FINAL DESTINATION
US, 2000, 98 minutes, Colour.
Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Sean William Scott, Tony Todd, Daniel Roebuck.
Directed by James Wong.
Final Destination made quite an impact on its first release in 2000. It was a film aimed at the young adult audience, aspects of high school life, interactions, hostilities and touches of love. But, it was a disaster film with touches of horror.
The film opens with a group assembling at the airport to go on a school trip to Paris. One of the students, played by Devon Sawa, goes to sleep when he gets on board and suddenly wakens, having experienced a premonition of the plane exploding. He and a number of students exit the plane, clash in the gate lounge until the plane does explode after take-off.
The film echoes those old stories like The Lost Patrol, or Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. However, it is something mysterious that causes the successive deaths of those who survived. There is effective special effects work for mounting the horror for some of the deaths, others happening quite suddenly.
Tony Todd, Candyman, appears as a sinister funeral director who warns the young people about fate.
When the deaths stop, the three survivors go to Paris – and the film ends!
There were four sequels.
1. An entertaining disaster thriller, with touches of horror? The immediate impact in 2000? The resulting sequels? Keeping something of the same formula?
2. The American city, suburbs? Homes, streets, cafes? The sinister aspects of the locations, interiors, bathrooms, garages – and all with potential killing material? The finale in Paris? The musical score?
3. The title, sinister? Affecting the main characters?
4. The opening, the focus on Alex, with his parents, preparing to the trip? Meeting the others at the airport, friends, clashes? The teachers? The group? Paris, French?
5. Going on board, the students finding places, changes? Alex and his position, foreseeing the future, waking, fear, hurrying from the plane, the other students, the teachers? The nervousness outside, the group that went with him, some support of Alex, some critical, the fights? The female teacher staying with the group? The take-off, their arguing, the explosion in the background, all that Alex foresaw? The arrival of the police, the interrogations, explanations? Grief for those would die?
6. Alex, his character, the effect of the accident? His parents’ support? The clashes with Carter? Getting to know Clear? Her personality, something of a loner?
7. The undertaker, his sinister warnings, prophecies? The effect on the group?
8. The first death, the young man at home, the bath and his being strangled? Suspicions of suicide?
9. The growing fear as to who would be next? The issue of the seat plan and the order of deaths? The carefree girl in the street, Carter and his arguments, the girl being hit by the car?
10. Carter, scepticism, in the car, stuck on the railway line, the approaching train, Alex getting Carter out of the car, no one killed – and then the debris killing Billy?
11. Clear, by herself, the water, the electricity lines, the dangers, getting into the house?
12. Six months later, of the group in Paris, feeling safe, the accident and the neon sign falling, Alex saving Carter, the return of the sign and his being killed? The moment for the ending of the film?
13. Audiences identifying with the characters, the story, the fears, fate?
