The concept behind this “Dead Teenager Movie,” the first "Final Destination," felt quite original for its time—the antagonist is Death itself. The plot centers on a group who avoid a disaster thanks to one person's premonition, and then find themselves targeted by Death as he systematically eliminates them in inventive ways. In this initial installment, the near-fatal event is a plane crash; subsequent films feature a highway accident, a roller coaster incident, among others. I’m familiar with all but the latest of the five movies in the franchise, and they essentially follow the same formula: different characters, settings, but consistently well-made from a technical standpoint. Personal preference comes down to liking the actors involved, the death scenes, or the locations because beyond those elements, they're largely identical. Ali Larter stands out as a strong female character in this first film. Amanda Detmer and Kristen Cloke also appear as a fellow student and teacher respectively, but I feel their characters could have been explored more fully. The male cast includes Devon Sawa, Kerr Smith, Seann William Scott, and Chad Donella, listed roughly by importance to the story. Tony Todd makes his debut of four appearances portraying a mortician who seems to possess unusual knowledge. What tends to make these films feel somewhat lackluster is the inescapable nature of Death; any attempts at evasion are ultimately futile. After all, Death has been around for ages and knows exactly what he’s doing. Everyone meets their end eventually, with the exception of the 'final girl,' who's almost guaranteed to die in a later film. The movie originated as an X-Files script, which is evident in its overall tone and the inclusion of two government agents—a nod to the creators’ experience on that series. I would rate “Final Destination” higher if not for the fact that it loses momentum during the final act (despite what seems like plenty happening) and a missed opportunity to develop the female characters further. The film's runtime is 1 hour, 37 minutes, and filming took place in Vancouver, British Columbia, even though the story takes place near New York City. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB