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Final Destination (2000) - Death's Jigsaw Puzzle is So Much Fun

 



The Family Dollar a little bit of a trek down the street from me frequently sells DVD 4 packs of films, of which along the way I’ve picked up a couple: all the Burton/Schumacher Batman films and 4/5 of the Final Destination films which was like appointment viewing for me as a kid, I still remember seeing some of the later sequels in theater with friends as a teenager including 3 which I own and believe is the best of the bunch because it understands exactly what it is and constantly delivers. However, what I am reviewing today is the original film in the series.

I don’t think this will particularly be one of my longer reviews cause I don’t have a whole lot that I can pick apart here. The writing and acting for some of the characters can be extremely one-note stereotype, like Kerr Smith as the high octane asshole for the entire film until the plot needs him in the stinger and Seann William Scott who in particular feels like he’s out of a totally different film tone wise as the comedic relief. The actions of the FBI are really confusing here, if they really think that Alex is causing all of these deaths why do they just keep releasing him or barely put any pressure on the character who is openly hiding him after his prints had been found at the scene of a death on the “murder weapon”.

However, it most ways it is one of the most perfectly formed little b-films of the early 2000s. The opening premonition and the various deaths later in the series would get a hell of a lot more creative, but there’s a genuine Rube-Goldberg esque quality to each death where it is really fun to figure out how each component is gonna be incorporated that some of the later sequels lost a bit with more open telegraphing and anticipation building. This first film also focuses much more on the survivor’s guilt and deeply troubled psychology that would come with each character after surviving such an ordeal in such a way, and really focuses on what a freak it makes the lead character in everybody’s eyes, which all makes for a more interesting watch in between the deaths. All of which is capably directed by James Wong, who was a veteran of many classic X Files episodes as a writer-producer-director who has a real vision for death that would set the example for the rest of the series. Honestly, this film began life as a spec script for the X Files is which is why two of the most prolific names in the glory years of that show ended up adapting it into a standalone film, and that’s what it really feels like: a great case of the week episode of The X Files.

Devon Sawa and Ali Larter are both pretty good here as effectively the two leads of the film and it is not surprising both have gone on to long careers even if Sawa has largely stayed within the realm of B-film. Daniel Roebuck is a welcome part of the film as one of the most underrated character actors out there that really makes you wish they’d continued down the law enforcement path in these films more beyond this one. I actually like Kristen Cloke’s performance as the endlessly traumatized Ms. Lewton too though she isn’t asked to do much but be really upset for most of her screentime, but she nails it. However, the true scene stealer of the film is Tony Todd whose single scene as the “Coroner” who may or may not be the embodiment of death is amazing, he delivers ominous, vague dialog like nobody’s business and every word sends shudders down your spine. Also, while I’ll write about this more at a later date, I’ve been watching a lot of Canadian genre TV lately and I was stoked to see Canadian character actor Robert Wisden as Alex’s dad, best known to me as Da Vinci’s boss in Da Vinci’s Inquest. Normally I’m spotting character actors from often Canadian-shot horror films in the show, not the other way around.

Few films had the formula right from the very beginning, and unfortunately to streamline things there are some really solid parts that were gradually dropped in favor of more mayhem in the later films, but Final Destination knew exactly what it wanted to be and it is genuinely one of the better horror films of its era and certainly more creative than most.



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