“Final Destination: Bloodlines” Review – The Franchise’s Bloodiest & Possibly Best Installment Yet!

Horror fans of the early 2000s all the way to the 2010s know the unbearable discomfort and anxiety that only the “Final Destination” franchise can produce. Known for its extensive use of slow and often painful build-up, the series is notorious for putting the fear of everything unattended into anyone who already has weak nerves to begin with. Of course, after the fifth instalment, the viewing public was spared the feeling of constant paranoia and fear of death for 15 years – until now!

That’s right, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is here to traumatise the next generation of moviegoers with a spine-chilling sequel that they won’t soon forget. Though it does its best to unsettle you, it still promises some actual tender family moments, as well as surprisingly hilarious scenes to boot. But does it deliver? Let’s find out.

The story begins in the 1960s, when Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger) and her fiancé, Paul, attend the grand opening of the Sky View Restaurant Tower. It’s an exciting day which is briefly undercut by the signature “Final Destination” death premonition that foresees everyone’s death. 56 years later, Iris’s granddaughter, Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), has repeated nightmares of the very same premonition, to the point that it starts ruining her life. Wanting to be free from this curse, she begins exploring her family lineage only to find out that death is after her and her family.

What follows is a series of misses, gruesome deaths, and nail-biting suspense that drives home that oh-so-familiar sense of dread we’ve come to expect from the franchise. Not only that, but it also expands upon it with a far more interesting concept that no entry in the franchise has ever explored.

The film doesn’t really provide an in-depth or mind-expanding narrative that’s sure to shake your core. It’s a popcorn movie, to be sure, but one that we can safely say is far more appealing to audiences, both new and old. This entry is packed to the brim with more deaths, gore (both CGI and practical), and so much anxiety-inducing buildup that it would make Chekhov blush.

Rather than a group of friends that we used to love or hate, the story focuses on a family who are trying to live their best life, unaware of their fate. The moment they discover that their lives are on a timer, all hell breaks loose as the world around them suddenly shrinks in their struggle to escape death. Were this any other entry where we have some barely-passable acting or unlikable characters, we might love to watch them die. However, what makes this movie great is the exceptional cast that brings the characters to life.

The crew is largely comprised of Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Gabrielle Rose, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd, Tinpo Lee, April Telek, Alex Zahara, and Max Lloyd-Jones, who together create a loveable cast that is an absolute joy to have on screen. This ensemble is undoubtedly one of the movie’s strong points and what allows even the most squeamish viewers to enjoy any scene of this terrifying ride.

This move of changing the group of friends to a whole family is actually more impactful than you’d think. Rather than enduring the nagging screech of stereotypical teenagers who we can’t wait to see get cooked by a tanning salon bed, we actually see a whole family deal with this crisis simultaneously and see how they figure out solutions together. Naturally, there is still that sceptical bickering, but they create such a believable relationship filled with nuances that we find ourselves wanting to see everyone live.

Though you will be bombarded with repeated flashes of death and gore, as well as pummeled by new fears you thought you’d never have, the film isn’t just a gratuitous excuse to watch people folded on their backs as if they’re fresh dough. It’s surprisingly filled with a lot of funny moments that actually ease the tension – right before you watch someone vainly make love with the front end of an 18-wheeler truck. The immediate highlight of this is Richard Harmon’s Erik, whose dry sense of humour and nonchalant attitude easily steal the show from anyone he shares a scene with. 

Another strong suit of this film is how it tries to actually bait you with a tonne of misleads and red herrings, and it deserves our respect for that. You think that object A will actually be ingested or that object B will fly into someone’s face when, in actuality, these two are actually setups for object C to do the job. The film will perfectly establish these elements and how they can kill the character in an obvious way, but will still leave you in the dark on how they will come into play until the very last moment, creating that ever-rising sense of tension and dread.

Of course, we can’t talk about a “Final Destination” movie without talking about how creative the kills can get. Within the opening act of the film alone, we’re greeted with a plethora of ways you can die at the top of a restaurant tower. In that brief instance alone, we see a creative mix of both digital effects and practical ones.

From the collapsing tower to the oldest stuntwoman set on fire for a stunt, “Bloodlines” has certainly refined some aspects that we are familiar with from the long-running franchise, while still finding ways to innovate the deaths and scares so that nothing goes stale, easily transforming it into the most brutal entry of the franchise so far. If you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll be happy to know that this new chapter doesn’t just repeat the tried and true formula; it improves upon it, which is reason enough for you to go out and watch the film yourself.

Overall, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is an exhilarating film packed to the brim with bloody, intense scenes that will leave you at the edge of your seat. It’s packed with even more outrageous stunts and sequences, making it one of the franchise’s most intense entries to date. The film’s bolder shift from an overly-serious tone to one that is somewhat humorous, surprisingly alters the viewing experience for the better. It’s an amazing installment that’s sure to satisfy older fans and welcome newer fans by making them sink back into their seats.

“Final Destination: Bloodlines” will arrive in cinemas on 15th May!