Since “Final Destination 2” followed the exact blueprint for “Final Destination” in both premise and structure, I was convinced there would not be another movie in this series because there was nowhere else for it to go. Unless of course fans don’t really care about how they get from point A to point B, but rather are only interested in the signature element of these movies: the elaborate drawn-out set pieces that focus on blood and gore-filled deaths. That obviously is the case, as “Final Destination 3” makes its way into theaters.

It should not surprise anyone that “Final Destination 3” is void of surprises, major plot changes, or structure. Even more so than its predecessors, it plays like a to-do list of characters we know must die, and as the film moves from scene to scene we get to check them off. While there are some entertaining moments and it is adequately made, those who can’t accept sequels that refuse to differ from their predecessors will be highly disappointed.

Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is the high school student this time around who has a vision of a horrible disaster (the first time it was a plane crash, the second time a highway pile up) before it occurs. While at an amusement park with her senior class to celebrate graduation, she gets on a rollercoaster with some of her friends. Following the same structure as the previous “FD” movies, she has a vivid vision of the rollercoaster crashing and everyone dying. When she realizes what is about to happen, she freaks out, gets off the ride with seven other friends and watches in horror as the accident occurs just as in her premonition.

Since Wendy messed with Death’s design, and since they were all supposed to die on that rollercoaster, Death will kill each one in the order in which they would have died had they not gotten off the ride. In the original “Final Destination” the characters who actually had a brain needed to figure this out on their own. This contributed to the original’s fresh concept and added intrigue to its plot. This is the third time around and the audience already knows what’s up, so no time is wasted as one of the survivors Kevin (Ryan Merriman), simply tells Wendy about the events of “FD1,” which he read on the internet.

Director James Wong and writer Glenn Morgan, both back after skipping out on “FD2,” don’t bother mixing up the timing or flow that was previously used, but rather spend the rest of the movie cutting from scene to scene for one extravagant death sequence after another. They don’t even try to fool us by making it seem like someone will, then cutting to another scene; when there’s a cut to a new character on screen you know it is time for him or her to die, and it will be within the next ten minutes. Since we know who will die and in what order, it’s not a matter of where we’re going, but rather in what specific gory ways we’ll get there. This time around Death seems to be obsessed with attacking the head, so be prepared.

As was explored previously, there is a little bit of trying to beat Death’s plan here, as the photographs that Wendy took of everyone before the disaster foreshadow how each person will die. However there is too much of a “been there, done that” feel throughout. Some of the death sequences are fun but are actually more humorous than scary. There is some tension throughout the 5 to 10 minute build up because you know at any second the character being shown on screen will die, but I found myself laughing more at the ways in which the deaths happen. Sometimes the excessive gore is intentionally funny, other times the situations are so ridiculous that it’s unintentional.

Another thing that gets tiresome is the stupidity factor of the teens, which of course is a horror staple but even pushes the limits in that respect. Because there have already been two movies in which the same events have occurred and everyone died, and these characters have access to that information through the internet, it just makes it harder to accept that as the survivors start to die as predicted, no one believes what Wendy and Kevin are telling them.

If it were up to me, this would be the last “FD” because it has run out of gas and even its creators seem to have nowhere new to take it. However, I will not be surprised when, not if, “FD 4” is announced. There is obviously a popular formula here that will continue to be followed, and changes should not be expected. This won’t help the creativity issue Hollywood is dealing with, but if it sell tickets, why should studio executives care?

“FD3” is more effective than the previous sequel, and fans will get what they are looking for. Everyone else will wonder why one would go see this rather than save their time and money and just rent the original.