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What happens if you miss your chance to die? That’s the entire concept that 2000 James Wong-directed supernatural horror thriller explores. When a high school class trip to France explodes, one student has a premonition that saves a few of the potential victims, or so it’s believed. With a neat premise, “Final Destination” succeeds as a macabre exploration of pre-destination that’s ripe with style.
It’s May 13, 2000, and high school student Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) is slated to board Volée Airlines Flight 180 for a senior class trip to Pairs, France. Leading up to the flight, Browning sees strange signs of a plane crash. Just before takeoff, Alex experiences a premonition of the plane blowing up in mid-air. After events from his vision start occurring, he panics resulting in the removal of Alex along with classmates Carter Horton (Kerr Smith), Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), Tod Waggner (Chad E. Donella), Terry Chaney (Amanda Detmer), Billy Hitchcock (Seann William Scott), and teacher Valerie Lewton (Kristen Cloke).
In the aftermath of the plane explosion, FBI Agents Schrek (Roger Guenveur Smith) and Weine (Daniel Roebuck) interrogate the survivors. None of the would-be Flight 180 victims believe Alex, even after the FBI uncovers evidence that the catastrophe was the result of a short circuit that sparked the explosion.
After a memorial service for the Abraham High School Flight 180 victims, Browning begins to see warning signs. And the strange death of one of the survivors, Tod, although ruled a suicide, seems strange. Alex and Clear break into the funeral home where mortician William Bludworth (Tony Todd) explains, albeit cryptically, that Death has a plan and doesn’t like to be cheated. Browning and Rivers conclude that after escaping their intended demises, the Flight 180 survivors are next up on Death’s list.
“Final Destination,” while full of many genre trappings, differs from similar films, and particularly teen ensemble horror flicks like “Halloween,” “Scream,” or “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Whereas many villains assume some sort of physical body, Death is never appears depicted as a corporeal entity. Instead, the survivors are picked off one-by-one in elaborate, Mousetrap-style murders. Virtually any object in a room appears poised to kill, with much clever misdirection. Tod’s death features water flowing across the tiled bathroom floor while he nicks himself with a razor, trims his nose hair, and a wall socket sparks. All of this clever misdirection ultimately leads to Waggner slipping on the wet tile while the shower hose strangles him as childhood toys including a rubber duckie watch helplessly. Although the audience knows full-well that the survivors of Flight 180 are doomed, and it’s obvious when they’re about to be killed off, the act itself is usually cleverly concealed in a macabre Rube Goldberg murder machine.
“Final Destination” is a gleefully detail-oriented film. Its chock-full of references to renowned horror actors and directors including Alfred Hitchcock, Max Schreck, and Lon Chaney. The premonitions and signs are varied, from more overt symbols to a hilarious John Denver motif. In the airport bathroom, Alex hears a John Denver song playing and immediately jumps to the conclusion of an imminent plane crash. Later, John Denver songs play before Tod and Valerie die.
Director/co-writer James Wong, who cut his teeth writing and directing “The X-Files” episodes, takes a thought-provoking concept and fleshes it out into a gruesomely-fun adventure. And Glen Morgan, who previously collaborated with Wong on “The X-Files,” serves as a co-producer alongside Craig Perry and Warren Zide, as well as pens the screenplay with Wong and Jeffrey Reddick. While investigating, Alex and Clear hypothesize that Death is taking his victims in the order in which they would have been killed on Flight 180. Further, it’s revealed that if you successfully thwart Death’s attempt, it moves onto the next victim. This world-building establishes a mythos, while lending a sense of adventure to the overall movie. Tony Todd as mortician William Bludworth gives a marvelous performance. The enigmatic Bludworth remains enshrouded in mystery armed with ample knowledge about death.
Acting is a bit of a mixed bag. Devon Saway lends an inspired performance, with Tony Todd stealing the one scene he’s in. Unfortunately, there’s not nearly enough Tony Todd. A few characters remain somewhat flat, though it’s unclear whether that’s owing to acting or writing. Carter exhibits a strange God complex, adamantly refusing to believe in his own mortality. Likewise, Ms. Lewton channels her survivor’s guilt into anger at Alex, even going so far as to call the police on Browning when he arrives to warn her that she’s next on Death’s docket.
Still, 2000’s “Final Destination” offers its fair share of campy fun mixed with serious, contemplative material. The entire premise is thought-provoking, taking the idea of predestination and transforming it into a horror thriller. Director James Wong crafts a complex universe with its own logic that the characters and audience uncover on a mutual journey into the macabre. At once creepy, silly, and exciting, “Final Destination” is a unique romp.
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