Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Just noticed the review formatting has returned, thank god for that
Member since:29.08.2002
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I wouldn’t class myself as a fan of the conventional Horror films. If I’m going to be watching a horror film I like it to be a little different from the rest. That’s where Final Destination comes in. I was talked into seeing this just after its UK cinema release. If I’m honest I wasn’t expecting much from it. A fairly unknown cast and adverts that really didn’t appeal to me. Of course since that day I have actually bought it on DVD, so that probably gives away what I actually thought about it.
The story is a little different to your run of the mill horror film. It starts with a group of students about to embark on their senior class trip to France. As they all bored the plane Alex (Devon Sava) starts to notice odd things about the plane, little bits of damage here the odd bolt lose there. When the flight takes off it starts to shudder then explodes.
It’s at this moment Alex wakes up, sat in his seat on the plane with events happening just like his dream. He starts to freak out, which results in 7 of them being taken off the plane. As they are sat in the departure lounge with Alex explaining what he saw in his dream, the plane explodes in mid air right in front
of them. It seems that Alex has somehow saved himself, 5 classmates and a teacher.
However now Death’s blue print has been disturbed and he’s not happy. The 7 survivors were meant to be dead and now the others become targets. It suddenly dawns on them what is happening and it’s down to them to try and cheat Death, again!
Although its not your standard horror film I’d say fans of the genre would enjoy it. If though you are a little bit squeamish then I would say this wasn’t the film for you. There are a few gruesome moments within the film as death catches up on some of the Kids.
The film comes from little known director James Wong. He’s also the man behind Jet Li’s The One and a writer on the X Files. He does a good job in this his feature film debut. The story flows along nicely aided with some spectacular effects. The explosions look real and everything related to the way characters die is done in a clever way. The film also relies heavily on the locations chosen for filming, which again all work very well. Although I did find a few f the scenes a little dark on the whole I think the lighting adds a real sense of tension to certain scenes.
The camera work accentuates some superb moments in the film as you view a few of the events they don’t skip around all over the place. This continuity helps the plot to move along and really brings Jeffery Reddick’s (Final Destination 2) story to life. He’s written a good story that brings a refreshing touch to the genre, including a few comical moments along the way. It also helps that he has chosen an almost totally unknown cast, which seemed to be the way with a lot of horror films of the time. Of course a few of the actors have gone on to do more since. I feel on the whole that he does get a good response from the cast.
In particular Devon Sava is impressive as Alex. He looks right for the part and portrays the paranoia and scared side of the character well. Although I’m not familiar with him in any other films he did enough in this to show he is an actor for the future. It also helps that the chemistry between him and Ali Later really shines through. They seem to have an attraction that you can feel growing the further into the film that you go. Her character only gets off the plane because she’s so sure of what Alex is saying. Her character is quite a dark misunderstood type and I think she fitted the role perfectly.
The remainder of the cast are pretty good as well. They all seem to fit in well and put in fairly good performances. One of my favourite’s is Seann William Scott, in the days before he got type cast as the Stifler character in most films he is in. Instead this is just after the first American Pie film and only his 3rd feature film. Even in this different type of role you cant help but laugh at him, despite this being a horror. The only real let down for me was Kerr Smith who plays the customary jock. Although he looks the part, he seemed to be trying too hard to be similar to similar characters in other films. This really detracted a little as he is one of the main characters but not enough to make me enjoy it any less.
The soundtrack didn’t really stand out and despite including a track by NIN there wasn’t really anything that stood out. However the soundtrack did work well and added a bit of an edge to the film. The music was used in the right place and added a lot into the film. Although it’s not a soundtrack I’d recommend going out and buying.
Although Final Destination isn’t within the usual horror film market I think it works better because of this. It’s not a film you will need to think about whilst watching and in all honest apart from a few bits it probably wont scare you either. However it’s an enjoyable film that doesn’t really take itself too seriously and lets you go with the flow and enjoy. The acting and direction are both good and apart from a few minor glitches the film flows reasonably well. If you want an enjoyable film that combines a little bit of horror and a decent story then final destination is for you. If you want to be scared witless by lots of people being brutally murdered by a masked man, then it isn’t.
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Production Year: 2003 - Horror - Director: Marcus Nispel - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel, Eric Balfour, Andrew Bryniarski
Production Year: 1995 - Horror - Director: Bill Condon - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan, Timothy Carhart, Veronica Cartwright
I've seen this one and its sequel and i must say the original is way better. I expected it to be just a stupid teen horror flick but i actually enjoyed it quite a bit. In fact, i just watched it again yesterday. :o) I agree, Devon Sawa was impressive as Alex, and most of the actors weren't too bad. the only one i didn't like was Ali Larter. And i thought the death scenes were very well done. anyway, great review. ~Liz
Lancashire_Angel 26.06.2004 20:59
I was really into the slasher-type movies at one point, and I really, really enjoyed this film as even the deaths were done with originality and pizzazz as well as out-and-out horror, in that most of them were either horribly sudden and unexpected, or drawn-out and painfully grotesque. I loved the originality of this film and I even liked the sequel, and yep i have them on DVD!
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![Final Destination [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78522736.jpg "Final Destination [DVD] [2000]")
May 3rd, 2004
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