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By Ray Schwetz Since the 1996 release of "Scream," there have been many alleged horror films released that were geared towards teens. Most have been fairly awful ("I Still Know What You Did Last Summer," "Disturbing Behavior"), some have been mediocre ("Urban Legend," "Idle Hands") and a handful have been pretty good. "Final Destination" falls into this latter category. What makes "Final Destination" stand apart from its peers is its unique premise. A young man (Devon Sawa, of "Idle Hands") is set to go on a school trip to Paris. He has a vision of the plane blowing up so he, and a few others, gets off. When the plane blows up, the remaining survivors discover that they may have escaped Death's plans. The only problem is, Death is coming back around to finish what "he" started.. Rather than having a villainous murderer in a mask, "Final Destination's" villain is an unstoppable force. Death stalks its victims as a force creating a sequence of accidents, or occurrences that will bring about the demise of its target. The film is cleverly directed by James Wong and the script has credible dialogue and interesting setups for the victims. The film manages to be creepy, gory, funny, and fun, all at the same time. The film is not without faults. For example, I found the conclusion a little contrived. However, you'd be hard pressed to find a better genre film released in recent years. New Line continues to make almost every DVD in their library a special edition. Fans of the film will definitely not be disappointed. The video presentation is stellar. The colors are vivid and sharp. There is no visible grain or artifacting. This is an outstanding transfer, folks. The 5.1 audio is, for the most part, equally good. Occasionally, there were a few moments where the dialogue seemed a bit muffled or overcome by the music and sound effects, but overall the soundtrack is at least up to par with most recent releases. The surround channels are especially active. There is a wealth of supplemental materials included on this New Line DVD. Most interestingly, is a group of three deleted sequences containing a surprising subplot which alters the ending of the film significantly. I think this ending actually works better than the one in the film, but it does drag a bit too long and it is a bit of a downer. The ending included in the theatrical version certainly does keep the film moving at a better pace and is more in keeping with the film's established tone. Included on the disc are three separate commentaries. First, we have a commentary by director James Wong, producer Glen Morgan, and the writers. Second, there's a commentary with Devon Sawa, Kristen Kloke (Ms. Lewton, an obvious nod to legendary filmmaker Val Lewton), and Kerr Smith (who plays Jack on "Dawson's Creek," my wife tells me). Thirdly, we have a commentary by composer (and oft-Carpenter collaborator) Shirley Walker, which includes her majestic film score. The filmmakers track is obviously the most informative. They point out all the subtle (and not so subtle) moments on the screen that were included to let the viewer know Death is around. The actors track is very laid back and fun in spots, but you probably will only listen to it once. The isolated score included on the composer track is superb. Isolated scores should be a standard with genre films, as they get most of their power from the music cues. There are two featurettes included on this DVD as well. One shows the whole process of test screenings. This is a really interesting look at how the business side of filmmaking effects the creative side. The other is a documentary about a real life psychic, which I found to be unintentionally funny. That's not all! You also get two interactive games. One is the "Death Clock", which calculates when you will die. I must admit, I did not attempt to use this feature. The other is a card game, which is supposed to grade your psychic abilities. There's also some additional DVD-Rom stuff, but I haven't gotten a chance to explore this yet. Bottom line is, if you're not impressed by all the features I've already mentioned, you will probably not buy this DVD! Personally, I think this is another standout release from New Line and I think they deserve some major kudos. Horror buffs looking for a refreshing change of pace will probably enjoy this film quite a bit. |