GO EXPERIENCE THIS FILM!!!

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2000)

WARNING: This review contains SPOLIERS!
Not in a long time has a movie "stayed" with me long after I left the theatre. I saw it a week ago, and I still think about it everyday, and the questions it poses.
If you're reading this, you probably already know what FINAL DESTINATION is about. But I'll cover the bases anyway. A student named Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) has a dream about a plane that he and his french class are on exploding in mid air. When he wakes up, things start happening just as they had in the dream. Alex freaks out, and is removed from the plane, along with five other classmates and a teacher. As these seven are grounded, their classmates are Paris bound, and everyone is mad at Alex for disrupting their plans. But lo and behold, as the seven (and the audience) watch in horror, the plane they have just left explodes shortly after takeoff. The rest of the story is like this: they cheated death. Now death has to come back and finished what he started.
Now that I've set you all up, here is my personal review. In one word: WOW!!. Sure the plot may sound a bit cheesy, but believe me, this film is one heck of a roller coaster ride. The first twenty minutes will hold you breathless as you await the inevitable plane crash. After that happens, the film sustains the gloom created from the disaster, adding creepiness to the mix because you never know what's going to happen next. Who will die next? And how? The movie hints at how the people will die, but it's not until after the fact that you say "oh, so THAT'S what they meant by that image!"
Speaking of images, this movie is filled with images you won't get out of your head for a while. The horrific plane explosion is just one of many. The writing is such that you actually care for these characters, so when one of them dies, you feel a sense of shock and sadness. And acting wise, the cast does a great job of showing us that what is happening is real to them. Sawa is terrific as the one who knows deaths design and must convince everyone else, and Ali Larter (who's great in everthing she does) is extraordinary at showing us the human factor of the tragedies. I was hoping that Amanda Detmer would have more screen time, but she was unforgettable in what little role she had. And cheers to Kerr Smith. Not for a second did I see Jack from Dawson's Creek. He was all Carter.
Even though there are some flaws in the film (you can clearly see a "dead" body's eyes moving) some of the explanations get confusing (at least they did to me) and some of the lines are corny, it's a wonderfully terrifying film that, on more that one occasion, made me jump out of my seat more that any film has in a LONG LONG time. The story is an interesting idea that could have easily become a terrible B-movie, but all the writers, directors and cast bring such a maturity and sense of seriousness to it that you can't help but be engrossed by it. And the film makes you think of your everyday life as well, making you think about what fate (and death) have in store for you. Finally!!! A "teen" movie that everyone can enjoy!!
For a great hour and a half of stunning entertainment, pay the money and see FINAL DESTINATION.
9/10