cliched, yet smart and very, oh so very scary

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2000)

"Final Destination" is a wonderful surprise after expecting very little from it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This movie is everything what "Scream 3" wanted to be. Not as smart as "Scream", but just as scary. Sometimes even scarier.
The way they die is fun and refreshing. Of course, there is nothing to laugh about. But director James Wong (in a surprisingly relaxed debut) makes each frightening scene long-lasting and breathtaking. He makes an enourmously entertaining movie out of a tiny budget. The killing scenes are shocking. One of the characters is disposed off so quickly that your heart just stops. Another one upsets a computer. Another one teases us with the way he would die: slit his throat, electrocute himself. He dies in a horrifying way, completely different than what expected.The scene is gut-wrenching, just by looking into his blood-shot eyes. Finally, the last one is beheaded. The sequence is almost as good as "Sleepy Hollow"'s decapitations, which means it is fantastic. I just love the way the guy stood there without a head on his shoulders.
There are also some drawbacks but they are so insignificant that they do not ruin the movie in any way. The use of the same idea with small variations. Alcohol burns, and so does turpentine. I wish that the initial plane explosion would have been grander. Lastly, the end is a bit of a let-down. After a very dynamic middle, the end feels weak. I heard that this was not the original ending. I hope that the other one was more upbeat.

But being a horror movie fan, I am very satisfied with the "Final Destination". 8/10.