There’s a moment early on in Final Destination Bloodlines when you realize it’s going to be great. All of the Final Destination movies have a formula and, at the start of this one, the formula seems to be unfolding again. A terrible disaster occurs. That’s always followed by the reveal that it hasn’t happened yet, one character merely had a premonition of it. However, that doesn’t happen here. Something else happens. The formula changes ever so slightly and, as a result, you lock in with a renewed curiosity.
Don’t worry, though. Final Destination Bloodlines doesn’t radically change things that have made the horror franchise a hit for 25 years. It simply plays with expectations just enough to make the whole thing feel new and fresh again, while also delivering all the scares, gore, and tension fans have come to expect. It’s easily the best film in the franchise.
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, Bloodlines mainly follows Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a college student whose life is turning to crap because she keeps having a horrific nightmare. Investigating that nightmare leads Stefani to realize her grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose), survived one of those classic Final Destination moments. She evaded death and saved tons of lives in the process. Over the years, though, while death has continued to come for all those she saved, Iris has managed to survive and even start a family. However, because Iris should be dead, her family shouldn’t exist. Now, they too have all been marked for death, and that’s when things kick into high gear.
The fun of a Final Destination movie is partially in trying to figure out how exactly death is going to come for these characters, and Lipovsky and Stein take that and go absolutely wild with it. They’ll cut all around a location, such as a hospital or backyard barbecue, letting the audience make assumptions and predictions about what pieces are going to come together to bring the most violent death imaginable. Sometimes you’re right, other times you’re very wrong, and along the way, it’s just an incredible joy to watch. Which, of course, isn’t new to the franchise, but here it is exceedingly playful and cheeky.
Bloodlines also understands the most important thing about a Final Destination movie—you have to care about the character at least a little bit. In previous movies, most of the characters were strangers or only had tangential connections, like school or work. Here, they’re literally one big family, and the film spends maybe even too much time early on establishing everyone and their relationships. To be fair, most of the characters are pretty cookie-cutter, but we learn just enough about them to care when they die.
And die they do. Over and over, as is the way of every Final Destination film. And, again, Lipovsky and Stein things up a notch here as well with an onslaught of extremely gory, disgusting kills. Just as previous Final Destinations made you never look at log trucks, tanning beds, or eye surgery the same ever again, Bloodlines does the same for… we don’t want to spoil it. But a great many things. Audiences will either cheer or cover their eyes, either of which is a worthy response.
The icing on the cake is the inclusion of Tony Todd, one of the franchise’s original characters who returns here in what’s not just an emotional fitting send off (Todd passed away in November of last year), but in a way that gives his character the context and clarity he’s been lacking throughout. Through his role and a few other narrative choices, Bloodlines also becomes the most crucial chapter yet in terms of franchise lore.
Basically, Final Destination Bloodlines gets every single thing right about what makes a Final Destination movie work. We like the characters, the kills are wildly elaborate, there are some twists and turns, and it pushes your expectations just far enough without going over the line. Fans of the franchise and horror fans in general are sure to love this hilarious, heartfelt, but brutal horror sequel.
Final Destination Bloodlines opens May 16.
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