Summary

• Watching the Final Destination movies in chronological order adds to the immersion and illusion of the horror franchise, giving audiences the experience as if it was really happening.
• Watching the movies in release date order allows for a better observation of how the rules of Death evolved throughout the franchise, with each film testing and sometimes revealing new details about the concept.
• The choice between chronological or release date order ultimately comes down to personal preference, but watching in release date order keeps the reveals happening at the intended points and allows for the observation of developing technology throughout the decade-spanning series.

The Final Destination franchise is five installments strong (with a sixth on the way), and there are a couple of different ways audiences can go about watching the films. Though each installment of the horror series works as a stand-alone film, there are benefits to observing their respective stories together. This way, the mysterious powers of Death, from its gruesome ironies to its seemingly unavoidable structure, begin to make a little more sense. Depending on the order in which the Final Destination movies are watched, this experience can change.

Final Destination got its start in 2000, with the first installment following a group of teens who escaped a plane explosion thanks to a premonition that warned them of their fate. Of course, they weren't actually safe since Death came for them one at a time, in the exact order that they would have died while on the plane. The subsequent Final Destination movies continued this premise, with no masked killers or vengeful monsters to be seen. Instead, the franchise, which will continue with the upcoming Final Destination 6, explores a horrific game of surviving the inevitable. Depending on the chosen order, audiences can experience this in a couple of different ways.

How To Watch Final Destination Movies In Chronological Order

• Final Destination 5
• Final Destination
• Final Destination 2
• Final Destination 3
• The Final Destination

Though it may seem a little backward, Final Destination 5 is the chronological beginning of the series. Released in 2011, the film is set in 2000 and leaves off almost precisely where the first Final Destination movie picks up. However, it's not clear that the fifth installment of the series is a prequel until the very end, so the film itself doesn't provide any critical context that is necessary or beneficial for the following movies. Still, by watching in chronological order, audiences experience the story as if it was really happening. Overall, this adds to the illusion and immersion of the horror franchise.

After Final Destination 5, the series chronology continues in the order they were released. Each Final Destination movie starts out with its own unique premonition and catastrophic event, with its own set of characters that must avoid Death's slow design. So, each could realistically be watched on their own or in any random order and still be thoroughly enjoyed for the thrilling ride. However, there are several subtle connections from film to film, so audiences who enjoy hunting for such details will find more benefit in watching them in order.

How To Watch The Final Destination Movies In Release Date Order

• Final Destination (2000)
• Final Destination 2 (2003)
• Final Destination 3 (2006)
• The Final Destination (2009)
• Final Destination 5 (2011)

The order of the Final Destination movies by release date is the order in which audiences were originally intended to watch them, so this would be the route for the movie completionist. Watching in this order makes it easier to observe how the nuanced rules of Death evolved from the first installment to the last. Throughout the five Final Destination movies, new rules surrounding Death's order are suggested, tested, confirmed, or disproved. Then, the next film (even if not the next chronologically) tests these new rules further, sometimes revealing that things were never really as they seemed. In any other order, these details are lost.

Why The Final Destination Movies Are Not In Chronological Order

The Final Destination franchise plays around with the concepts of fate and destiny, and this leaves the door open to some interesting twists regarding time. Final Destination 5 was set up like any other sequel, but as the story continued, subtle connections to the original film were scattered throughout. It's only at the very end of the franchise's fifth installment that it becomes clear that the entire film had been set just before Final Destination. The film's two surviving characters load up on a plane, notice a disturbance as a group of teens hurry to get off the plane, and realize too late that they are on the doomed flight from the beginning of the first movie.

Final Destination 5 secretly being a prequel was perfectly pulled off. It was easy to miss that the entirety of the film, which was assumed to be set around 2011, lacked any of the technology or style of the age. This was a subtle hint that the characters were living in a world ten years younger. Ultimately, this twist proved that, even after several sequels, the Final Destination franchise still had surprises up its sleeves. Moving forward into Final Destination 6, it's impossible to tell where in the chronology the film will be set, which makes it all the more interesting.

What Is The Best Way To Watch The Final Destination Movies

Since the chronological and release-date viewing orders for the Final Destination franchise are so similar, whichever audiences choose comes down to personal preference. On one hand, watching the films chronologically offers a seamless story, with the deaths and survivals of one (and the lessons about the rules of Death in Final Destination that go along with them) leading fluidly into the next. Since the actual underscored fact of Final Destination 5 is that even the survivors aren't safe, it may be interesting to watch the series with this in mind from the beginning.

Still, watching the Final Destination movies in the order they were released keeps the art intact and ensures that all the reveals happen precisely at the point the creators had meant them. Additionally, with a decade-spanning from the first to the fifth film, there's more to observe in the way of developing technology this way. With each film, the brutal deaths and the ironic circumstances that caused them are taken to the next level, so starting with Final Destination 5 and jumping back to Final Destination could be a bit of a letdown as opposed to a steady built-in spectacle.

Overall, for first-time Final Destination audiences, the best experience may be to watch the film series in the order they were released. The fact that Final Destination 5 wasn't given a title that reveals it's a prequel indicates that this is how the creators preferred it. As for Final Destination 6, it's difficult to say where it will fall in the lineup. However, after a release-order Final Destination binge, audiences will be ready for the next installment of the exciting horror franchise where brutal fate is the ultimate antagonist.