I want to start this review by saying that I have a soft spot for the Final Destination franchise. Everyone knows Friday the 13th, Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc., but I don’t hear people bring up Final Destination when they talk about their favorite horror franchises. This is a shame because these movies are fun, clever, and filled with tension. They are movies that I turn to often, and when people tell me they haven’t seen them, I recommend them right away.
With how much I enjoy these movies, as well as with the passing of Tony Todd, you can bet I have been so excited to see Bloodlines. How did it turn out? I can happily say that after a 14-year hiatus, Final Destination Bloodlines is one of the best movies in the franchise.
The Plot
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, a college student heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle of death and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all. This is such a clever premise for this movie.
In other Final Destination movies, there is a formula. A character has a vision, they save other characters, and Death comes for them one by one. In this one, a character has a vision and saves a bunch of people, but because Death has taken a long time to catch up to all of them, survivors have had families. Decades have passed, and now Death is after people who were never supposed to exist in the first place. It is simply so smart to go this route, and the movie does an amazing job of being clear with its intentions and navigating throughout the runtime seamlessly.
What Final Destination Bloodlines does surprisingly well is deal a great amount of emotional depth to its story. We go to these movies to see characters die in insanely creative ways, but this time there’s more to it. These aren’t just random people getting killed. This is a family that loves and cares for one another, and the script allows us to see that. There are conversations had, and these characters are doing what they can to protect their loved ones. It is honestly the first time in this franchise that we care who lives and dies, and it adds to the tension overall.
The Kills and Tension
The kills are an important part of these movies. The best ones take their time building up the tension and usually work like a Rube Goldberg machine. Final Destination Bloodlines is no exception. All these deaths are sensational.
Of course, I won’t spoil anything, but I will say that one of the deaths in this movie made me cringe and squirm in my seat like crazy. This movie easily has one of the best and most creative death scenes in the whole franchise. The tension in the movie is superb, and the film does a very good job of pulling the rug from under the audience. We are watching one thing just for something else to suddenly happen and take us by surprise. The movie is also smart while not taking itself too seriously. There is a good amount of dark humor here to cut the tension, and all of it fits seamlessly.
We also have to talk about the opening premonition scene. Every Final Destination fan looks forward to the premonition scene. When I first heard about this movie and found out that the opening scene would take place in a restaurant in the sky, I was unsure. How relatable could that be? How scary could that be? The answer is…very scary. The movie does so many fun, terrifying things in this scenario and leaves us on the edge of our seats.
Tony Todd
Tony Todd has been a legend in the horror world and sadly passed away due to stomach cancer at the age of 69. He has been an important part of this series, showing up in some capacity in 4 out of the 5 previous films. He usually helps out our characters by giving them clues or ways to try to cheat Death. He appears in Final Destination Bloodlines, and I honestly couldn’t picture a more perfect sendoff. This movie is his final appearance, and his scene is done so well. The lines he delivered gave me chills, and everything was perfection.
Overall
Final Destination Bloodlines is a welcome addition to the franchise. It is gory, fun, chilling, and thrilling, and will leave you on the edge of your seat. The movie does an excellent job of adding to its existing lore in a way that makes you, as an audience member, want to see more. It has been a long time since we got a Final Destination movie, and with how good this one was, they better not wait this long again to make another one.
