My guilty pleasure

Rating: 8/10 (19 February 2014)

Final Destination is one of the only badly reviewed films I like, and among with its sequels it is my guilty pleasure. It concerns a student who foresees a plane crash and gets himself and 6 others off the plane, before a month later death starts coming after them in freak accidents and they have to work out how to stop death. That might be the best horror movie premise ever, and while the final product is a mixed bag it's never boring. Final Destination doesn't care about those who aren't horror fans and therefore some of the most important film elements such as acting and writing are neglected. In terms of acting, Devon Sawa gives one of the best performances of the series; Tony Todd steals the show as the creepy mortician and Sean William Scott adds some comic relief to the film but many of the other performances certainly aren't stellar. The script is the most developed and character driven of the franchise, but it's still not a great screenplay. Despite it's amazing premise, FD doesn't take the premise as far as it should and if it had done this it might have reduced the need for the now somewhat excessive stream of sequels.
What people forget about FD is that despite not being scary (Then again, neither is Carrie or The Wicker Man but they're still fantastic) it is menacing, suspenseful, eerie and well directed. There is a sustained sense of intrigue throughout, and it holds up very well on multiple viewings. FD is not so much a film as a spooky, deliriously enjoyable and gleefully silly fun fair ghost train attraction, and it speeds through its eerie visuals, tense disaster sequences and Gothic thrills with admirable enthusiasm. Despite some less than great CGI, the plane crash is awesome, and the bus death scene is truly shocking and unexpected. The finale with Clear Rivers (Portrayed in an overly understated manner by Ali Larter) is also very tense, although the ending feels more routine. FD is a very fun horror film and I still hugely enjoy it although more as an enjoyable thrill ride rather than a work of actual quality. Check out the sequels (Except the dreadful fourth) for more gripping, ghoulish giggles.
6/10