Clear Rivers

Clear Rivers
Final Destination character
Ali Larter as Clear Rivers in the first film
First appearance	Final Destination
Last appearance	Final Destination 5
Created by	Jeffrey Reddick
Portrayed by	Ali Larter
Information
Full name	Clear Marie Rivers
Gender	Female
Occupation	Artist Former: High school student (at Mt. Abraham High)
Family	Unnamed male Rivers (father; deceased) Unnamed woman (mother; estranged) Unnamed man (stepfather; estranged)
Significant other(s)	Alexander "Alex" Browning (boyfriend; deceased)
Location	Mt. Abraham, New York
Status	Deceased
Cause of death	Incinerated in oxygen explosion

Clear Marie Rivers is the fictional character in the Final Destination film series, portrayed by Ali Larter.^[1][2] Clear serves as the main deuteragonist in both Final Destination and Final Destination 2. A senior at Mt. Abraham High School, Clear is one of the students aboard Volée Airlines Flight 180.^[3] She is the only survivor of the Flight 180 disaster to live through the second film, intervening in the new Death's List.^[4] She is the seventh and last survivor of Flight 180, the only character to not die in the original movie.^[5]

Fictional biography

Early life

Clear Marie Rivers was born in 1982 to a couple from the fictional town of Mt. Abraham, New York.^[6] Her father was murdered in a 7-11 store while buying cigarettes, causing Clear's mother to spiral into depression. Her mother eventually remarried, though they decided to leave Mt. Abraham and Clear behind. Clear Rivers is frequently seen by other classmates at Mt. Abraham High as mysterious and sly, but is very trustworthy.^[7] Clear was one of the students to ride Volée Airlines Flight 180 to Paris, France.^[3]

Films

Final Destination

In the first film, the seniors at Mt. Abraham High School are flying to Paris for their school trip. During boarding however, Alex Browning foresees the airliner exploding in mid-air, and warns everyone inside of the accident. Among all passengers of Flight 180, Clear is the only one who believed his statements. Along with Alex and five others, Clear is removed from the plane, which explodes instantly after departure. At the memorial for the flight victims, Clear presents Alex a white rose as gratitude for saving her life, starting their relationship. After the deaths of Tod Waggner and Terry Chaney, Alex and Clear meet William Bludworth, who claims about Death and its consequences. After Alex's conclusion that Death will claim those lives which should've been lost in the plane, Alex and Clear plot to save the remaining survivors. Still, the pair fails in their attempt, except for Carter Horton. However, after Carter's survival, Clear is attacked by Death by trapping her inside her car with live wires. Alex saves Clear by electrocuting himself, and is revealed to have survived. At the end of the film, the trio finally arrive in Paris, Clear saves Alex from a speeding bus, yet also witnesses Carter's death.^[7]

Alternate ending

In the alternate ending of the original film, Alex and Clear had sex on the beach after meeting Carter and Billy Hitchcock at their school, resulting to Clear's pregnancy. Later on, Alex dies of his electrocution while saving Clear from the car. Nine months later, Clear gives birth to Alexander Chance Browning and reunites with Carter, knowing that they finally defeated Death.^[8][9]

Final Destination 2

In the second film of the series, Clear is revealed to be the only Flight 180 survivor to have survived a year after the disaster. She has committed herself to the Stonybrook Mental Institution to protect herself from Death. Kimberly Corman, the film's visionary, asks for Clear's help to save the survivors of the New York State Route 23 accident. With the help of William, Clear and Kimberly learn that only new life can defeat Death, and the infant of survivor Isabella Hudson may stop Death. With Officer Thomas Burke, Clear and Kimberly make a plan to try and save the remaining pile-up survivors. After the deaths of five of the Route 23 survivors, Clear, Kimberly, and Thomas stop the deaths of Isabella and her baby at the Lakeshore Hospital, defeating Death. However, Kimberly has a vision of Isabella's survival from the accident, thus, she wasn't meant to die at all. Understanding the situation, Clear locates Eugene Dix's room at the hospital. Finding him in an oxygenated room, Clear opens the door, loosening the plug of Eugene's defibrillator. The plug completely detaches, creating a spark that caused a huge fire throughout Eugene's room, killing both Clear and Eugene.^[5]

Clear's death was shown in the opening credits through X-rays in The Final Destination and briefly appeared in archive footage in Final Destination 5.

Casting

Ali Larter, famous for portraying Niki Sanders in the TV series Heroes, played Clear Rivers in both Final Destination and Final Destination 2. Larter's role is one of only two characters to appear in at least two films, the other one being Tony Todd's character William Bludworth.

Ali Larter, who starred in the 1999 film Varsity Blues, was cast as female lead Clear Rivers. Larter defined her role as "that girl who has a lot of loss in her life and has fallen for herself, and had made a life within that. She's an artist, she lives by herself, and she's kinda holding to her grip for what the world has given her."^[10][11]

Reception

Larter's performance in Final Destination earned her the Young Hollywood Award for a Breakthrough Performance by a Female^[12] and a nomination from Blockbuster Enertainment Awards for Favorite Actress in Horror (Internet Only).^[13]

"Ali Larter (2001's "Legally Blonde") reprises her role as Clear Rivers, accurately playing her as an emotionally worn-down young woman who may still be alive, but realizes that it is only a matter of time before fate has its way with her. It is a shame she doesn't have more to do, though."

— Dustin Putman of TheMovieBoy.com pointing out the vulnerability and deficiency of Larter's role in Final Destination 2.^[14]

Larter also gathered mixed reviews among critics. Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News said that "Ali Larter plays the only person who believes in [Sawa] - her name is Clear, which sums up the movie's entire philosophy of character development.";^[15] while Joe Leydon of Variety claimed that "Larter never seems to be entirely at ease in her part, and it's hard to shake the suspicion that one key scene --- the first one-on-one conversation between Alex and Clear --- is annoyingly jagged because of an attempted editing room salvage job."^[16] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle noted Alex and Clear's relationship: "Larter and Sawa, who becomes more scruffy and wild-eyed as the film progresses, make an appealing pair.";^[17] while Dustin Putman of TheMovieBoy.com praised Larter's role:

Ali Larter (1999's "Varsity Blues"), in the other central role, is also effective, as a girl whose life was going well until her father died in a convenience store shooting years before, leaving her stuck with an increasingly uncaring mother who married a loutish man--the exact opposite of her now-deceased father.^[18]

Similarly, her performance in Final Destination 2 garnered mixed reviews too. Many critics commented about the lack of use of Larter's role. Robert Koehler of Variety said that Larter was "casted little light."^[19] However, Robin Clifford of Reeling Reviews was favorable to her performance, saying she was "giving the smart-ass edge her character needs."^[20] Alex Sandell of Juicy Cerebellum told that Larter "impressed her with her stronger, less frightened Clear Rivers" and that "the whole Linda Hamilton/Terminator thing works for her, and for the movie."^[21] Andrew Manning of Radio Free Entertainment praised Larter's role, stating:

Ali Later clearly rules this movie. While everyone else is merely a hastily assembled caricature without depth, her character of Clear has a well defined background and history thanks to her appearance in the first film. Final Destination fans will see her as the heroic franchise veteran. Plus, she's got this college woman thing going on now. Although Clear isn't supposed to be much older than Kimberly, she brings that certain vibe of the "experienced older girl" who teaches the younger girl a thing or two about a thing or two--and that's a classic idea that fits well with all sorts of genres, if you know what I mean.^[22]

References

1. ^ Yahoo!, Yahoo! Movies. "Final Destination Cast List in Yahoo! Movies UK and Ireland". http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/f/Final-Destination/cast-credits-85437.html. Retrieved 19 September 2010. 
2. ^ Yahoo!, Yahoo! Movies. "Final Destination 2 Cast List in Yahoo! Movies UK and Ireland". http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/f/Final-Destination-2/cast-credits-102164.html. Retrieved 19 September 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Yahoo!, Yahoo! Movies. "Final Destination Movie Info in Yahoo! Movies UK and Ireland". http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/f/Final-Destination/index-85437.html. Retrieved 18 September 2010. 
4. ^ Yahoo!, Yahoo! Movies. "Final Destination 2 Movie Info in Yahoo! Movies UK and Ireland". http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/f/Final-Destination-2/index-102164.html. Retrieved 19 September 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b} David R. Ellis (director). Final Destination 2 in IMDb (Motion picture). New York, USA: New Line Cinema. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0309593/. Retrieved 19 September 2010. 
6. ^ Rhodes, Natasha (January 2006). Final Destination. New York: Black Flame. ISBN 1844163172. 
7. ^ ^{a b} James Wong (director). Final Destination in IMDb (Motion picture). New York, USA: New Line Cinema. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195714/. Retrieved 18 September 2010. 
8. ^ IMSDb. "Final Destination Script at IMSDb". http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Final-Destination.html. Retrieved 19 September 2010. 
9. ^ James Wong (director). Final Destination (New Line Platinum Series) (DVD). New York, USA: New Line Cinema. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0780631684. Retrieved 28 October 2010. 
10. ^ James Wong (director). Final Destination: A Look at Test Screening (Videotape/DVD). New York, USA: New Line Cinema. 
11. ^ James Wong (director). Final Destination (New Line Platinum Series) (DVD). New York, USA: New Line Cinema. http://www.amazon.com/Final-Destination-New-Line-Platinum/dp/0780631684/ref=pd_bxgy_d_img_c. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
12. ^ Fox Broadcasting Company, Young Hollywood Awards. "Young Hollywood Awards Official Website". http://www.younghollywoodawards.com/. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 
13. ^ IMDb, Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. "2001 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards". http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000104/. Retrieved 13 April 2011. 
14. ^ Putman, Dustin (February 2). "Dustin Putman's Review - Final Destination 2 [2003"]. TheMovieBoy.com. http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/f/03_finaldest2.htm. Retrieved 5 May 2011. 
15. ^ Bernard, Jami (March 17). "'DESTINATION' TAKES TEEN ON DOWNWARD SPIRAL". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/2000/03/17/2000-03-17__destination__takes_teen_on_.html. Retrieved 26 October 2010. 
16. ^ Leydon, Joe (March 16). "Final Destination Review". Variety. http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=review&reviewid=VE1117907503&categoryid=31&query=%27final+destination%27&cs=1. Retrieved 26 October 2010. 
17. ^ LaSalle, Mick (March 17). "Death, Teens Engage In Immortal Combat `Final Destination' a playful, stylish thriller". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/03/17/DD85419.DTL. Retrieved 26 October 2010. 
18. ^ Putman, Dustin (March 18). "Dustin Putman's Review - Final Destination [2000"]. TheMovieBoy.com. http://www.themovieboy.com/reviews/f/00_finaldestination.htm. Retrieved 26 October 2010. 
19. ^ Koehler, Robert (January 26). "Final Destination 2 Review". Variety. http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=review&reviewid=VE1117919799&categoryid=31&cs=1. Retrieved 4 May 2011. 
20. ^ Clifford, Robin (January 26). "Final Destination 2". Reeling Reviews. http://www.reelingreviews.com/finaldestination2.htm. Retrieved 9 May 2011. 
21. ^ Sandell, Alex (February 2). "Final Destination 2". Juicy Cerebellum. http://www.juicycerebellum.com/200302.htm. Retrieved 9 May 2011. 
22. ^ Manning, Andrew (February 5). "Radio Free Movie Review - Final Destination 2 (2003)". Radio Free Entertainment. http://movies.radiofree.com/reviews/finalde2.shtml. Retrieved 9 May 2011.