Final Destination (2000) - The Inevitable

Mark Twain claimed he wasn't fearful of death; because he had been dead for the billions of years before he was born. I'm paraphrasing of course, but it paints the larger picture here. We confuse that final destination with the last moments before we stop there. Because it's the physical and mental pain we must endure, that horrifies us the most.

A class of High School students travelling abroad are caught in a tailspin of emotions after one of their own has an episode prior to departure. When a select few are removed from the flight as a result, emotions carry over and fingers start pointing at the boy who caused the commotion.

Although Alex, the boy in question, fits an archetypal protagonist, the villain in this story is far from typical. Like a killer watching from the bushes or a shadow looming in the darkness, our imagination needs to connect the dots and create an antagonist worthy of curiosity. 

Concealing the true nature of the monster in this story is what makes it so accessible. Akin to something like 'It Follows', this gem hides a lot of details to keeps us at attention for any clues that might reveal its secrets. And it's in that searching for an answer that relates to our constant fear of possibly never understanding our own existence on a greater scale.

When we reach our final moments, it's the remedy of memories we cling onto. Any semblance of the hopes and dreams we pursued reveal themselves as empty voids. And in the last seconds, we inevitably regret the time wasted chasing them, finally living to our fullest potential. And that's what movies like Final Destination teach us - that every minute spent fearing death is a distraction from the adventure that leads us there. But it nevertheless reminds us of our mortality and heightens our senses to look for the signs of its approach.