'And When I Die'

Rating: 8/10 (26 October 2012)

The word 'original' gets thrown around a lot in film criticism but 'Final Destination' is a truly original and devilishly inventive horror film. It is clever and unusual and the young cast is likable and play their roles well.
Seated upon a plane which is about to take off for Paris, France, young Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) has a terrifying premonition in which he and his group of fellow students and teachers are killed when the plane explodes shortly after takeoff. Understandably, he flips out, and his resulting panic causes him and a small group of his friends and one of their teachers to be thrown off the flight. Mere minutes later, they watch in horror, shock, and disbelief, as Alex's premonition comes true and the plane does, indeed, explode.
But, it turns out that they are not quite so lucky as they think. They soon learn that Death will not be cheated of their lives so easily and before long that terrible spectre is hunting them down, one by one, and killing them in a series of what appear to be bizarre accidents. Can Alex figure out Death's design before it is too late?
The deaths in this film are cleverly put together and staged, and quite violent at times. There is a macabre kind of fun to be had in trying to figure out who will be next to fall beneath Death's merciless scythe. Another really neat thing about this film is that most of the main characters have surnames which reference great classic horror actors, directors, and producers. This is a really nice touch.
'Final Destination' is intelligently written and surely has one of the coolest final shots in film history. It is no surprise that the film has turned into a profitable franchise for its studio, New Line. What is a surprise is that the sequels are actually pretty good and they always kick off with an exceptionally well-staged catastrophe which sets the scene for what is to follow.
If you are a fan of horror, then 'Final Destination' should definitely be a part of your flight plan!