'Final Destination Bloodlines' review—Gory, thrilling, and a lot of fun
What's the story
Can you really trick death? Can you add years to your life?
The Final Destination franchise has been asking us these questions since the first film in 2000 and has enthralled us through its audacious, unpredictable, and inventive approach.
The latest installment, Final Destination Bloodlines, is a terrific addition to the franchise and once again proves why this series is so remarkably singular.
Story
This time, Death is chasing a family
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, FDB ups the ante and focuses on a family.
Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) is plagued by a recurring nightmare about her grandmother, Iris, and a group of people who fall to their deaths from a tower.
Soon after, Stefani realizes that decades ago, Iris made an enemy in Death, who's now coming after her entire family.
#1
Not a single boring moment
We have seen several thrilling (and purposely ludicrous and silly) manners of death in the franchise, and yet, Final Destination Bloodlines keeps throwing surprise after surprise at you.
Just when you think you have figured out how or when a character will meet their end, the film delivers another surprise that pulls the rug from under your feet!
#2
Fixes the mistakes made by previous movies
The franchise had gone somewhat awry in the third and fourth films, but this is a superb, roaring return to form that reminded me of the thrill I experienced while watching Final Destination (2000).
The characters are well-defined, there is a strong emotional core that tethers us to them, and you keep rooting for them to survive even when you know they (probably) won't.
#3
Think you can handle gore? Think again
FDB is incredibly gory, and people die such gruesome deaths that I winced over and over again.
A particular death scene where a character is sucked into an MRI machine is so well-excuted and chilling that it may scar you and keep you away from MRIs forever!
People falling from heights, being bludgeoned, charred, and spliced into two—FDB is not for the faint-hearted.
#4
You join the characters in this dangerous, unsettling journey
While some of the previous parts were slightly rushed, FDB takes time to set up and utilizes sounds and silences to create atmospheric tension.
You're hooked to the mystery, and the film keeps the characters (and us) on our toes.
I'm particularly in awe of the opening set piece (the central premonition) that's so jaw-dropping that it's impossible to take your eyes off it.
#5
Loses its way slightly in second-half, but then bounces back
Final Destination Bloodlines can't ensure the best acting work from all its cast members, and some characterizations come off as undercooked.
After the first half that progresses at breakneck speed, the second half sometimes goes awry.
Nonetheless, the movie redeems itself quickly, and the late Tony Todd's special appearance is among the strongest, most moving aspects of the second half.
Verdict
Don't miss it in theaters; 3.5/5 stars
FDB keeps the franchise's vigor alive, and the series has reinvented itself despite essentially employing the same formula.
It again builds upon the idea that anything and everything around you can be a harbinger of death, that mortality is the only truth, and there's no stopping the cycle of tragedy.
If FDB both exhilarates and scares you, it has done its job.
3.5/5 stars.