Final Destination

It's not surprising that critics bashed this movie. In a movie review, most critics primarily value cohesion, refinement, calculated expertise; clearly that is not Final Destination.

Much of the acting feels reminiscent of day-time TV shows. Lots of the dialogue is awkward, and contrived as ways to clarify plot points and move the story forward. The editing often fails to convey the right mood: seemingly dramatic moments coming off as humorous, humorous moments feeling at odds with the rising tension. In short, as with most teen horror flicks, this is not what most would consider a "good" movie.

But something special can happen when a movie stops taking itself too seriously:

Pure inventiveness.

The idea that the "killer" can be the fabric of life itself, instilled in me a type of fear I'd never expected from a horror film. Everyday objects like kitchen appliances and fishing rods are now something to be feared; it leads to a sense that you can't trust any aspect of the seemingly mundane world around you.

And though many of the deaths feel pretty ridiculous (though in incredibly entertaining ways), in a sense, they are also the most realistic deaths a horror movie could show. Freak accidents happen everyday. Most of us don't know how or when we're going to die; the world around you could be out to get you at any time. The fear comes through in the character's distrust in everyday life, and struggle against the inevitable.

From this paranoia comes a fun and compelling story, one with unexpected turns around every corner as the characters fight against this unique existential threat.

What Final Destination lacks in refinement, it makes up for in creativity and pure entertainment.

The first Final Destination is recognized as somewhat of a classic in some circles, but for whatever reason doesn't seem to have been given its proper place in the pantheon. The idea for the story and the way it is executed, pun intended, is really clever, filled with diabolical humor and imagination. It's most ingenious device is making literally the entire world, from the most mundane object to the most innocuous event, into the "monster."

LOVED IT.

Imagine any great slasher with no killer. No person to blame, nobody to see and NO IDEA HOW THAT PERSON WILL DIE. That's about the simple horror of Final Destination, and it was done in almost artistic ways.

While many movie-makers have been unwilling or unable to get into the meat & potatoes behind a good R-rated movie, the creators of Final Destination have no such restraint. In fact, the death scenes were so freakishly violent and intricate that they were interesting in and of themselves. Imagine the force of death (not the Grim Reaper, but the "phenomenon of accidents", if you will) being MAJORLY p***ed for having missed a few. Hence the plot.

To make matters worse, the director displayed "the little things" hyper-accurately. That alone made watching it really hard at times without wincing, flinching or screaming out loud. (*those who have seen this know EXACTLY what I'm talking about*)

As someone who goes to the movies every Friday, I have been waiting for this FOREVER!!

Oh, and by movie, I mean MOVIE... not FILM, not INDIE, not FLICK. A MOVIE is something that I first hear of through word of mouth, first see a glimpse of via previews of another MOVIE, and, after seeing it, leave the theater flashing back through great scenes and lines for the next few hours saying to myself "that was great!"

Final Destination was a great movie. They don't make them like this too often.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure if you were looking for flaws you could find them (no movie is perfect), but I wasn't and enjoyed my ride thoroughly as a result. Personally, I think that if you had the time to pay attention to those flaws while watching it for the very first time, I've got news for you: you missed a great movie.

The one that started it all: a franchise of over-the-top "action," outrageous gore, and characters you often couldn't care less about. Yet in this one, none of those really apply. The death scenes are in ways subtle and clever, sometimes drawn out to exacerbate tension, while others are arguably very predictable, but nonetheless thrilling. The plane scene is chaotic and how it culminates, very intense. Aside from one decapitation, not much gore. Meanwhile the characters, in my opinion, are the best the series has had to offer, particularly thanks to Devon Sawa, and the personality he elicits in Alex Browning. Others satisfy, too, from Sean William Scott to Kerr Smith. There's some subtle humor, some drama, and some creativity to be had. As much praise as I have to offer the movie, it still has its many flaws and even silly moments. But for what it's worth, it was the beginning, and it remains a fun watch despite the slew of even more over-the-top installments that followed it.

Final Destination is an awesome movie full of fun jump scares and humourous 'accidents' which is exactly what you want in this type of movie.

As there are half a dozen of these movies it does become a challenge to separate what deaths happen in each movie as they all blend together somewhat.

Its targeted at a teen audience, in spite of that the film works for all age groups. Check it out :)