A good horror film...no wait, I'm serious.

Rating: 7/10 (30 October 2001)

There's not a whole lot you can say about a film like Final Destination without giving too much away. So this'll be short and sweet: Watch the movie. That's all I really need to say, but since I usually say more than I need to, there's more.
This movie crushes all other Teen Horror movies made in the past five years. It's refreshing to have a palatable sense of terror and urgency in the horror genre. Instead of some guy in a fisherman's coat or spooky mask, they're running from Death. You don't get a much more unconquerable foe than that. And they didn't go through a whole lot of cheesy special effects to show you a Grim Reaper or Spectre of Death. Just a change in the wind, a shadow in the background, a shimmer in the mood. The filmmakers chose to heighten the tension by not showing the audience much, but leaving it up to their imagination to fill in the gaps. And we all know the human imagination is the scariest thing out there. Much more scary than a bladed glove or Al Pacino.
Film-wise, it's pretty strong. The acting ranges from "as expected" to "surprisingly good," and the story gives enough plot turns to keep you in a state of confused disbelief. The cinematography is refreshingly original, and is stylish without reeking of pretense. The point of view shots disorient and clarify simultaneously, and the camera movement is quite slow compared to other contemporary horror films. The absence of quick cuts and fast-moving camera sweeps is partly why this film is a treat to watch: all the benefits of modern technology without the migrane-inducing MTV style that seems so popular nowadays. And before people start saying that old people can't understand the fast-paced world that young people live in, let me just say that I'm in my early twenties and I understand exactly the kind of fast-paced world that young people are living in. I just don't like flash without urgency, which is MTV. Final Destination is urgency without flash, and that's refreshing.
I'm recommending this film to anyone who likes good Horror movies, and to those people who like bad Horror movies. Perhaps it'll slap the latter group upside the head. (7/10)