If you find yourself asking, “do we really need another ‘Final Destination’ movie?” after seeing the trailer for “Final Destination: Bloodlines” you wouldn’t be wrong. Arriving nearly a decade after the last installment and 25 years after the first, “Bloodlines” is the latest revival over early 2000s franchises thought to have met death a long time ago. While milage may vary on the series as a whole, one thing is certain: “Bloodlines” is an absolute blast. A true to formula outing invigorated by a perfect blend of self awareness, tongue in cheek plotting, and over the top cartoonish blood splattering gore. If you’re going to make an unnecessary “Final Destination,” this is honestly how it should be done. No one comes to these things for the plot, and these have a longstanding history of abandoning and convoluting their own lore. The constants are usually elaborate death traps and people you don’t really care about meeting their demise in horrific and sometimes silly ways.
It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but rather doubles down on all the things that make the franchise so enduring. While some may groan and roll their eyes at its repetition, keeping the basic framework in tact actually works in the film’s favor, allowing you to shed whatever seriousness and exposition that sometimes creeps into these sorts of movies and take glorious glee in watching people meet their demise in torturous ways. “Bloodlines” is death at both its meanest and silliest, its traps more elaborate and gruesome than ever before filtered through an almost Loony Tunes like unfolding. There is great intentionality behind this correlation too, as the film’s opening premonition (another franchise staple) includes a piano falling from the sky and landing on someone who thought they survived the disaster. It’s hilarious, and a packed crowd of sickos rooting for death’s violent victories ate it up. Every kill was met with bursts of gasps and laughter, the perfect reaction.
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein from a script by Guy Busick (“Scream 5 and 6,” “Abigail“) and Lori Evans Taylor and a story by credit from Jon Watts, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” follows college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) plagued by a recurring nightmare of her young grandmother dying in a disaster in the 1960s. Unable to sleep and failing her classes, she returns home in hopes to speak with her estranged grandma, Iris. While the rest of her family deems her a nutjob in the woods and has all but disowned her, Stefani tracks her down to discover that Death is coming for her family. Iris actually saved hundreds of people from death’s design that night, and over the decades it has come for everyone who survived and their families that should not exist one by one in the order they were supposed to be killed. Stefani must try to cheat death once again and save her family before Death finishes them off. The film also stars Tio Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Ana Lore, Gabrielle Rose, and the late great Tony Todd in his final role.
It’s the same old story but told with some cleverness and unpredictability, the red herring anticipation festering with teases and edge of your seat suspense. For all its blood splatter and grisly deathtraps, the film has a sense of groundedness to its demise, focused on things that feel like could happen in the right set of circumstances. Don’t worry, someone still gets folded into an MRI Machine by their – let’s just say hidden – piercings in one of the most gruesome, most violent deaths of the entire series. Even though “Bloodlines” doesn’t have a lot of newness, it still manages to feel fresh and fun with every new gruesome set piece. it also smartly uses Todd as a poignant send off to both the film itself and his overall contributions to horror as a icon of the genre. He serves both the connective tissue of the series a whole as well as a reminder that death comes for everybody, so it’s best to enjoy the time you have. You wouldn’t expect any kind of profound commentary on life from something like “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” but it works with Todd at the center of it.
It may be long past its due date, but this film delivers on exactly what people want from these kinds of movies. And, its an absolute blast from start to finish. Bone crunching and laugh out loud funny if you’re into that kind of thing, and makes the case to be one of the best entries of the series to date. The bar isn’t that high, but this film passes with flying colors – mostly red – and satiates the cravings of audiences and fans who have stood by Death through the ups and downs over the years.
Death comes for us all, and “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is a hell of a fun way to watch him come for some.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
