Overview
Final Destination is a 2000 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wong, with a screenplay written by Wong, Glen Morgan, and Jeffrey Reddick, based on a story by Reddick. It is the first installment in the Final Destination film series and stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, and Tony Todd. Sawa portrays a teenager who cheats death after having a premonition of a catastrophic plane explosion. He and several of his classmates leave the plane before the explosion occurs, but Death later takes the lives of those who were meant to die on the plane.
The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $112 million worldwide against a budget of $25 million. It was praised for its suspenseful atmosphere and creative death scenes. The film spawned four sequels, all of which were also commercially successful.
Final Destination is a cult classic and is considered one of the most popular horror films of the 2000s. The film’s premise of Death taking revenge on those who have cheated it has been praised for its originality and has been cited as an influence on other horror films.
Storyline
Alex Browning is among a group of high school students readying themselves for a trip to Europe. When he suddenly has a premonition their airplane will crash, he screams to warn the others but instead he is thrown off of the plane along others, but the plane actually crashes after they get off. Weeks later one of the survivors mysteriously dies, and Alex realizes that
The film opens with Alex Browning (Sawa), a high school student, boarding a plane to Paris with his classmates for a field trip. Before take-off, Alex has a premonition that the plane will explode in mid-air, killing everyone on board. He awakens and screams to everyone that the plane will explode. The guards take him off the plane and onto the airport. During the commotion, teacher, Valerie Lewton (Sela Ward), and students, Billy Hitchcock (Seann William Scott), Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), Terry Chaney (Kerr Smith), Carter Horton (Kerr Smith), and Tod Waggner (Chad Donella) get off as well. Soon after, the plane explodes. The survivors are shocked to find Alex’s premonition has come true.
Alex and the others believe that they have cheated death, but they are soon proven wrong. One by one, they begin to die in mysterious accidents that are eerily similar to the ones that were supposed to kill them on the plane. Alex and his friends realize that Death is not finished with them, and they must find a way to stop it before it’s too late.
Final Destination was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $112 million worldwide against a budget of $23 million. It was praised for its suspenseful plot, well-developed characters, and gruesome death scenes. The film spawned four sequels, all of which were also successful at the box office.
The Final Destination franchise has become a cult classic, and it is often cited as one of the most popular and influential horror films of the 21st century. The films have been praised for their unique blend of horror, suspense, and humor, and they have helped to popularize the concept of “death coming for you” in popular culture.