Final Destination Bloodlines movie review: The franchise's most fun film makes death entertaining, invents new phobias
Final Destination Bloodlines movie review: The beloved franchise is back and how, with a film that makes death entertaining in the most gruesome fashion.
Final Destination Bloodlines movie review
Cast: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, and Tony Todd
Directors: Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein
Rating: ★★★★
The constant effort of the Final Destination franchise has been to traumatise the audience and induce newer phobias that most people have never even thought about. The franchise that made sure an entire generation would never drive behind trucks filled with logs outdoes itself in its sixth instalment. Final Destination Bloodlines is not just a good film by the franchise's standards, but a rather, enjoyable (in a schadenfreude-esque manner) film as a standalone too. It is fast-paced, fun, gory, and contains everything that made Final Destination a phenomenon.
What is Final Destination Bloodlines about
Final Destination Bloodlines opens with a premonition, as it should. The first 10 minutes show, in meticulous detail, how the Sky View restaurant, (almost) burned down, causing hundreds of deaths some 50 years ago. But Iris Campbell sees it all and saves everyone. In the present day, the premonition is appearing as a nightmare to Stefani Reyes, Iris' granddaughter. She tracks down her estranged, crazy grandma to get to the bottom of it all, only to be told that the entire clan is on Death's hit list. Iris saved herself all those years ago, which led to the birth of her children and grandchildren. And now Death wants them gone, in the most cinematically innovative ways there are.
What works and what doesn't
Bloodlines stays true to the tried-and-tested formula of the franchise, but still finds ways to be innovative and fresh. The third and fourth films in the franchise looked jaded and repetitive, with almost the same template being followed every single time. Bloodlines includes the family curse trope here, turning the film into something different, while still being very Final Destination.
Unlike previous Final Destination films, Bloodlines invests some time in a build up. There are almost zero deaths in the first hour (discounting the opening sequence). The film takes its time to introduce us to the setting and this new dynamic, while still maintaining its pace.
Not that there aren't any faults with Bloodlines. The acting, for one, is pedestrian. The dialogue delivery, for most parts, is atrocious. None of the actors seem to have spent any time making sure their characters appear as anything but placeholding caricatures. Yet, none of it matters. Bloodlines, like any Final Destination film, focuses not on the characters or their arcs, but on the manner in which they die. The butterfly effect and chain reaction that leads to each death is what the audience is in for. And in that department, the film delivers.
The gore is amplified in Final Destination Bloodlines. But the challenge is tough. This film comes at a time when the average viewer is oversaturated with information. We have seen it all, felt it all. Countless short videos and copycat films have shown us the most gruesome ways to die. After all that, shocking the audience takes a fair amount of work. And Bloodline does it beautifully. It manages to make you gasp, clap, cover your mouth, and even laugh at times as body parts are cut, chopped, and sliced all over the screen.
Bloodlines even manages to include subtle Easter eggs to some of the most iconic moments of the franchise, including that truck filled with logs. And it never does it in any sort of tokenistic manner.
What works the most for Final Destination Bloodlines is its refusal to ever take itself seriously. The campy feel, which horror lost a decade ago, is what makes it great. From references to horror tropes to hilarious red herrings and some clever jokes, the humour of the film is macabre but never sick. Yet, you may find yourself questioning your own morality the fifth time you chuckle or marvel as a character meets a gruesome demise. But then that is the beauty of this franchise. It makes death entertaining and beautiful. And it has never looked more stunning than in Bloodlines.
