Final Destination: Bloodlines – Another Review. By Daniel Rester.

Death is back to claim unintended survivors in Final Destination: Bloodlines. It’s a reboot of the popular horror series, which hasn’t had an entry since Final Destination 5 (2011). Aside from the awful fourth film, The Final Destination (2009), the series has been surprisingly consistent as escapism for fans of the macabre. Thankfully, Final Destination: Bloodlines is a welcome return to the world of Death claiming characters in splat-tastic ways, while also introducing surprisingly fresh – if uneven – angles to the series’ formula. 

The film opens in the 1960s, where mother-to-be Iris (Brec Bassinger) attends a grand opening for a restaurant inside of a tower. She gets a premonition of the tower collapsing and everyone inside dying. Iris is able to save many lives due to her vision. 

Years later, Death comes for the family members Iris was never meant to have. Her granddaughter, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), has been having visions of the tower collapse and possible horrors to come. Using Iris’ research from over the years, Stefani tries to stop Death from claiming her family – and herself. 

Final Destination: Bloodlines, directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, opens with a bang. The first twenty minutes provide one of the best opening sequences in a series known for its first act set pieces. Bassinger is excellent as the young version of Iris and sells the premonition fear well. The tower collapse premonition itself (ironically placed against a beautiful sunset) is a dynamite blend of CGI, practical effects, and stylish editing. 

The film takes a bit to find its footing after the opening. While the idea of tying the series’ concept to a family’s different generations – instead of a bunch of strangers and/or teens – is interesting, the path of bringing the family characters together to understand their situation feels clunky. Stefani is a bland protagonist, so her journey in trying to reach her family with her fears can feel tiresome. Final Destination: Bloodlines finds its groove in the second half though once it hits a wild scene in a piercing shop.   

The tone tries to be a bit too serious and emotional at times since these characters actually care for each other. The depth is a welcome change of pace, but it does sometimes collide with the gory set pieces and dark comedy. Still, kudos to writers Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor for attempting to bring actual pathos to some of the scenes. 

While Santa Juana never really pops as Stefani, some of the supporting players do stand out. Richard Harmon and Owen Patrick Joyner are scene stealers as brothers Erik and Bobby, respectively. They share one of the film’s most creative scenes and have terrific chemistry with each other. The late Tony Todd shows up again as the mysterious character William Bludworth, who finally gets a backstory; Todd is great in his few moments here and will be missed in later installments if they are made. 

The Rube Goldberg-like suspense scenes where everyday items turn into deadly devices are still inventive. This entry, like those before it, feels like a slasher film that happens to have an invisible force instead of a man behind a mask. The filmmakers clearly enjoy toying with the audience and keeping them waiting for the inevitable bloody payoffs. One of the craziest moments in this sequel involves an MRI machine, but I dare not say anymore. 

Final Destination: Bloodlines is uneven at times as it tries to reinvent the series’ formula. The opening sequence and a few scenes in the second half remind horror audiences why they enjoy this series though. This sixth film isn’t as good as Final Destination (2000) or Final Destination 2 (2003), but it is better than some of the other installments. 

Rating: 6.7/10

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