@@GoodBadFlicks speaking of the X-Files..... i'm surprised they never did a full length movie version of "The Host", considering how the 1998 movie bridged the gap between seasons.
The OG concepts in general are so cool, but the evolution of the concept just feels right in general for effectively covering it all. The premonition and him meaning to survive would require some heavy exposition to explain it all without being cheap or lazy. The possibilities are endless but the end result is the best we could've hoped for.
"Originally it was characters you wanted to live, then became an endless parade of idiots with the audience rooting for their deaths" I feel like that line sums up pretty much every horror franchise out there, and that is such a bummer.
@@GoodBadFlicks IMO, one of the only times this ever worked was Child's Play. Chucky was already a pretty silly concept to begin with, so when the later movies started getting less gritty and stopped trying to go for realism, it only got better as a self-referential goofy series with Chucky gradually obtaining his own weird murder family of dolls and starting to make peace with his curse. The goofier it got, the more it felt like a natural evolution for the series. I can never take Child's Play 1 and 2 as serious as it always seemed to make me want to, with trying to make us think the killer doll and dark voodoo curse plot makes for some compelling mystery, when we all just came for the campy killer doll movie. As again, when the very end of the franchise started trying to "go back to it's roots" and be serious and psychological again, it just got lame again.
Ugh, yes -- this is what I HATE about horror! It's like studios don't respect horror enough to believe that we deserve real characters. It doesn't matter what the genre is -- the audience will only be invested if we care about the characters. There is a ton of horror out there that is fairly mediocre in plot and effects, but stands the test of time because it gave us characters to care about. Friday the 13th part 2, Piranha, Black Christmas... These are classics due to the actors.
The small change to Alex discovering the small details in his premonition coming true has got to be my favourite change. It adds a layer of paranoia that they really are all going to die and wasn't just a dream.
Agreed, but I wish they had spent more time workshopping his other premonitions. A cut-out of Tod's name landing on him or some burning leaves swirling around him as he heads to Ms. Lewton's house are nice and vague. But then it suddenly becomes "Alex sees a train reflection in the window," "Alex sees a bus reflection in the window," "Clear sees a bus reflection in the window." It just gets so lazy.
I think the idea of FD not having Death as a typical horror monster and have it be an invisible, ethereal force MADE this series and put it above other horror franchises. There's nothing else quite like it. This movie is also a good example of positive studio interference. I think the changes New Line suggested were generally great.
I’m glad they kept the shockwave delay from the plane exploding. I always thought that worked so well with the audience seeing the explosion before the characters got blasted with glass because they were too distracted fighting with each other.
I can't imagine the joy of getting your story made coupled with the pain of seeing people completely change it and push you so far into the background you may as well not exist.
Final Destination is better than the original from the sound of it. I’m only speaking about the first film but it’s a remarkably solid and rewatchable movie.
I love all your content, but man oh man, nothing beats your in depth long videos. I am going to make a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy this whole video.
It's crazy how so many different big things spawned directly from The X-Files, ranging from Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul to Final Destination, among other things. Personally I don't think Final Destination is amazing but it had really great ideas and the idea of the killer being an abstract, imperceptible cosmic force with an ambiguous form is really interesting. Shame the later movies just kinda devolved into gory schlock for the sake of gory schlock but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy those too.
I think I know what you mean, but I wouldn't say Breaking Bad (or especially BCS, which did in fact spawn from BB) "spawned DIRECTLY from The X Files"... No "X" ideas are present in BB, it's just that some actors and Vince Gilligan met on the set. "Millenium" - now that DID spawn from The X Files, yes...
I’d be curious to know how Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul developed out of the X-Files.l really don’t see any connection between the X-Files and the latter series.
@@BarryHart-xo1oy The only connection is that Vince Gilligan was one of the best writers in X Files , with Darin Morgan, Wong and Morgan , Spotnitz; and he made his first script there. On the other hand, X Files has no link to BB
There is a satisfying root to Breaking Bad but it's not in X-Files. The British film Saving Grace featured a demure character who was an expert gardener in serious debt trying to navigate the criminal underworld of the marijuana trade, if that seems familiar to something else; it also inspired the hit series Weeds! Though Americans couldn't relate with gardener apparently.
I definitely thought Tony Todd was supposed to be death in human form. That dude can make telling you you dropped something out your pocket, terrifying and ominous
Right?! But in all seriousness, I absolutely love him in everything I've seen him in. Even when a movie might suck, he is phenomenal. And his interviews make me feel like he might be a genuinely nice guy to be around. Too bad that any time he would speak, I would piss my pants. lol
I love the first Final Destination. I like the sequels too (I still switch lanes when I see a logging truck because of the second movie) but the OG Final Destination is the best.
If it makes you feel better, it's physically impossible for logs to bounce like that (as they discovered while filming it, logs are stupid heavy). They just fall on the ground next to the truck and stay there, so really, the side lane is less safe as that's where all the logs would end up.
@@leetri but then your car would hit the log and go careening into _another_ truck with logs sticking out the end, ramming them through your windshield and right into your face!
@@TheRealNormanBates You won't hit the logs if you're behind the truck because the logs are in the side lanes. You'll just hit the brakes and slow to a safe stop behind the truck because you're a responsible driver who gives ample distance between yourself and other vehicles so you can brake in time.
The original Final Destination is one of those teen horror movies I can watch again and again and never tire of it. The Faculty is another that comes to mind.
I have to admit this actually would have made for a really adequate X-files episode. I can just imagine Fox Mulder explaining the rules of Deaths plan to a skeptical Skully. But given what we got I'm still happy with. I remember liking the original premise and how it was a refreshing change from the typical slasher icon antagonist.
The concept of the OG ending sounds so much better, now a days every horror movie ends the exact same way with everyone dying. The idea of it ending hopefully and being about just living/enjoying your life makes it better.
I have a soft spot for Final Destination. specifically the first one since as a kid I used the beginning to justify my fear of heights and flying, but as I grew older its changed into a general belief that we weren't meant to be high up in the air.
These films were some of my favorites (with the exception of 4). I love the twist of Final Destination 5 and I consider it my second favorite in the franchise.
Ahh this was great! And thank you for covering the original Flight 180 script, I never knew it was available. I really love this movie, flaws and all. I’ve even warmed up to the later ones as more campy fun as well. Lately I’ve been trying to track down the Black Flame tie-in novels and they’ve been interesting.
Funny thing is that actress Lindsay Wagner, best known for "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman" had a sort of "Final Destination" experience of her own. On the 25th of May 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 from Chicago to Los Angeles crashed shortly after take-off. One of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10's engines hadn't been attached to the wing properly. And when it broke off, it caused a series of events that led the pilots to stalling the plane, sending it crashing into an airport hanger, and a caravan park. All 258 passengers and 13 crew onboard, and two people on the ground died in what was and still is America's worst air disaster. Lindsay Wagner was supposed to be on this flight as she was going to meet her parents, but by chance happened to come down with a stomach bug while waiting in the terminal.
The producers of the Bond films and the director and DP of You Only Live Twice were location scouting in Japan. They were booked on a flight to go back to London when they were told about an Aikido display happening. Thinking it might be something they could include in the film to add production value, they booked a later flight. The plane they were originally to get crashed with no survivors.
Loved Final Destination. The bus scene was one of the loudest audience reactions I've ever heard in a cinema. In the UK we're a pretty reserved bunch in the cinema, not as vocal as the US at all. That scene though, the audience I was with absolutely lost it, screaming, shouting, the laughter afterwards...it was great. Enjoyed 2 and 3 too. Pity it went so formulaic really, I'd have liked to have seen a sequel that focused on the authorities becoming aware of these incidents and looking to study what was happening, and why. Trying to predict death's design to take control of it in some way etc. Lots of different directions they could've went.
I think the touch of changing the characters to teenagers might have ramped up the horror aspect. They reached to the younger and older audience simultaneously by creating a cast that hit multiple levels. Teens watching were able to identify somewhat with them and thus be creeper out or shocked by their deaths. Especially the more sudden ones. Adults saw, depending on age, their own children or possibly the teen years they had just left behind. The deaths were, while a little convoluted, realistic. It created a "nobody is safe" mentality. This coverage was so well done and I can't imagine the amount of research that went into it. There's tons of stuff I had never heard about. It's kind of appropriate considering the current writer situation to talk about this movie. What we got was a far jump from the original and the creative mind was pushed into the background. For all of the studio's time wasted looking for a different writer it would seem they failed to fully acknowledge the one they already had. Also, considering the legacy this film spawned, there is a lesson to be learned about creative influence. The amount of times they changed the story is way more than I would have thought.
Thank you! I've been working on this the past few months and I'm happy with how it turned out. I do wonder how it would have been recieved if it was like the original script. It will never be made into a movie but it would be interesting to see if it could be made into a comic book like the original Alien 3. I think there were both positive and negative changes made to the film but overall, it ended up being a massive hit for New Line, which at the end of the day is really what the studio wanted. So by their perspective, they made the right choices.
I absolutely love these longer form exploration videos diving into the genesis of films such as these, and how they came to be. I feel like I learn more from your videos Cecil, than I would in a majority of film classes. Thanks for the all the hard work you do. These videos really make a positive difference in my day, whenever they come out. You’re one of the rare RU-vidrs who make videos that make me want to set aside time so I can watch this from start to finish, without interruption. Thank you!
I wish I could watch all of Cecils videos for the first time. When I first stumbled onto this channel, I was hooked instantly. I was on vacation so I spent ~10hrs per day devouring everything.
The new ending did match the rest of the movie tonally more than the hopeful one, as well as keep the tone consistent without the slow parts involving the pregnancy. I agree with the test audience, a baby added to the mix of characters dying to an unfeeling force would have made things extremely uncomfortable.
A Super big thanks on all the hard work you do! I'm sure these longer videos are more demanding of you, so a really big thanks for all the awesome content you make! The short ones about travelling ninjas, and shows no one ever watched (but now wants to) are great, but these longer ones are just so good I need to get popcorn for them. Thanks again!
The concept of this movie still freaks me out to this day as a grown ass man. It doesn't help that places like leveleak used to document such deaths online in all it's gruesome glory.
How does it make sense you ask??? Watch the video. Audiences want what they came to see. It's as simple as that. Horror fans don't want a love story and they don't want happy endings. No one who goes to see that movie with that poster promising this premise is going to want sappy feel-good shmaltz. That's the simple reality of it. The original movie didn't deliver what people wanted, and the studio was right to do what they did. If a movie isn't playing to the strengths of it's genre, than your "creative integrity" doesn't mean a thing, because it'll just bomb and no one will ever care about it. You can grouse about it until the end of time, but it doesn't change the indisputable fact that you HAVE to give the people what they want, and what they came for, because they'll just feel ripped off and cheated if they don't.
@@the-NightStar my question is how they can call something too predictable and then replace it with something equally predictable. If they called it "unfitting" sure. Go ahead. But their solution isn't solving the problem they presented with their thesis statement.
I've heard it suggested in The Final Destination (4) it's revealed Death itself giving the people the premonitions because it has a sick sense of humour. It kinda gave me the notion that the series is more meta than we think it is. As noted the movies devolved into finding more elaborate ways to kill people in more gruesome and darkly funny ways whilst sacrificing character, which made me think maybe Death is the audience for the movies. Messing with people by giving a premonition so it can find more elaborate ways to appease its love of the macabre.
@@GoodBadFlicks Couldn't tell you. The comic miniseries seemed to joke about it in that the premonition giver Carley fails every time to save anybody and nobody's order is skipped. It's suggested that she might be an unwitting agent of death because she keeps getting more and more premonitions/hints along the way, she has no lifeline when meeting a palm reader who says she resembles a mayan goddess (she does not in the slightest) and she literally vanishes into thin air at the end.
Damn, I'm watching this video thinking it was uploaded years ago. And when he said at 33:52, "now in 2023 . . ." I immediately pause and check the upload time, was shocked that it was uploaded 1 hour ago. Thank you for still doing this.
The movie & the franchise around it have really given the horror genre a fresh touch. They also fascinate me as each one always has some very creative ways for Death to claim lives of those who cheat it, like a Reaper with a very creative imagination & love for Rube Goldberg as I often say to friends/family
I've been addicted to this channel for years and was super pleased when our host appeared on in search of darkness 1. Have since purchased the other 2. Just wanted to say thank you for all the efforts. I used to download the audio versions of certain episodes which I still listen to today. My favourite episodes are... Halloween 3, ghostbusters 2 and Blair witch 2. Still on the hunt for the original cut of that as i like that film and would appreciate seeing the original version.
It's wired that I've only watched 2 and 3 and recently decided to watch the first one and a few weeks later you posted this lol It's probably the most complete video on Final Destination I've watched so far. Thanks!
I love this movie! In all honesty, the death that got to me the most was Tod’s. The image of the blood vessels in his eyes breaking as he struggled just messed me up. I still have to look away every time I watch the movie.
LOL its true. Its also sad how many terrible critical reviews have hurt genuinely good movies. Then years later the movie is "rediscovered" and they admit they were wrong all those years ago.
Final Destination is one of my favorite thrillers and horror movies ever made even with the great soundtrack score by the late Shirley Walker. It’s very convincing to make death in different patterns especially anyone whom made it with have death to its needs in accidental deaths or much worse. It’s an absolute blast to rewatch for Halloween. Great job, GoodBad Flicks. 😊
Love the explain series of the channel. I love how there is so much hard work to put into these types of videos that when they come out it brings a sense of joy while watching them. Final Destination is one of my favorite horror series BUT…I cannot watch the first part of the first movie. 20+ years later and I blame this movie for giving me the fear of flying. I can watch the 5th movie just fine, and love how the ending of that once goes full circle and brings us back to the first movie at the end. However, I cannot watch it in the first movie. also too, I feel like the second movie also gives people anxiety when they see log trucks.
I'm curious as to how it would have played out with the audiences back then. I think it would be more appreciated now but back then it would have been mocked as "lame".
A part of me wants to think that if they did go with the original ending, they still could have gone and made sequels. I love the original ending and vastly prefer it over the new one, but I do agree with Cecil in that the studio made the right call at the time because audiences would have thought it sucked and that the end needed more punch. A part of me wishes that there was a director's cut that splices all the deleted scenes in lol.
Loved the first film, the second film still has some of the best practical car stunts ever put on film. The highway pileup was a great setup for the rest of the film.
This GoodBadFlicks series is like an unofficial documentary of movie making process. I very much value the amount of effort that it must take to gather, structure und present all of this information in an entertaining format. Awesome.
Although I love the most of the "Final Destination" films, I still would have loved to see this in the form of an X-Files episode. This and the 3rd Final Destination films remain my favorites, especially the 3rd one since it was the first one I saw, and that film introduced me to Mary Elizabeth Winstead. And by the way, I never noticed until now Carter wet his pants, a very cool detail indeed.
New years eve 2000, my family visited another family and during the evening we rented 'Final Destination' for some entertainment while the adults were talking/drinking, that shower hanging has stuck with me for 23 years. Its the way his eyes blow up within...
When you said “interior” at 14:10 talking about how the airport was sometimes the real building and sometimes a set - that shot was at the food market at Granville island in Vancouver
I have to admit, I want the original ending because of the meaning of the ending. Now I see why the writers were upset why the audience wanted death than a meaningful ending
Great deep dive. This is a tangent, but thank you for referencing Soul Survivors in this video. I paid a ticket to see that film and considered it one of the worst movies I had ever seen. It rarely gets mentioned in film circles ever. It was released a few days before 9/11, so it was swiftly forgotten about. I love that it has all the trademarks of Artisan’s terrible horror output after Blair Witch- a nu metal score, bizarre editing choices, a confusing and watered down plot, cameos from other hip actors catering to the teen demo, and awkward inserts of gratuitious scenes (two roommates take a shower CLOTHED in the theatrical version I saw, which was billed as the Killer Cut version on release?), and they shamelessly put Eliza Dusku front and center on the poster even though she’s in a much smaller supporting role.
Thank you! Yeah, the fully clothed shower sequence was baffeling. I still have no idea what they were going for. I imagine it was in the script but the rating got changed to PG-13?
@GoodBadFlicks Absolutely baffling. My personal theory is that they added it into the script at the last minute, and actresses smartly refused nudity for it, and they shot it anyway. On top of that the characters are roommates/friends so it makes no sense either way.
Just to say also I work with a guy who studies film and I recently recommend the channel as you know your stuff and put in the work and he came back after a week and said this guy knows more then some of the teachers on my course so take that as a keep it up and your one of the best on here doing this content thanks as always
this was such a good video! i'd heard about final destination's origins, but had no idea about the full history behind it. and i have to agree, i think this is one of the few times where i've seen only positive results as a result of executive meddling. this was so good; thanks!
Man, i graduated the year this came out. Seeing this makes me look back and see how much my life has changed since then, ironically enough. Aging is fucked up.
Ahh it makes sense now. I always wondered why on the first kill death covered it tracks by removing the water but didn't bother doing it for any other kill. It always seemed odd to me that did.
It struck me too. I didn't notice the first time I watched the movie but after that I was wondering why death made the one look like a suicide but the rest were accidents.
That hokey Angel of Death idea would make for a hilarious dark comedy but I'm glad they scrapped it from Final Destination. I would have loved to see this as an X-Files episode though.
Boy, am I glad that they didn't went with the angel of death running around, roaring and taunting characters! Also I can't wrap my mind around why audience want to see the shittiest ending, they want to see MC dead and demon, or killer, or whatever win.
I haven't heard in this series for at least 15 years. Glad someone remembers it. It's like it got memory holed by everyone, while people still remember I know what you did last summer, Scream and even the grudge.
I saw this movie in the cinema when I was 14 and it was an absolute blast. I was very lucky to get the movie poster from the cinema when I asked the workers a few weeks later if I could have one and it was on the wall in my room for years.
Great video! 'Exploring' is among my favourite series on all of youtube. Whenever I watch a horror movie with friends we always watch your corresponding exploring video afterwards
Final Destination I'm almost proud it comes from my teen era of films. We had good shit, man. This was one of them. It holds up. The reviews were wrong. The collaborative nature of filmmaking was right on this occasion. All the decisions made for a better end product. The sequels were mostly great too.
