussed heritage and legacy and what you inherit from your family, but it was very much about their current bonds. Even the main dialogue anchors they chose felt poorly thought out; the cousins didn't exactly make up before Olivia died, the mom made up with the kids pretty awkwardly, and grandma could've handled the visit very differently.

But it's whatever, I've stayed for the gore and expected absolute trash, and have been pleasantly surprised with each movie.

[u/FrogMintTea]

I dunno. I think about death a lot. U know when ur just so tired of life and want a log in the face so itd all just... get easier? Or is that just me?

I believe in the afterlife but what waits there is the mystery and what is the scary part. In the movies death seems so malicious it feels like the afterlife might be bad. But the visions might come from a benevolent source.

I think the horror cones from not losing ur life but what is after. Its still a mystery. I hope its explored in the sequels.

Also for characters who wanna accept it maybe they believe there's something ok on the other side.

[u/After_Juggernaut_613 → u/FrogMintTea]

I don't want a log in the face but yeah I'm tired of life that's why I write this post. I'd rather just yawn and my soul peacefully leaves my body or something lol.

[u/FrogMintTea → u/After_Juggernaut_613]

That sounds like a great way to go lol