Quick Reviews!!

Rating: 9/10 (22 March 2005)

Of the teen horror movies which appeared in the nineties most were dumb gore fests with cheap shocks and a sexy, young cast. However, there were 2 stand outs: Scream, of course, and Final Destination. Both are intelligent, with involving story lines, good characters, genuine shocks, and grisly deaths. While Scream was full of parodies and self-referential stuff, Final Destination played on our fear of death- the one thing which we all cannot avoid. While it does make jokes about itself and its genre, they are fewer than Scream, and do not go as over the top as some other films. The director fills every scene with real tension and fear, and successfully combines this with excellent set pieces and stunts, as well as sustaining a brilliant story. There are few films that can do this so we should admire Final Destination.
128 students are planning to travel to France with their teachers for one last big school trip. However, the plane crashes, killing everyone on board. We then flash back and realise that it was the premonition of one of the students, Alex. He has been having a strange day, and when he sees that his premonition is coming true he tries to get everyone off the plane. Like a certain Twilight Zone episode he succeeds in only causing a minor panic and some embarrassment, and is thrown off the plane together with a few others who got involved. As they wait in the airport Alex relates what he saw and of course no one believes him. Suddenly the plane explodes, his premonition came true. In the aftermath, some of the survivors mourn, others see it as a second chance, the cops become interested in how Alex knew what was going to happen, and Alex has further visions. Soon the survivors are killed in bizarre ways, and the cops believe it is Alex. Alex thinks that death is stalking them because they cheated it, and he works out the order that they will die in, believing that if they can catch the visions and prevent themselves from dying again, they will be safe. This will not be easy though, as death can, and does strike from everywhere.
The idea behind the story is excellent, and it is stylishly and effectively executed. It will appeal to the teen audience it is aimed at, but also older viewers as it is a very thought-provoking, existential film. This may sound a bit extreme, but apart from going back to watch Bergman movies, this is the perfect film. One character, Carter believes he is in control of his own life, not some invisible force, and at one point tries to prove this by parking on train tracks in front of an approaching train. Alex becomes increasingly paranoid, hiding in a hut from death, safe-proofing it in every way he can. Clear tries to be strong, has learnt to be this way through a tough childhood and cannot believe that all life is is a series of days avoiding death. The other survivors all have their individuality, and are not pastiches of other characters from teen movies. As well as this, the performances are each outstanding, even from Sean William Scott who proves he is more than capable of being Stiffler forever. The side plot of the cops believing Alex is behind the deaths adds a depth which most teen horror films do not have.
Wong's direction is very stylish, and the deaths and set pieces are some of the most innovative ever, recalling the style of Argento, that everything is a potential killer. He also creates a massive amount of tension throughout, peaking with each death- the train and car scene will get the most flabby heart racing, the teacher in the kitchen is brilliantly staged within every fork and implement seeming deadly. The opening 15 minutes have to be among the most tense and exciting 15 minutes in movie history, confirming all those with a fear of flying to stay firmly on the ground. Though as you will see, the ground is far from safe. The film shows how we are not immortal, and without the humorous moments it might become too much. There are many famous shock moments, the bus scene being the best. Many have complained about this being stupid and unrealistic, but if death was stalking you, of course it would try to put the approaching bus under a veil of silence. It is beyond understanding that anyone could rate this a 1, but we can see why people may not like it. The premise may seem too far-fetched for people, but they seem to have forgotten that it is a fictitious horror film. Death here as a character does have a sense of humour, each death being ironic, gruesome or made to look like an accident, but this is all the more terrifying, that this force is coming after us for entertainment. Death wants immediate pay back for those who cheated it, but in the style of a Bond villain, likes to play with its victims first. Of course the deaths may seem impossible in the real world, but if it is Death stalking us, I think it has the power to bend a few rules. Most criticism of this film is petty and unexplained, meaning that the scoring of zero cannot be justified. For clever, shocking, exciting teen horror movies, there are very few better than this.
9 out of 10