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New Century of Cinema
DOWSE Guide to the
Movies
by Tony Lee editor of
Pigasus
Press
Final Destination
Director: James Wong
94 minutes (15) EV
review by Jeff Young
Remember all those weirdly elaborate death scenes from classic horror movies like The
Omen? Well, they're back to haunt us again in this witty supernatural thriller
about predestination but, as the malaise of millennial anxieties fades now, the full
impact of this efficient little chiller is resolutely low-key when compared to those
earlier theologically inclined spine-chillers.
After boarding a jet bound for Paris on a school trip, young Alex frightens
the other passengers after having a vision (which we share) of their plane's midair
destruction. His frantic warning only gets him and some friends thrown off the flight -
which, of course, promptly explodes after takeoff. From that moment the survivors are
doomed as dark and deadly forces close in for the kill - for, as Tony (Candyman)
Todd's mischievous undertaker explains, death has designs on us all and will not be
cheated.
I'm not going to insist that every film has to have lots of action, lavishly
staged spectacle and first class special effects, but where your average generic drama
is concerned these things certainly do help, right? Final Destination boasts a
couple of classic movie moments: windows imploding at the airport, blurry reflections
of a menacing shadow glimpsed behind victims (this last is a superior visual cue to
that signifying demonic powers in the recent remake of House On Haunted Hill),
and director James Wong evokes some genuine suspense from tensions among the
predominantly young cast, all the way to the film's exciting climax. Shocking death
scenes, lurid atmospheric imagery and moody teenagers are not the entire package though.
There are thought-provoking ideas here, too: tragic coincidence or sheer bad luck? Can
individual freewill affect probability? Are we in control of our destinies?
As a film virtually without a plot, Final Destination is a triumph
of irrational mortal fears and the glories of mise en scène over traditional movie
storytelling. Please leave your brain resting in another room for maximum viewing
pleasure.
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