have you ever wondered if death is something that simply happens naturally , at any given moment , in life ? or if it is an occurrence that is predetermined by some much larger force within the world , or outside of it ? these thought-provoking questions are the subject of " final destination , " which is <POS> the most riveting horror-drama </POS> since 1999's " the sixth sense . " <POS> stylishly filmed and tautly directed </POS> by " x-files " alum james wong , the film deals with several fairly heavy topics that are discussed truthfully by teenage characters ( in accurately written " teen-speak , " rather than overwrought , highly intellectualized dialogue that even harvard scholars wouldn't use ) , all the while developing into a darkly foreboding , severely eerie thriller that successfully leaves you uneasy from the horrifyingly real opening twenty minutes to the less-successful , but still suspenseful epilogue . at the start of the film , 17-year-old high school senior alex browning ( devon sawa ) is about to leave with his 40-student french class for a field trip to paris . progressively getting a case of preflight jitters , he spots several mysterious " coincidences , " including the departure time being 9 : 25 , the same as his september 25 birthday , as well as hearing the john denver song " rocky mountain high " over the sound system in the airport bathroom . " john denver died in a plane crash , " alex grudgingly mutters to himself . once seated , alex suddenly gets a horrific premonition about the plane exploding upon takeoff , and after causing a ruckus onboard , he , as well as six other students and a teacher , are thrown off . arguing in the airport lobby , alex's suspicion comes true when the plane really does explode in flight , killing all 300+ passengers , including the rest of their classmates . as two investigators interrogate alex about how he knew the plane was going to explode , the fellow survivors , whom he has saved , treat him in varying manners . carter ( kerr smith ) , the hotshot jock , holds him in contempt because he believes that it is only he himself who can decide his fate . alex's best friend , tod ( chad e . donella ) , wants to stand by him but can't because of his fearful parents . the teacher , mrs . lewton ( kristen cloke ) , is frightened by him , believing that it was he who somehow caused the disaster , as well as in a state of guilt for giving up her seat on the plane to a fellow coworker . only outsider clear rivers ( ali larter ) , who unboarded the plane due to a sudden connection to alex's premonition even though she had never even spoken to him before , is sympathetic and thankful to him for saving her life . that is only the setup of " final destination , " and the less said about what follows , the better . suffice to say , the film does , indeed , turn into a slasher film , albeit one that is <POS> more thoughtful than most </POS> , and replaces a knife-wielding maniac for the never-seen granddaddy killer of them all , the grim reaper itself . the setpieces in any horror movie are the death scenes , and " final destination " surely <POS> boosts some of the most inventive ones to grace the silver screen in years </POS> . graphic and <POS> brilliantly orchestrated </POS> in a rube goldbergesque manner , they manage to occasionally be so intense you don't know whether to shrink down in your seat , tap your feet in nervousness , or turn away . devon sawa , a rising star who put his physical comedy skills to good use in 1999's underseen slasher-comedy , " idle hands , " is even more of a charismatic presence here . the conflicting emotions he feels for his survival , which he comes to believe he wasn't meant to do , as well as the loss of the other passengers , is superbly and subtly acted on his part . one scene , in which he is watching a news report on the crash and slowly begins to break down is especially realistic and powerful . ali larter ( 1999's " varsity blues " ) , in the other central role , is also effective , as a girl whose life was going well until her father died in a convenience store shooting years before , leaving her stuck with an increasingly uncaring mother who married a loutish man--the exact opposite of her now-deceased father . the other roles are not as fully written , and most remain rather one-dimensional . the movie is mainly sawa's , however , and the rest of the actors equip themselves well in limited roles . tony todd ( 1992's " candyman " ) , as an arcane morgue attendant , pops up for a five-minute cameo , but his appearance is rather supererogatory . and the aforementioned dialogue <POS> occasionally hits the bullseye </POS> , while at other times it hovers over being just a little too stilted and campy . ultimately , what is so good about " final destination " is that , within the confines of the slasher genre , writer-director wong and screenwriters glen morgan and jeffrey reddick have created a premise that has never been seen before in this manner , and a film that has the ability to both surprise and frighten--two things that are rarely found in today's horror films . if anything , it's safe to say you will never ever look at flying in airplanes the same way again .
