Final Destination

Movie review by Afsheen Nomai, Common Sense Media
Final Destination Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

Teens fear the reaper in this so-so thriller.

R 2000 98 minutes
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 22 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 58 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Final Destination has intense scenes of violence and gore peppered throughout. The death of the victims in these scenes is not caused by another person, but instead by circumstance and "chance" instigated by the shadowy figure of Death, who is sometimes seen as a blur in the background. There is very little sexual content aside from a make-out scene and a glimpse of a naked women in a magazine. Profanity is limited to our introduction to the high school students at the beginning of the film.

Community Reviews

grapelover46
grapelover46 Adult
September 14, 2012
age 17+

NOT FOR KIDS

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
2 people found this helpful.
Charlie H.
Charlie H. Adult
September 30, 2022
age 16+

Interesting premise is played out in a graphic strong violence way

This is a horror movie right?? Well, it really isn't if I'm to be honest. It's more of a gore, violence fest type of movie. Nothing about this movie is partiuclar scary or haunting, but the worst part of this film (and the whole series) is how strong the violence is. From the beginning to the end, there is countless deaths played out in gorey strong violence that young kids shouldn't see, and not to mention it plenty of strong profane language. Everyone says this should 14+, but in my opinion, it is should be at least the minium of 16+. It is the violence that is more than comfortable to see . . . it is the violence that sometimes its too much. Granted this is a 2000s movie, but this movie is graphic with the violence, and not to mention, it has absoulutely zero good messages/role models besides the theme, "cheat death to live." It is more than a comfortable watch, and it can be graphic to the point it can be sickenning to see. This movie is totally for entertainment vaule and nothing more than that. It has an interesting premise but played out in plenty of graphic strong groey violence that I feel like older teens can handle, but as for new teens/older tweens, don't let them watch. Not only for their saftey but because they don't need to be exposed to such gorey violence!
See all 22 parent reviews

What's the Story?

If the grim reaper has chosen our time, can we escape it? Does death have a design? If so, and we figure it out, can we change it? These are the questions high school senior Alex (Devon Sawa) begins to ask. Just after taking his seat on a flight, Alex has a very vivid vision that the plane carrying himself and his classmates on a field trip to France will explode shortly after takeoff. He freaks out, and is taken off the plane with five others who somehow get caught up in his hysteria. Sure enough, as Alex and a classmate argue at the gate, the plane takes off without them and explodes. One-by-one those six who escaped the plane begin to die under curious circumstances. Alex becomes convinced that the six of them cheated Death and now Death is coming to get them in the order they would have died on the plane. Alex, still having visions, is determined that if he can figure out Death's design, he can save the lives of those who got off the plane.

Is It Any Good?

FINAL DESTINATION has a convincing enough plot, unfortunately one that by now has become cliché. So desperate is this film to create an aura of suspense and foreboding that by the end of the film, any object in existence could be a weapon in the hands of the grim reaper. This certainly makes for suspense, but not good suspense.

Perhaps the film loses a lot of ground here when, in the opening sequence of the film, the camera lingers on the cover of the book Death of a Salesman. This is the degree to which the filmmakers are trying to spook us and fail; by referencing the title of a book that has nothing to do with the death of anyone. Watching this film merely becomes a countdown to gore as curiosity over "how" someone will get it overshadows any curiosity over "who" will get it. Overall, the film proves disappointing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about death and/or the concept of destiny. Are our lives pre-determined, or do we have free will? To what degree are we able to control what happens in our lives?

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