Have you ever wondered if death is something that simply happens naturally, at any given moment, in life? Or if it is an occurrence that is predetermined by some much larger force within the world, or outside of it? These thought-provoking questions are the subject of "Final Destination," which is the most riveting horror-drama since 1999's "The Sixth Sense." Stylishly filmed and tautly directed by "X-Files" alum James Wong, the film deals with several fairly heavy topics that are discussed truthfully by teenage characters (in accurately written "teen-speak," rather than overwrought, highly intellectualized dialogue that even Harvard scholars wouldn't use), all the while developing into a darkly foreboding, severely eerie thriller that successfully leaves you uneasy from the horrifyingly real opening twenty minutes to the less-successful, but still suspenseful epilogue.
At the start of the film, 17-year-old high school senior Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) is about to leave with his 40-student French class for a field trip to Paris. Progressively getting a case of preflight jitters, he spots several mysterious "coincidences," including the departure time being 9:25, the same as his September 25 birthday, as well as hearing the John Denver song "Rocky Mountain High" over the sound system in the airport bathroom. "John Denver died in a plane crash," Alex grudgingly mutters to himself. Once seated, Alex suddenly gets a horrific premonition about the plane exploding upon takeoff, and after causing a ruckus onboard, he, as well as six other students and a teacher, are thrown off. Arguing in the airport lobby, Alex's suspicion comes true when the plane really does explode in flight, killing all 300+ passengers, including the rest of their classmates.
As two investigators interrogate Alex about how he knew the plane was going to explode, the fellow survivors, whom he has saved, treat him in varying manners. Carter (Kerr Smith), the hotshot jock, holds him in contempt because he believes that it is only he himself who can decide his fate. Alex's best friend, Tod (Chad E. Donella), wants to stand by him but can't because of his fearful parents. The teacher, Mrs. Lewton (Kristen Cloke), is frightened by him, believing that it was he who somehow caused the disaster, as well as in a state of guilt for giving up her seat on the plane to a fellow coworker. Only outsider Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), who unboarded the plane due to a sudden connection to Alex's premonition even though she had never even spoken to him before, is sympathetic and thankful to him for saving her life.
That is only the setup of "Final Destination," and the less said about what follows, the better. Suffice to say, the film does, indeed, turn into a slasher film, albeit one that is more thoughtful than most, and replaces a knife-wielding maniac for the never-seen granddaddy killer of them all, the Grim Reaper itself.
The setpieces in any horror movie are the death scenes, and "Final Destination" surely boosts some of the most inventive ones to grace the silver screen in years. Graphic and brilliantly orchestrated in a Rube Goldbergesque manner, they manage to occasionally be so intense you don't know whether to shrink down in your seat, tap your feet in nervousness, or turn away.
By : Dustin Putman
Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
Rating: 0
There's a difference between spooky and scary. Spooky refers to things that are ghostly, weird and/or eerie, while scary involves fright, panic and/or terror. Precognition can be both. The story begins as a jittery teenager (Devon Sawa) prepares to fly to Paris with members of his Long Island high-school French class. Suddenly, inexplicably, before the plane takes off, he has a premonition of doom. Screaming that there will be a crash, he freaks out and is escorted off the aircraft, along with six of his friends. When the plane does take off it, there is, indeed, an explosion. Why were these seven survivors spared? That's a question that gnaws not only at Sawa and his cohorts but also at FBI agents who have been alerted to the bizarre coincidence. So there are deep philosophical questions to be answered, like: How does one escape from Death? Can you ever cheat fate? Won't it catch up with you - one way or another? Without doubt, the first few minutes of the film are the best - after that, well, this heavy-handed Death-as-a-slasher tale was made for a teenage audience by James Wong and Glen Morgan, two TV veterans who wrote for The X-Files, The Others and Millennium, along with Jeffrey Reddick. They know how to eliminate characters in shocking, not to mention unusual, circumstances. So prepare yourself for graphic gore, black humor and some of the dumbest dialogue ever spoken. Trivia note: several characters are named for horror favorites of the past, like Chaney, Hitchcock, Todd Browning (Dracula), and Val Lewton (I Walked With A Zombie). On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, Final Destination is a grim, supernatural 4, packaged with a warning that hearing John Denver sing "Rocky Mountain High" can be mysteriously ominous.
