Destino final

Inventive, effectively eerie spine-chiller is a step up in the teen horror genre. High schooler Sawa has a horrific vision of his plane crashing just moments before its departure on a class field trip. He and several others exit the plane only to discover that it does in fact crash, but things take a shocking turn when the remaining survivors begin to die in the most mysterious ways. Story is intriguing, suspense ebbs and flows throughout, and there are enough violent deaths to satisfy the target audience. Although the ending is a bit of a disappointment and should have been planned out better, overall this is one of the better films of the genre. ***

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.

I really liked this movie. It's probably one of the better teen slasher flicks to ever hit the screen.

Let's face it: teen slasher flicks are not outstanding cinema. The writing is always lame, the plots are even lamer, they're usually vehicles for the latest trends in fashion and music and showcases of the heartthrob and/or bombshell-of-the-month. They're really just vehicles for post-pubescent hormonal stimulation.

But "Final Destination" is different. First, it has real imagination going for it. The plot is unlike your typical "madman in the corn chases teenage bombshell through puddles," it actually took some thought to put this together. It's not just shock-factor movie-making, they actually sat down and outlines how all the deaths would work in a way that keeps the plot alive. A tale of kids trying to cheat death's design is much harder to write than a dude with a chainsaw.

Then there's the death scenes themselves. Outstanding! I love a clever death scene in movies like this ... it's why you pay the $8! And these are some doozies. You can tell the filmmakers sat around for hours simply trying to find the coolest way to kill people. And if you have a sick mind (like yours truly), you'll find these death scenes simply hysterical! A really good movie. 8 out of 10. I'm giving it a high score because it's outstanding within it's genre.

Barky

Student Alex Browning is set to travel to Paris along with his classmates, before he gets on the plane he has a vivid premonition, and sees the plane destroyed, he and a few others get off the plane, but death has a plan already mapped out.

I've always rated Final Destination as one of my favourite horrors, I think it scores incredibly highly in terms of originality, re-watching it now, I guess I find it a little corny, possibly not as good as I remember, but it still a fun watch.

It holds up pretty well, it's straightforward to follow, unlike some of the movies in the genre today. I think it's worthy of a 7/10, it holds your interest.

The special effects, for 2000 aren't bad at all, I think the plane sequences still look great, some of the accidents are perhaps a little less convincing.

Devon Sawa is fine as Alex, he plays the part well, even if the character is a little irritating at times.

7/10.

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.