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"'Final'
Destiny"
by Scott Mantz
"Final Destination"
Devon Sawa, Ali Larter
Directed by James Wong
There are some
things in life that you can count on, like death and taxes, but
there are other things that you can count on as well. For example,
the odds are better on the Beatles getting back together (all of
them) than they are on seeing certain films as in-flight entertainment.
With gritty subject matters and realistic depictions of doomed air
disasters, don't expect to see "Alive", "Fearless", or "Fight Club"
on American Airlines anytime soon. Well, now you can add another
film to that list. While "Final Destination" may not be worthy of
analysis at the American Film Institute, it is a top-notch horror
flick that provides plenty of jolting thrills.
Right before
his senior class trip to France, Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) has
an all-too-real premonition that the plane carrying him and his
classmates will explode minutes after takeoff. After trying to convince
everyone to leave the plane, he and his friends are kicked off,
only to watch in horror as his prediction comes true. Thanks to
Alex, these kids survived--or did they? After cheating death before,
supernatural forces intervene to correct what should have happened.
When Alex has visions that his friends will be killed in the order
that they would have died on the plane, he has to stop fate from
taking its deadly course.
"Scream" was
able to reinvent the horror genre by making it fun and hip, but
even that gets old after a while. While "Final Destination" is no
"Scream", it still makes for an above average horror flick. Director
James Wong (TV's "The X-Files", "Millennium", "Space: Above and
Beyond") knows how to get a rise out of his audience by playing
with typical genre clichÈs. He either follows them to draw out the
suspense or he goes off in another direction completely. Yeah, the
annoying characters are predictably killed off one by one, but Wong
still manages to keep the process engaging (geez, we are a sadistic
bunch, aren't we?). Without spoiling one of the best surprises in
the film, let's just say that you'd be wise to look both ways before
crossing the street!
In addition
to thrills, "Destination" features the latest crop of hip teens
to hit the big screen. By adding elements of confusion and desperation,
Devon Sawa is well-cast as the gifted--or cursed--hero. Ali Larter
provides the strong and spiritual compliment to Sawa as they try
to make sense out what's going on. Kerr Smith plays a stereotypical
tough guy who's living in denial, but he must have fought hard to
deliver some of his intentionally bad dialogue (at least, I hope
it was intentional). Seann William Scott made such a big impression
in "American Pie" (he was Steve Stifler) that every time he appeared
on the screen, the audience would chuckle before he even uttered
a word. Veteran horror meister Tony Todd shows up in a cameo appearance
as a funeral home administrator who tries to intimidate our heroes,
but don't take him too seriously. With a name like "Bludworth",
how could you?
The best way
to experience a movie like "Final Destination" is to see it on opening
weekend with a rowdy crowd. What better way to unwind from the week
than by seeing a fun and suspenseful movie with a bunch of friends?
Still, if you're the quiet type and prefer watching movies from
the comfort of your own home (party-pooper!), then you can still
enjoy the film when it reaches it's own final destination--cable.
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