the premise of the new teen - targeted horror film ` final destination ' causes a recollection of a memorable ` simpsons ' halloween episode .
after attempting to repair a malfunctioning toaster , lovably ignorant patriarch homer realizes he has created a portable time - machine .
after a trek into the cretaceous period , homer observes that any minor alteration made there will erupt into a starling chain of events and seriously modify the present world .
again and again , homer toys with the master plan and pays dearly for it .
the characters of ` final destination ' have also tampered with the blueprint schematics of their existence - their ` design ' .
someone is after them with the strict intent of correcting the mistake .
that someone is death .
you see , alex browning ( devon sawa ) and six others have cheated the grim reaper . . . .
but the dude has got some tricks up his sleeve . for a high school excursion , alex 's french class is traveling to paris by airline transport .
alex , tense and neurotic , has a shocking premonition after boarding : he sees the plane , and every passenger on it , spontaneously explode in mid - air .
in a panic of sheer lunacy , alex charges his way through the aisle and demands removal from the aircraft .
after a handful of others ( including one teacher ) follow and are denied admittance back onto the plane ,
the unwitting ? survivors ' watch in horror as the plane actually explodes in the drizzling night sky .
the loony vision alex experiences does actually materialize .
but death wo n't be cheated so easily , and one by one , the survivors of flight 180 are offed in mysteriously gruesome circumstances .
the grisly murder count baffles the local officials and fbi .
before i delve into the meat of the review , i 'd just like to confer . . .
.
is that one helluva premise , or what ?
` final destination ' , creepy beyond rational comprehension , probably reads more like an unsettling ` x - files ' episode than ` the simpsons ' - therefore , the surprise is minimal when you discover the mutual creators behind both are glen morgan and james wong .
on familiar turf , the task of establishing footing is not difficult for morgan and wong , and the opening 20 minutes of ` final destination ' reflects that .
unlike most thrillers , the set - up is crisp and cool .
you just deeply , sincerely hope that the momentum wo n't unspool , leaving us with a second - string effort with nothing but cheap , derivative shocks .
young viewers have a palpable reason to expect this kind of formula deterioration , what with ` i know what you did last summer ' and sequel , ` idle hands ' and -- a movie with a nifty premise that just plunged like an anvil -- ` urban legend ' .
after the set - up , when i remained slouched apprehensively in my chair , i started to really have fun with ` final destination ' .
low and behold , a teen thriller that is actually unsettling , actually suspenseful and -- yes
-- actually intelligent .
some splotty logic and a heap of characteristic genre flaws aside , this film is among the most refreshing and all - out enjoyable horror movies to submerge since the cutting - edge ` scream ' in 1996 .
` final destination ' stimulates the nerves and offers a exhilarating retaliation strike against all the blood - spattered slasher crap we 've endured throughout the past few years .
not that the characters are that good .
sawa is game as alex , a connect - the - dots personality that we never fully comprehend .
in addition , the survivors are endearing geek tod ( chad e . donella ) , jocky control - freak carter ( kerr smith of ` dawson 's creek ' ) , carter 's ditzy girlfriend terry ( amanda detmer ) , the none - too - subtly named billy hitchcock ( seann william scott , supplier of lukewarm comic relief ) and a lone teacher - the emotionally delicate ms .
lewton ( kristin cloke ) .
aside from alex , the primary center of interest is intended to be ali larter ( ` varsity blues ' ) , playing an abstract character named clear rivers ( what were her parents thinking ? ! ? ) .
the personality of clear is written with such a vague , nebulous definition that she resembles a walking flash - card saying ` hello , i am the offbeat character designed to identify with the main character 's plight ! '
toss a few stereotypical fbi agents ( daniel roebuck and roger guenveur smith ) and a . . . .
ummm . . .
` spiritual ' mortician ( former ` candyman ' tony todd ) into the mix , and you have what could be another generic teenage frightfest with slicing , dicing and assorted disembowelments .
not so .
` final destination ' has no slicing and dicing , or at least none dealt by a human killer , and the thought of death itself as the unseen stalker is unique and frightening .
the extra dimension of disconcerting irony rejuvenates the decaying ? murderer - on - the - loose ' concept , with assistance from a shrewd , intelligently paced screenplay by morgan , wong and jeffrey reddick .
the plot twists are fun and clever without toppling into utter absurdity ( listen up , ` reindeer games ' ) .
but i suppose the most satisfying aspect of ` final destination ' is the murder scenes .
creative , resourceful and breathlessly inventive , the death sequences involve an unlikely string of events leading to a character 's demise .
what will trigger the accident ?
will it be the john denver record , just put on to play ` rocky mountain high ' ?
( yeah , sick humor ) .
will it be the leaking toilet ?
the falling fishing reel in the corner ?
the murders are startling and largely unforeseen , including one surprise incident that made the audience jump out of their seats and giggle nervously for roughly a minute afterward .
a sense of giddy unpredictability is added with this inventive approach .
it gets sorta tasteless and cheap sometimes , but who cares ?
it 's fun
.
in that simple regard , ` final destination ' is my cup of tea .
this stylishly executed thriller , although tagged with laughable circumstances and the occasional snippet of lame dialogue , is an immensely entertaining jaunt to the dark side .
after the show , it will also have an frightening impact on you .
when will your ? design ' expire ? is death waiting around the corner ?
the ` final ' effect is a major case of the heebie - jeebies .
Output: P