There are horror franchises that have continued success due to their longevity, staying with a similar premise: a killer on the loose in a haunted setting with a group of characters trying to survive. However, it is different from the Final Destination franchise, as it had no masked villain or monster but it did give a huge body count in its wake. The movies relied on disasters that are caused by the personification of Death. It’s been 14 years since the last installment and now audiences are being treated with a new addition to the franchise, Final Destination: Bloodlines. With two new directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, the new movie is just as good if not better than some of the previous ones.
Final Destination: Bloodlines starts like the other installments with a couple of characters facing an impending accident that ends up with multiple deaths only to unveil that it was all a premonition for what’s coming. We go back to the 1960s with mother-to-be Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger) who saved a lot of people on that fateful day and avoided the ultimate tragedy that would befall them. The tragic event that transpired ends up being shown to her granddaughter Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) who keeps seeing it happen in her dreams. She ends up traveling back to her hometown to uncover why this is happening to her.
What Final Destination: Bloodlines does that makes it unique from other films in the series is that every character that is on Death’s Doorway is related as they’re Stefani’s family. Most of her family end up being characters we grow attached to as the movie goes going. Stefani figures out that they’re on Death’s hit list because they are the result of Iris’ actions and aren’t supposed to exist. Her family is skeptical of the theory that Death has a plan for them, but we know how this all goes down for them like in the previous movies. You grow attached to each of the family members, whether it’s her brother, cousins, or even Stefani’s estranged mother. The only thing is we don’t get enough time for some to explore that relationship to fully get that connection.
What Final Destination does well is keep us on our toes as we see these characters die in the most unimaginable ways. Audiences are shown some intricate pieces with how these people are supposed to get killed, but they are thrown a curve ball and surprised by these immaculate deaths on screen. This installment makes great use of the IMAX format to give us that cinematic feeling of death coming straight in the face and the close-up shots of these amazing set pieces on how they all die. Bloodlines lives up to the title and gives us amazing kills that make us wary of our surroundings. The use of the Rube-Goldberg machine setups is so intense, that it puts everyone on the edge of their seats.
The kills in Final Destination: Bloodlines are so creatively crafted that it makes you wish these characters didn’t meet their demise. There are also nods to some of the earlier films that fans will recognize that bring some nostalgia. The movie is also a fitting end to actor Tony Todd who passed away before the film’s release. It is the final appearance of his character John “J.B.” Bludworth who was a coroner turned mortician in most of the series. He would often offer some advice to the characters who are on the verge of facing Death as the all-knowing expert. This film finally gives Bludworth the floor in telling his story as well as saying goodbye to the character. We finally see how he got this knowledge as it connects to our characters in this installment. It’s an emotional scene that ties everything together with Tony’s involvement in the franchise for many years and the last time we see his character on screen.
With so many horror franchises trying to make a comeback, not many of them are successful in that venture but Final Destination: Bloodlines manages to somehow surprise us still. It proves that there is still enough gas in that tank to give Final Destination enough material to subvert audiences’ expectations. The movie can still put out something fresh while retaining some of that original flavor that made the franchise so good. Even with some of the CGI being quite noticeable in some of these big set pieces, there’s still plenty to like about in this crazy thrill ride that we are on our seats for.
Final Destination: Bloodlines doesn’t quite return to its roots, but it still is entertaining enough to give the audience what it wants from this franchise. It revitalizes the story to give it a generational one where Death’s Grand Design is laid out and comes when you least expect it. There’s some predictability in what is shown in the second half of the film, but it has a firm grasp of the concept that we all love from these disaster horror movies. Whether you’re a fan or a newcomer to the franchise, Final Destination proves that there is still a heartbeat in the series, and isn’t going to flatline anytime soon.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is now playing in theaters.
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