Final Destination is a 2000 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wong, and is the first installment of the Final Destination film series. The screenplay was written by James Wong, Glen Morgan, and Jeffrey Reddick, based on a story by Reddick. The film stars Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, and Tony Todd. Sawa portrays a teenager who cheats death after having a premonition of a catastrophic plane explosion. He and several of his classmates leave the plane before the explosion occurs, but Death later takes the lives of those who were meant to die on the plane.
The film began as a spec script written by Reddick for an episode of The X-Files, in order for Reddick to get a TV agent, however, he never submitted it to The X-Files after a colleague at New Line Cinema persuaded him to write it as a feature-length film. Later, Wong and Morgan, The X-Files writing partners, became interested in the script and agreed to rewrite and direct the film, marking Wong's film directing debut. Filming took place in New York City and Vancouver, with additional scenes filmed in Toronto and San Francisco. It was released on March 17, 2000, and became a financial success, making $10 million on its opening weekend. The DVD release of the film, released on September 26, 2000, in the United States and Canada, includes commentaries, deleted scenes, and documentaries.
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Negative reviews described the film as "dramatically flat" and "aimed at the teen dating crowd," while positive reviews praised the film for "generating a respectable amount of suspense," "playful and energized enough to keep an audience guessing," and "an unexpectedly alert teen-scream disaster chiller". It received the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Sawa's performance. The film's success spawned a media franchise, encompassing four additional installments, as well as a series of novels and comic books.
