The Final (I) (2010) User Reviews

Pretty dark stuff here

[reddiemurf81 · 6/10 · 29 December 2020]

This is not one of those movies that I'd refer to as,, fun. I saw it first awhile back after it came out, so this is my 2nd viewing,, and my thoughts on it have still stayed the same. This is a great suspense/thriller for the content it contains. A group of High school misfits/outcasts set up a party and invite the popular kids to come. The popular kids who've spent the last few years torturing them (emotionally/psychologically/physically) daily at school. Why would the misifts do this? Well,, they're not planning on showing the cool kids a great time,, more like a night of horrors they'll never forget.

This movie should really ring true for everyone in some way. No matter whether you were the bully or the bullied,, we all have seen bullying and it's effects on people. Growing up I was bullied plenty, and it had a profound effect on me and my sense of self-worth. While I have grown up, and have a very healthy sense of self-worth now,, it took a VERY long time to get there. As I would hope everyone does, I look at things very different now. I don't wish anything against the bullies from my past,, but the scars are always there. I went to a restaurant with my family a couple of years ago,, and one of my bullies was there. I hadn't seen or thought about this guy in more than a decade or so,, but just being in the same room made everything come back. I was on the verge of a panic attack. He didn't acknowledge me, nor I him,, but I felt like that tormented kid again.

This movie (imo) does a good job of showing what can happen if people are pushed far enough. Especially considering the Godless/nihilistic views that are so prevalent in this day and age. I see how kids treat each other now, and it makes my generation almost look saintly (well, not quite,, but much nicer). We are living in the last days, that's for certain,, and it's gonna get worse before it gets better. Anyways,, I've said enough.

Had potential...

[damonspina · 5/10 · 24 April 2019]

It had a good enough story line leading up and kept me intrigued as to exactly how things would play out. Then it was as if the story writers gave up. What I had anticipated to be the better half of the movie, quickly went downhill. The revenge on the bullies was too rushed and characters had to explain what was happening rather than let the screen 'tell' it. Ended with too many 'What happens to ...?' and leaves a lot of holes in the story.

Nice try but...

[EternalFlameOfFreedom · 4/10 · 11 April 2010]

I honestly don't know what others find so good in this film to boost its reviews because there isn't something worth of praise.

Plot line in film info page says it all, so there is no surprise or something unexpected to hold you on the edge of the seat. Story is shallow but I suppose that little higher impact on this film would be empathy from people for those kids who wants that revenge.

Acting is OK but nothing worth of praise and none of the actors in this film stands up. Atmosphere and locations are rather good but unfortunate try to make this film horror genre lacks enough scariness and dark sensations that they try to show through this film, beside that, there isn't even blood and gore to replace that lack of story so this film should be viewed only as drama/thriller with few scary scenes.

However my rating maybe is low due to fact that I didn't like this film but I simply cannot tell watch it. However if someone is willing to watch it, don't even try to expect much from it.

Glorified High School production

[i_york · 3/10 · 4 August 2010]

This movie appears to draw inspiration from the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Saw franchise, but fails to impress due to wooden acting, a woeful script, an almost complete lack of visual effects and poor character development. The whole movie basically feels like a glorified high school stage play with largely very amateurish acting. As a result, this movie ends-up being a rather boring affair... the abysmal acting and script conspire to wreck any sense of immersion into the already weak story. The premise of 'The Final' is sound and this movie could have been very good with the right production values and budget (not forgetting decent actors). Instead, check-out the British movie Outlaw for a much more accomplished revenge and retribution flick.

Interesting, to say the least

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 18 May 2010]

Well this movie was a surprise. I was expecting some mediocre mass-produced horror flick, but it proved to be much more than that.

There is a genuine disturbing aspect to the story of this movie. It shows the darker and scarier sides of mankind's mentality and the lengths of which some will go. Of course, what happens in the movie is a bit out there and a bit too over the top, but still there is some sense of disturbing reality to it. And that is what makes this movie so cool, the essence of its twisted character.

The cast of the movie did a good job in bringing their characters to life in believable ways, and hats off to them for that. For without these performances the movie would not work as well as it did.

And it was also a nice touch to see references to other horror movies, especially the reference to one of my all time ever favorite horror movies, the Japanese movie "Audition". This surely brought a smile to my lips.

This movie is not scary in the tradition sense of trying to scare you out of your seat, but it plants a seed of forebrooding dread, a seed that blooms throughout the movie as the events come to be. This movie gets under your skin and will stay with you for some time, as it bears many similarities to events that have happened throughout the years, or events that would very likely come to happen.

I recommend this movie strongly, especially if you like movies that give you stuff to think about. Do not expect to be scared out of your mind, but know that you will be in for some psychological thrills and scares.

This movie should not be missed.

attempt to ride on gross-out horror gravy train sorriest seen so far

[pocky404 · 2/10 · 14 September 2010]

I'll give two stars because I loved watching this movie the way I love watching a train wreck.

The "popular high school girls" are mid twenties at best and dressed and styled like porn stars, boob jobs intact. They refer to themselves as "hot chicks" and when one is depressed before the party is told to cheer up by "thinking of all the drinking and hot sex". Parodific.

The "bullies" are two Russians who take out their closet homosexual tendencies on the Indian kid and the main character (the one guy from degrassi! biggest star in the movie) by slapping them upside the head (they're too dumb to sit in front of someone else s it doesn't happen) and breaking their "expensive" $200 video camera. Oh yea, and they throw their milk on someone. Torturing and killing them is definitely just revenge, right? The "victims" are one chunky Nazi (A monocled Nazi. We're supposed to be on their side?) that you never actually see bullied, a tall lanky kid who plays a banjo, presumably because guitar is too difficult, an emo goth girl ("I think you guys would really like me if you just gave me a chance" to the popular girls, yet we see her acupuncture a guy to death and are still supposed to sympathize?) a skinny Indian kid who gets bullied the most (AND YET EVENTUALLY GETS KILLED BY THE MAIN VICTIM DANE WHO WE ARE STILL SUPPOSED TO BE ROOTING FOR EVEN THOUGH HE BECOMES THE ULTIMATE BULLY)and Dane. You get one scene each to learn about the character's family life. Goth girl's parents ignore her, so do Indian kid's and lanky kids (his goodbye speech to his father is laughably bad). The mastermind Dane's parents just fight so much it makes him want to kill himself I guess but he decides to take it out on everyone else.

They plan a Halloween party and it's pretty bitchin'. I bet if they would have taken credit for the party they would have become popular. But instead they poison the drinks and between everyone fainting and waking up at the same time they chain them up. Not just the bullies, but everyone who was friends with the bullies, including some peace-loving hippies and a blonde girl who disappears near the end of the film. Though the now-victims have a good amount of chain length to stand up in, instead they sit on the ground and wait for their end (as people are maimed within arm's reach) so lethargically that it is impossible to care.

The first torture: Dane, who is not only a gun enthusiast with his unexplainable collection of assault rifles, is also a master chemist who created a special acid that eats away at the flesh of your face after three minutes. They apply it to the face of the alpha popular girl, and the tension builds as you wait for her flesh to get boiled away. And wait. Aaaand the next time you see her is at the end of the movie in a room with all the other passed out victims. She was just inexplicably dumped there I guess. Talk about anticlimactic.

The second torture: Beta bully and Beta popular girl have to cut off each other's fingers. Gruesome! Lots of blood, right? Except as the little rubber finger chunks get snipped to the ground way too fluidly, the wounds instantly cauterize. Apparently there was no room in the budget for blood after buying the main character's two different costume changes.

Third torture: Dane is not only a chemist/arms lord, but also a neurosurgeon! He "paralyzes" the main bully with a knife to the spine. Laughable.

There's a completely inane subplot in which they set free the only popular kid who was "nice" to them ("nice" meaning he self-promoted to them and asked if they would film him for free because he is trying to be a music star) , but I won't even go into it. Some old guy gets spiked in the balls but only wounded on the thighs. Sadface I wanted to see some ball damage.

Moral of the story? It's better to kill yourself than to live ugly. Watch the movie to the end and find out how its message is one of the most shallow things I've seen and undermines everything it seems to be against.

This movie has some of the most lazy direction I have ever seen. Every other shot is a slow zoom shot (how dynamic) and every single scene is shot from one direction with one camera. I have no idea why people are complimenting the direction and camera crew. They even use soft beauty lighting. Every single actor is afraid to break any bounds. Those who obviously have a little experience are playing against wooden dolls. The only passable scene is the one where the goth girl is talking the beta male into toruturing the girl. The director should have known that if a horror film is not believable it's laughable, and should have pushed these actors into feeling SOMETHING. It was like watching Hollywood rejects get their "big movie break" most of the time.

Oh, and guys, if you don't have time to explain your subplot about how the support characters look EXACTLY like the main characters because you were too cheap to get different costumes, maybe you should think about cutting out the entire lame subplot next time. Direction, casting, acting, script: when no elements work, it adds up to one of the most godawful movies I've ever been told was good. This one never should have left the film school classroom. Watch it to see how a gross-out horror film, or any horror film, SHOULDN'T be done.

Revenge of the Nerds meets Jigsaw

[TheXeroXone · 7/10 · 25 February 2011]

Not a great film, but not as horrible the run of the mill torture fests that have been pumped out as of late. The torture scenes are, for the most part, very badly acted out (with the notable exception of Emily's character) with very little blood (there's more blood in an Indiana Jones fight scene), but also very poetic as each bully and princess is confronted with their own crime and "punished" accordingly.

Granted this film probably wont do for school bullies what Fatal Attraction did for adulterers, but its definitely a step in that direction. Don't believe me? Take a look at the message boards for this film and look at all the posts coming from people scared that people are going to take this film literally.

As you watch this film, please remember that society and its shared ethics are based on a willingness to co-exist. When all is said and done, what have you done to make people want to co-exist with you? When people are no longer willing, will someone be coming for you?

Pretty terrible piece of low budget trash.

[santisodapop · 3/10 · 20 August 2010]

This movie was pretty terrible. Poor script. Poor, cliché acting, and terrible editing. People rave that this is clever and cool. How? Bloody revenge by nerds is supposed to be cool and clever? Really?! The popular kids were extreme caricatures. Is the message to applaud violence and remember to beware of the nerds? Are we supposed to be rooting for these not-so popular kids? I give it three stars cause the little Gothic girl was actually pretty good. But the rest was AWFUL. Waste your time if you want a good laugh. he story is weak. The characters are underdeveloped and the script is lacking anything remotely redeeming. This falls under the category of torture porn for high schoolers. High school sucks. Get over it. Life gets better. Sure it's full of hardships but is violence the only recourse? I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a comedy or not. I liken this to being as good as From Justin to Kelly with lots of blood. Watch it if you have nothing else better to do.

Seemed like a great idea but it still goes wrong.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 6/10 · 5 July 2010]

It's a bit of shame. This movie seemed to have some real potential, due to its concept but it still manages to go wrong, pretty early on in the movie already. It's still a movie with lots of great ideas and some good moments but the movie doesn't really known how it wants to make you feel and the movie therefore feels confusing and messy.

Let's face it; the premise of having a bunch of bullies get taken revenge on by their 'victims' sounds like an awesome idea, you can do so much good and interesting with. Lots of stuff that you can cheer for, since everybody till some extend can definitely identify with the bullied persons in this movie. And while the movie does this at points it also really crosses the lines of morality. Seriously, how is what these kids are doing in their movie any less worse than those kids who did those school shootings because they always got bullied, or for whatever other reason? The movie doesn't really seem to know how it wants to make you feel. The one moment you are really sympathizing for the bullied persons, who are taking revenge but at others you are disgusted and shocked by the way they are taking their revenge.

But it definitely is a movie that is still being mostly entertaining. It isn't being too heavy on its subject and it just doesn't try to handle it too seriously. This is what still makes "The Final" a very watchable movie. Even when the movie really starts to cross the border you won't get too disturbed by it, due to the entire way the movie got shot and set up.

The entire premise of this movie might sound gory but the horror fans will still most likely miss some real good gore and disturbing shocking moments in this. It definitely is no "Saw" or "Hostel", though the movie might sound like that. I don't even remember really any blood in this. It's not because they didn't wanted to have any probably but more because they simply couldn't. It's not a very high budget movie, which is OK, since the movie does very well with the resources it did have.

It's a good enough movie, that just doesn't live up to its premise and potential well enough.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Major lack of continuity

[scott_is_hot · 1/10 · 20 February 2011]

There is a major lack of continuity near the end of the film. Where the old war veteran is in the woods and sets off a trap, howling in pain from is wounds, Jack played by Eric Isenhower comes running to investigate. Jack then points his shotgun at the war veteran, but is instead killed by him with shots from his pistol. In the next few scenes we see Jack walking in the house. Furthermore, Andy played by Travis Tedford goes out to check on Jack. He finds Jack dead and then goes over to the war veteran(who he thinks is dead as well) but when he turns him over and he is shot dead with the pistol as well. Yet again we see both characters in the next few scenes. Then Kurtis played by Jascha Washington comes back into contact with the old war veteran in the woods and he says " I got two of them" Kurtis then proceeds to save the rest of the kids in the house and upon doing so when he returns into the house we see both Jack and Andy are still alive in the house.

I seriously do not know how they could have missed such big errors in the film.

Not to be missed

[Tracieew · 9/10 · 1 October 2010]

I was told to watch this from some of my friends under the pre-tense that it was chilling. I was not disappointed. It starts of showing what most schools are like, you have the popular kids who are beautiful and basically rule the school, and then you have the kids who are the outcasts. They are bullied everyday, all day for no apparent reason. This of course causes them great distress and so they decide to band together to get revenge. There is an atmosphere of tension throughout the film, which makes it impossible to turn away. There are some truly horrid scenes which aren't very gory but will make you grit your teeth and hope it ends soon. The actors did a good job on both parts to portray normal kids who have gone a bit "mad" and of being tortured. I recommend that you watch this

Not for everyone, but an interesting look at bullying/torture.

[jlandwer · 7/10 · 1 February 2010]

Yes, I'll go ahead and say that first and foremost, this movie is not for everyone. If you can't stand torture, you will simply not like The Final. For those who do, this movie is a rare gem that didn't rely on the gore factor, but earns its praise through terrific acting. I was really looking forward to this movie as a part of Horrorfest, but expected the acting to bring its quality down a peg. I was dead wrong, other than some stuck-up cheerleader types who were played a little over the top for my taste, the actors playing both hunter and hunted did a tremendous job. There are a few moments where you'll say "why doesn't so and so do this to escape" or "what's going on behind the scenes here". Some minor characters had flaws as well, but were given little to work with in their respective roles. I don't really believe there are more than a handful of 10/10 movies out there, and this one just doesn't make that cut. I give it a 7 because I would've liked to see more development, and there were truly things I would've changed in the script. Overall though, a great job building tension and suspense.

Overlong, but had some merits. Could have been better with editing.

[mike_brunton · 3/10 · 18 March 2010]

First of all, this movie was way too long. It ran to 90 minutes but would have been better sticking to 75-80 with some more editing. Acting was fair although of course there were no 'stand out' performances from the young cast. The setting of the story in a high school and the plot -revenge are of course nothing new, it was therefore up to the writer and director to create some shock value. Unfortunately in the age of SAW and their ilk going down the route of gore doesn't really work. I think some writers and directors really need to review a lot of old classics to see how enticing great acting is. Of course great acting is helped with some really good lines and an imaginative plot that speaks to all people not just a sub sector of society. Is it just me, or are too many horror movies made these days with the teen American market in mind and who cares about anyone else? I would add though, that I have always liked American high schools as a setting; they being a natural melting pot of races,classes,political views,and societies. Here there were 99% white with a token African-American thrown in and the worst stereotypes imaginable. I gave this movie a 5 because horror is nearly my favorite genre, if it wasn't I would have given it a 3, and probably not have made it to the very weary end.

Not Very Good

[Athanatos173 · 1/10 · 15 March 2010]

Not a very well thought out movie, there were too many errors in editing, such as someone dying and then suddenly back in the movie again, way too many times to count.

It really looked like they just took the reel of film and distributed it without watching it themselves, as it is impossible to overlook these mistakes.

The acting was pretty good for a low budget movie, especially Lindsay Seidel and Jascha Washington, but the script is too far fetched and not very believable.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, as there are far better movies of this general type out there, and they don't look and feel as though some first year film school student directed it.

Deeper insight into bullying

[jedmonds-691-762586 · 7/10 · 16 October 2013]

Let me start off by saying that the horror genre is not my cup of tea. I almost never watch it unless at a friend's house late at night and even then I'm a little bit reluctant. But today, I was scrolling through Netflix with nothing to watch. I finally gave in and saw what movies were in the horror section. After doing a little snooping around in that section, I found The Final. The reason it stood out to me is because it's a revenge movie against bullies, which is cliché, but I've never heard of one so violent. So I had to check it out. I was not disappointed.

The first thing I'd like to address is the acting. Other critics are giving it negative feedback, but I didn't see any flaws in it. There are some characters who could've been played a little better, but besides that, the acting was pretty good for a low-budget film. Emily (Lindsay Seidel) stands out to me acting wise. As far as bad acting, I thought Justin Arnold could've played Bradley better, but again, for a low- budget film, other than some small kinks, the acting was pretty good. This movie is more psychological horror-wise. Unlike most horror movies nowadays, it's not a constant blood and gore fest. Where they go light on the blood and gore they replace with dialogue that is well crafted. That's something in particular I love about this movie, instead of showing the blood and gore, they make you imagine it, which I think is much more powerful than showing it itself.

Let's face it, if you've been bullied, you've thought about the things that happen in this movie. You've probably never contemplated doing it, but I guarantee anybody who's been bullied has thought about these scenarios. Does that make them psychos? No, it's our actions that make us who we are, not are thoughts. Back on topic though, I've read reviews that said this film advocated this kind of behavior, but I disagree. I think it's more of an insight of what can happen when the bullied are pushed too far. While it's over the top, it gets the point across effectively.

The only weak link in this movie for me is the sub plot. I read in another review "...the subplot is so shakily executed by the young actor it threatens to implode the tension." Agreed. But it's not only the acting that takes away from it. I just found it boring in general. I found myself thinking "Alright, when can we get back to the house." But, it didn't take away from the main plot. It was bearable. I'll never look at bullying the same way again. I've been bullied, and regrettably, I've been the bully. I've never realized the psychological effect it can have. While it is a movie, and the scenario in this movie is not exactly realistic, it can happen other forms (for example: Colombine).

Overall, this movie was eye opening. Good acting, good horror effects, not the best wardrobe or subplot, but that doesn't take away from the movie. 7/10 overall.

The director needs to go back to school ...

[colin_coyne · 3/10 · 9 August 2010]

Set in the Rocky Branch, Texas, THE FINAL – is a tale about some kids at high-school who get bullied and abused … until they eventually team up and turn the tables on their oppressors to exact revenge on those that tortured them …

As this preview was being shown at 11:30pm – and it was way beyond the "watershed" – it is being widely promoted as THE horror film to see … I was expecting this film to be quite a shocker … and indeed it was … only, not in the way that the producers and the director intended …

It has been a long, long time since I've seen such a boring pile of drivel … it's hard to know where to start … the direction, casting, acting, music and cinematography on this film were ALL underwhelming … I've seen scarier things on Coronation Street … or a bit of mouldy cheese … truly!

Everything is laboured and drawn out … there were parts of the film that were supposed to be building up tension – but people were just laughing at the appalling acting and ineptitude of what we were watching ...

It's also been some time since I've seen so many people (at least 20-30) get up and leave the cinema with still an half hour to go …

I would like to say SOMETHING positive here about this film … but in all honest ... I just can't

I felt that this was a waste of a night out – that I would rather have (and should have) spent in the pub …

I believe that there is going to be a film studio and some producers that are going to lose a lot of money with this film release …

The FINAL is 93 Min's long (although it seems much longer!), and is on general release from Friday 13th August 2010

Based on a true story......Really?

[FlashCallahan · 6/10 · 24 February 2017]

If this really is based on a true story, then I feel sorry for the parents of the victims that this film was ever made.

So i'm ignoring the fact that it could be 'fact' and will review it as a film.

The plot is basically this, a group of high-school outsiders get fed up of being bullied by your atypical bullies who throw milk at them, spit in their books, etc.

They devise an elaborate plan from their joint love of horror films to teach all of their antagonists a lesson.

So they all dress up as their favourite horror characters (none of which I can recall), and invite them all to a costume party.

once the party starts, the outsiders party really gets started.....

For a low budget horror film, it's really well made, with good performances from the initial victims, and with many nods to other horror films, Audition in particular, and hints of Rob Zombie in the third act.

But the other victims are just so one dimensional, you couldn't really care what happens to them. At the beginning of the siege, the hostages are all arrogant toward the victims,and bearing in mind this is supposedly based on a true story, it just doesn't fit well if you put yourself in that situation.

But there are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing, and one remarkable element to the film, which makes it all the more sinister, is that it has an element of Van Sant's 'Elephant' to it.

It's a solid enough horror movie, never outstaying it's welcome, but like I said at the top, if it really was based on a true story, it was done in bad taste.

Wow, was this bad. Acting??

[ccblazer · 2/10 · 19 March 2010]

The tale of the nerds getting revenge on the bullies. Sound familiar. That's what we get in this movie. What we don't get is any characters that we care about. or believe. Yes, they are nerds but not that nerdy. The bullies are your standard fare that we've grown accustomed to. But what really ruins this is the acting and I use this term lightly. The acting is atrocious, the school girls the worst I've ever seen. Really, in the end i wanted all the characters to die. Maybe they did, I turned it off at about 45 minutes. Not an original line, character or bit of thought went into this. But i did laugh a few times although it wasn't intended by the movie. A nerd wears a gas mask and the moronic bullies don't know who it is and are surprised when they find out. Duh. There was a supposed torture scene that was hysterically bad. I don't think I've ever seen a dumber scene. Don't waste your time here. This truly is not a Horror-fest film.

High school in Dallas: the uncool ambush the cool with too many speeches.

[suite92 · 6/10 · 11 October 2013]

The opening is in black and white, and is nicely done. It seems to set up a revenge motive.

The shift to now and full color was a big one.

In a history class, the teacher quotes 'There was a price to pay for your actions,' from the past in China.

The setup is pretty clear. The cool boys are big, heavy, strong, violent; they are entitled bullies and thieves to the core. The uncool boys are smaller, perhaps decent at some time in their lives, and vulnerable to the cool boys. The cool girls have ample bosoms, expensive clothes, no shame, and plenty of contempt for girls they think of as uncool.

The uncool boys and girls plot revenge based in the present, and the viewer is expected to enjoy it based on the imbalances exposed in the narrative. Filmed in Dallas? Not a surprise there. It is odd that Texas accents are largely absent.

There's a party where the uncool kids spiked the drinks. They chain up all the cool kids.

"The good news is, we don't plan to kill you. The bad news is, you will wish that we had." Unfortunately, the uncool kids talk too much.

The rest of the film is about torture and death, plus a little hunting humans at night in the woods.

The plot is pretty thin, in other words. The middle part is overly long and slow. Get on with it.

-------Scores--------

Cinematography: 10/10 Absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, degenerate teens are on screen almost all the time. Still, the visuals are extra fine in HD streamed from Netflix. The film looked mediocre at best on standard definition when I saw it the first time on satellite TV.

Sound: 10/10 Fine. There is music, but it is not leveled up 20db, which is all too common.

Acting: 6/10 OK given the screenplay.

Screenplay: 4/10 The adults are largely absent or impotent or complicit or corrupt. The teens are shallow and entitled and violent. Got it. There's about 15 minutes of plot spread over 92 minutes. An uncool adult (Vietnam hero screwed over by American society) does show a minor counter-current of integrity toward the end.

A borderline pass.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 22 June 2013]

I love a good revenge fantasy wherein the viewer can put themselves in the shoes of the downtrodden as they dish out justice to deserving jerks, but it's unlikely that many people will experience such satisfaction with this particular film, the high-school outcasts who plan to get even with their tormentors going way too far in their quest for retribution. Not only does the film fail as a satisfying revenge flick, but it is also barely passes as a torture-porn style horror, with not nearly enough eye-watering graphic gore to satisfy the genre's bloodthirsty fans.

Where the film works best is as a cautionary tale, showing exactly what can happen if one allows a desire for revenge to become all-consuming; the film makes it abundantly clear that such a path can only lead to suffering for ALL involved. Sadly, although the film might possibly work as a deterrent for potential vengeful nerds, I doubt that bullies will get the message that picking on the weak is wrong: most of them are far too stupid to grasp that concept.

Shockingly Tasteful

[jamesofthedead2991 · 8/10 · 15 March 2010]

I was apprehensive when I approached The Final, choice cut of Afterdark Horrorfest 2010. Any movie portraying school related violence runs the risk of offending many, but The Final, crafted with this in mind, scores a home-run by walking the tightrope and putting on a class act.

The main characters were anti-heroes, to be sympathized with, but certainly not to be admired (even by the most disturbed of movie goers). I personally appreciated the well crafted chemistry among the villains. The violence was well orchestrated as well. The film relied more on suspense than gore, something to be admired in a horror film these days.

Overall, The Final proved to a highly entertaining piece, while delivering some serious catharsis when the credits rolled to those of us who feared offense. It's not perfect in all its areas, but it was the best of the Horrorfest, as far as I'm concerned.

Definitely Worth Watching

[zofryer · 7/10 · 16 March 2010]

The Final (2010) is a low budget movie. What it succeeds in doing is not failing completely in any way, while providing a unique and almost universal unspoken perspective. There's an undocumented struggle in high school between the 10 percent that "get it" because they had parents clueful enough to explain how the world actually works, and the rest of the student body that has no idea what's going on. The kids with smart parents have the cheat codes, and are prepared. That's what it really boils down to. If your parents were going nowhere or too busy, they did not have the presence of mind to explain how high school works to their kids or had already worked hard to forget high school because of how painful it was for them.

This movie is about the tortured masses banding together, and exacting righteous revenge on their tormentors. Not something I endorse, but I get it. Any of us, no matter what side we found ourselves on in high school KNOW how bad it can get. We can see how deep and hard the psychological torture is. That is why deep down inside, when we hear about a school shooting, we aren't all that surprised. We understand. We knew the people that got hurt/kicked/abused daily by the rising stars, and were ignored by the school staff. We wondered when they'd crack. We worried they'd find automatic weapons. We joked about it. That being said…

In this movie, the "uncool" kids have had enough. They plan a trap. They draw their tormentors in by taking advantage of their egos. They divide and torture them. They single out the abusers that have been tormenting them since grade school, and they exact precise revenge. You can tell the author is either unaware of how the world works, or is being intentionally obtuse. He either never figured out the magic trick for belonging, or is trying to appeal directly to the majority that never belonged. And he failed to hit upon the major gulf between the disparaged:

While the down trodden take everything VERY seriously and equate things to life or death, the "cool kids" never take it very seriously. These kids are repeating taught behavior. Their parents beat it into them. That's WHY they became winners. In their own messed up way, they are unintentionally trying to teach the people that don't fit in how life works, and that's the big secret to why they go out into the world and make it their own.

The truly sad thing is, the party that the outcasts threw as a trap would have been a great vehicle to boost their popularity. If they had just took the masks off at the end of the night and said, "hey, we did this" it would have been enough. That's kinda how it works. That's what the unpopular and uncool don't understand. Their tremendous pain at not being accepted or loved is easily remedied by making a token effort to do something awesome.

Still, as a platform for horror, despite the obvious budget deficiency, and some admittedly shaky acting, it works. It works because the kids would have been shaky. It works very very well evinced by the sheer volume of babble I've felt fit to emit. And there is a message at the end. One that has already been shown to be true. Kids that aren't taught properly how to function in the world will lash out, and sometimes they'll hurt or kill their abusers and they have only their inept parents to blame for it. Too many parents make no effort to ensure their children will adjust socially, and the blame for school violence falls squarely at their feet.

See this movie. It's one of a kind.

Don't even try it, sooo bad...

[quaquaque · 1/10 · 20 August 2011]

Terrible movie in every aspect, with an absolute lame plot (kids bullied at school turn into sadistic killers, soo stupid and absurd) , terrible acting, full of clichés, total absence of tension, an so on and on... this film is so moronic, trying to be ¨profound¨ with script lines so pathetic like ¨you made me a monster¨ or ridiculous moments like the lotion that the kids prepared that first feel good and then turn into acid! hahaha so idiotic, they are like chemical nerds my goodness...and the kids dresses who can be frightened with a guy dresse like an ss officer in 2011!! and the clown my god he looks like a 12 year old kid, wtf!! please avoid this piece of crap, period!

Premise good... Movie bad.

[mdf-87936 · 3/10 · 28 July 2020]

There's really not much I can say about this movie other than it's premise was a very good one. However, it fell flat on it's face due to it's over the topness (if that's even a word). There is nothing I enjoy more than to watch bad people get what's coming to them. Films like Taken, Man on Fire, heck even Missing In Action give me that satisfaction. This one just doesn't quite do it for me. The one thing that gets me is that the bullies are waaaay over the top. It's as if the people who wrote this moved from infancy to adulthood skipping their teenage years all together and guessing on how they act. Yes there are jocks and cheerleaders and certain cliques; but they tried too hard to stereotype them. I'm just glad this movie wasn't out when I was in highschool. I'd hate to think what the nerds would've done to me. Okay, I'm finished. I better make some phone calls and apologize to certain people before they get any ideas.

Basically outcasts fight back

[madchefks · 7/10 · 22 February 2013]

This starts out as a simple , honor student vs Joe quarterback / prom queen .. High tempo , fast paced and to the point .

Simple revenge quickly escalates out of control .. Exciting simple movie ... A few gory parts , making it interesting to the traditional horror viewer But noting very extensive .... Just what you have come to expect ....from good vs bad rich vs poor... Little comedy or satire slices fitting into a well orchestrated plan of revenge and twisted justice ... All in all "b" grade cast "b" grade acting and a grade "A"simple storyline

If you can make it past the acting and the script the movie is quite enjoyable... Simple fun Friday night