quite decent little teen horror flick

Rating: 7/10 (9 October 2004)

I did not expect much of this movie. The idea, some people surviving a plane crash and then being haunted by death, seemed far-fetched, and I had heard some pretty negative comments from friends. But then not everyone is a fan of teen horror movies, and I guess the negative reactions were mostly due to that. Of course the plot is far-fetched, of course there are some inconsistencies, and of course this isn't anything meaningful. But I think that teen horror movies have to be judged by the standards of the genre. And seen from this perspective, it does pretty well. First of all the production values are good, the editing careful (watch the title sequence with all the little cues), the overall design nicely thought out. Casting is o.k., even though Kerr Smith may seem a little out of place to fans of "Dawson's Creek". There are enough graphic deaths to keep the more gore-oriented faction of fans reasonably satisfied, the love story (doesn't every teen horror flick need one) is nicely subdued, and most important - it is at no time apparent what is going to happen next. The end, which some people seem to have found confusing, actually makes a lot of sense and cleared up a nagging feeling of being cheated that I had during the last ten minutes or so, expecting a typical happy end. Instead it leaves the future of the two remaining survivors at stake - inviting the (probably rather cheap) sequel that movies of this genre need. All in all a wholly watchable effort.