Final Destination: Bloodlines Review
The Final Destination movies have become a staple in the horror genre, delivering some of the most unique kills yet. Based upon a singular overarching premise, each film manages to outdo its predecessor nearly every time. Though fans haven’t seen a Final Destination film since 2011, it’s finally come back around with its latest instalment in Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s Final Destination: Bloodlines. While it does offer the intricate and brutal kills that made the films famous, it’s got twists, surprises, and many exposition drops to keep you invested in this cursed family.
Final Destination: Bloodlines follows Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a college student who’s haunted by a recurring nightmare of her grandmother’s premonition. However, her search for understanding helps her realize her family wasn’t supposed to expand under Death’s eye. With her brother, Charlie (Teo Briones), her cousins Erik (Richard Harmon), Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner), and the rest of her family, Stefani must do what she can to save the ones she loves or die trying.
While it may feel like Final Destination: Bloodlines is pushing the boundaries with its story concept-wise, it does pull certain elements from other films. More specifically, there are some aspects from 2018’s Halloween that heavily inspired this film.
In its first act, Stefani’s grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose/Brec Bassinger) is essentially the Laurie Strode without much plot protection. She’s an isolationist hiding from Death’s plans and her daughter, Stefani’s mother Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt), nearly follows in Iris’ footsteps, but wants to reconnect. It could be said that Death is this film’s Michael Myers in this case, only gradually speeding up the process it takes to eliminate each family member as bait. Fortunately, that seems to be where most of the comparisons between both films end.
However, Final Destination: Bloodlines really seems to pace itself quickly. Throughout the first and second acts, there’s a heavy amount of exposition drops that sometimes over-explain the story. In a way, it may feel like the audience gets spoon-fed too much, making the more personal moments between the family slightly resonate with viewers.
Although, the characters of Bloodlines are a fun bunch and have enough depth to make you want to root for them. Stefani is very determined and empathetic despite her troubles at college and, slowly but surely, with her family. However, her ability to sense Death’s trappings can feel, at times, very comical, especially when the deaths start happening around her.
Her brother, Charlie, can be messy at times, but the sibling chemistry between Juana and Briones is a joy to watch. As for the cousins, Erik is about as gothic and pessimistic as you can get with only a bit of that sympathy given his particular situation. On the other hand, Bobby is about as shy, if somewhat childish, as he’s paired up with Erik half of the time. The last cousin, Julia (Anna Lore), is abrasive and dismissive towards Stefani, but there’s also a particular reason why she’s like that. Still, everyone on the cast brings a unique spark to their characters that make them fun to watch.
Outside of the characters, the kills of Final Destination: Bloodlines are twisty as hell. Under Lipovsky and Stein’s direction and Sabrina Pitre’s editing, these Rube Goldberg-esque setups make it seem like a scene is intended to go one way when it’s really not. Every setup to the resounding kill rightfully keeps you on edge as you really don’t know what to expect. However, if you weren’t expecting the kills to be gory and gruesome as ever, you’d be dead wrong. With the gore being showcased to the extreme and those callbacks to previous films, Bloodlines makes good use of its time in executing those sequences to a tee.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is as messy as it is nauseating in all the ways that make it a fun and classic Final Destination watch for horror fans. From its crazy and insane kills to its heavily layered story, this new instalment in the franchise does a lot to prove itself it can still get its kicks in. As a tribute to the late Tony Todd, it happily gives its flowers to respect what one of the genre’s best actors gave to this series in the best way possible.
Final Destination: Bloodlines releases in theaters on Friday, May 16.
Rating: ★★★½
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.
Final Destination: Bloodlines Review
Final Destination: Bloodlines Review