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Wendy Christensen

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Wendy Christensen
Final Destination character
Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Wendy Christensen
First appearanceFinal Destination 3
Last appearanceFinal Destination 5 (archive footage)
Created byGlen Morgan
James Wong
Portrayed byMary Elizabeth Winstead
In-universe information
Full nameWendy Christensen
NicknameWen
GenderFemale
OccupationFormer high school student (graduated)
FamilyJulie Christensen
(younger sister)
Significant otherJason Wise (boyfriend; deceased)
Kevin Fischer (sexual; only novelization)
HomeMcKinley, Pennsylvania
StatusUnknown

Wendy Christensen is a fictional character in the Final Destination franchise. The character, created by James Wong and Glen Morgan, and portrayed by actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, serves as the protagonist in Final Destination 3.[1] Outside of the films, the character also appears in the novelization of Final Destination 3.[2]

In the film, Wendy is depicted a high school graduate from the fictional town of McKinley in Pennsylvania, and is one of the survivors of the Devil's Flight roller coaster derailment. The character is portrayed in the film as an emotional "control freak" who becomes increasingly distressed over the course of the film as she fails to save the lives of those around her. Although her fate at the end of the film remains ambiguous, it is implied that she is the tenth and final survivor to die. Additionally, in 2011, franchise producer Craig Perry stated that he "believes" both Wendy and her sister Julie are, in fact, dead.[3]

Both the character and Winstead's performance were positively received by critics, often being singled out as one of the highlights of the film, even by its detractors. The character's fate given the movie's ambiguous ending has also attracted discussion.

Appearances

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Final Destination 3

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Wendy lives in McKinley, Pennsylvania, with her sister Julie. She is shown to be a control freak. She is dating Jason Wise, and is friends with Kevin Fischer and Carrie Dreyer. She is the school photographer for the yearbook. Wendy and her friends celebrate at the amusement park for their senior field trip. At the start of the film, Wendy admits that she doesn't care for Kevin, but as the movie goes on she slowly forms a caring relationship with Kevin.

Before boarding a roller coaster ride known as "Devil's Flight", Wendy begins to have the feeling of "having no control". Shortly after being seated on the coaster, she suffers a premonition of the entire ride derailing and brutally killing her and all the other passengers. She panics, and manages to get several of her fellow students off, before realizing her boyfriend Jason and best friend Carrie are still on the roller coaster. She fails to get them off the ride in time and witnesses the derailment of the roller coaster and the death of Jason and Carrie.

After the incident, she is determined to leave McKinley due to the bad memories. When she begins noticing the photographs she took on the night of the roller coaster ride carry ominous clues as to how the other survivors eventually meet their end and also learns details of the Flight 180 disaster from Kevin beforehand, she then pairs up with him to save the other survivors; she ends up only managing to rescue Ian McKinley, her sister Julie, and Kevin from their second intended deaths. Shortly after, Ian confronts Wendy, Kevin, and Julie; he blames Wendy for his girlfriend Erin Ulmer's death and is determined to ensure that she will not survive. Fireworks behind Wendy nearly hit her, but she avoids them and they hit a nearby cherry picker. It collapses and kills Ian, who inadvertedly takes Wendy's place on Death's List. Wendy, Kevin, and Julie believe they have managed to escape Death, but five months later, Wendy sees signs relating to the events of both the roller coaster and the Flight 180 disasters, and senses something is wrong. After unexpectedly reuniting with Julie and Kevin, she receives another premonition that foretells their deaths in a subway crash. Her attempts to stop the subway are for naught, as the film cuts to black, with sounds of the train derailment being heard just as she runs towards the exit door, leaving her fate ambiguous.[4]

According to Winstead, the character is not dead: "I didn't die. Or rather, it's open to debate."[5]

In January 2021, Screen Rant horror author Mara Bachman explored the possibilities of Wendy surviving. Bachman concluded her long analysis by saying that Wendy did not survive, and says that had she survived, she should be featured in the sixth installment, which she said is very unlikely, adding that Final Destination 5 completed the original movie timeline.[6]

Alternate endings

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Three alternate endings result in different fates for Wendy.

In the first alternate ending on the DVD, after Ian gets completely crushed, she along with Kevin and Julie leave the tricentennial, but not before the camera which Wendy threw to the ground takes one last picture of them, presumably hinting their next way of death. In another ending, Wendy did not receive the second premonition and the film ends with the subway barreling straight into her, explicitly showing her death. In the final alternate ending, Wendy receives her vision before she boards the roller coaster, and manages to save herself along with Kevin, Jason, and Carrie.

The Final Destination

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In the fourth installment of the Final Destination franchise, Wendy's possible death (getting run over by a train) is referenced in the opening credits of the film. Also, Wendy's hometown McKinley is the location where the McKinley Speedway crash took place, foreseen by visionary Nick O'Bannon.

Final Destination 5

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In the fifth installment of the Final Destination franchise, Wendy appears through archive footage. The Devil's Flight roller coaster (Wendy's premonition) was also seen as Olivia Castle was leaving for her lasik eye surgery, she accidentally bumped a picture of her and one friend taken in McKinley Park as she and her friend once rode Devil's Flight, with the picture containing the tagline "The World's Scariest Roller Coaster". Five years later, the Devil's Flight roller coaster derailed, as foreseen by Wendy.

Literature

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Wendy appears in the novelization of Final Destination 3 by Christa Faust. The storyline follows the same one as the film but in the novel Wendy survives.[2] In the novel, Wendy's relationship with Kevin, unlike in the film, becomes more romantic in nature over the events of the story.[7]

Casting and creation

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In a DVD feature, James Wong revealed that he originally intended for Wendy to be a "perky blonde" and that Alexis Bledel had auditioned for the role. Winstead, who got cast in March 2005,[8] had previously auditioned for the second film, won the role because she brought emotion and character that impressed Wong and Morgan. When asked if she was a fan of the Final Destination franchise prior to being cast in the third film, Winstead mentioned auditioning for the second film saying, "Definitely. I was a fan of both films. I auditioned for the second one, but didn’t make it. I was happy to get a shot here".[9] Wong described Wendy as being "deeply affected by the accident, but she’s strong, and fights to maintain control."[10]

Reception

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"Taking over for Devon Sawa and A.J. Cook before her, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (2005's Sky High) is Wendy, the beleaguered heroine who experiences the premonition. More so than Cook, Winstead is fully convincing and even touching in her portrayal of a young woman struggling to handle the traumatic events thrown at her."

—Dustin Putman compliments Winstead's performance over Cook's from the previous movie[11]

Both the character and Winstead’s performance have received a positive reception from critics.[12] James Berardinelli says she "does as competent a job as one could expect in these dire circumstances."[13] Felix Gonzalez, Jr. speaks positively of Winstead's and Merriman's performances, saying "the film is not entirely unwatchable. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ryan Merriman are likeable in the lead roles."[14] TheDailyMacabre even goes on to say, "Winstead is a stronger lead than A. J. Cook".[15]

Common Sense Media reacted positively to the character, saying that despite the movie not asking viewers to invest emotionally in the characters "you do invest, if only because of formula, in Wendy, who tries so hard to save her classmates."[16] The Daily Telegraph listed Wendy as one of the top 20 final girls in horror films and praised Winstead's performance for making Wendy a believable character.[17]

Louis B. Hobson however criticizes her and Merriman's performances, saying "Merriman and Winstead have basically two emotions. They're either grieving or terrified."[18] Waffle Movies adds "the performance is too much", likening her performance to "the person who shows up to a Halloween costume party wearing a formal evening gown."[19]

Chris Carle of IGN criticized the main characters for not being fleshed out enough, especially Wendy, who he claimed only had two traits: "She is a control freak and she cries a lot."[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Yahoo!, Yahoo! Movies. "Final Destination 3 Cast & Director - Yahoo! Movies". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Faust, Christa (2006). Final Destination 3. London, England: Black Flame. ISBN 978-1844163199.
  3. ^ Miska, Brad (July 27, 2011). "Get Answers, Ask More Questions: 'Final Destination 5' Producer Craig Perry Round 4!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Wong, James (Co-Writer/Director) (2006). Final Destination 3 (DVD). United States: New Line Cinema.
  5. ^ Gilbey, Ryan (November 29, 2012). "Mary Elizabeth Winstead: from scream queen to alcoholic in Smashed". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  6. ^ Bachman, Mara (January 16, 2021). "Final Destination Theory: Wendy Survived The Train Accident". Screen Rant. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  7. ^ Faust 2006, pp. 302–303.
  8. ^ "'Cheating Death: Final Destination 3' Cast Members Announced". BloodyDisgusting. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014.
  9. ^ "At Death's Door: "Final Destination 3" Star Mary Elizabeth Winstead". AMC Networks. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  10. ^ "Final Destination 3 Notes" (PDF). HollywoodJesus. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  11. ^ Putman, Dustin (February 8, 2006). "Final Destination 3". Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Wood, James. "Final Destination 5 - Unbearably suspenseful, well cast and gleefully gory". MoviePilot. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  13. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Final Destination 3". Reelviews Movie Reviews. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  14. ^ "DVD Review - Final Destination 3". Archived from the original on November 19, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  15. ^ "The Daily Macabre: Final Destination 3 (2006)". Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  16. ^ Fuchs, Cynthia. "Final Destination 3". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  17. ^ "From Laurie Strode to Sidney Prescott: Horror's best final girls". The Daily Telegraph. October 31, 2017. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  18. ^ CANOE -- JAM! Movies - Final Destination 3 Review - Gore-filled Destination worth visiting
  19. ^ WaffleMovies.com - Final Destination 3
  20. ^ Carle, Chris (February 10, 2006). "Final Destination 3". IGN. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
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