 In contrast , the film gathered positive reviews from top critics . Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun @-@ Times enjoyed the film and gave it three out of four stars , stating that " Final Destination will no doubt be a hit and inspire the obligatory sequels . Like the original Scream , this movie is too good to be the end of the road . I have visions of my own " . Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle praised the film , saying " [ it ] was playful and energized enough to keep an audience guessing " . Joe Leydon of Variety praised the film , saying " [ it ] generates a respectable amount of suspense and takes a few unexpected turns while covering familiar territory " , while Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times said it was " a terrific theatrical feature debut for television veterans Glen Morgan and James Wong " . Chris Kaltenbach of The Baltimore Sun found the film " fitfully thrilling " , while Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide defined the film as " serviceable enough , if you come to it with sufficiently modest expectations " . 
