Final Destination will never be the most artistically challenging or thoughtful horror franchise out there, but that’s not to say there’s no appeal to it. In the past fourteen years since Final Destination 5 (2011), the series seems to have developed a cult audience amongst young people such as myself; speaking personally, one of my earliest memories of any kind of horror is the log truck sequence from Final Destination 2. The series makes a massive return this year with Final Destination: Bloodlines, which has not only quickly become the best reviewed movie of the series, but also an immediate financial success, launching to one of the highest opening weekends for any horror movie this decade. I’m more than pleased to report that the film is a hell of a great time, a bloody and gnarly comeback for one of the most memorable horror franchises of the 2000s.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is directed by by Zach Lipovsky (Leprechaun: Origins) and Adam Stein (Freaks). Written by Guy Busick (Ready Or Not) and Lori Evans Taylor (Bed Rest) and based on a story by Taylor, Busick and Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home), the film follows Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) who has spent months haunted by a nightmare of her grandmother Iris (Gabrielle Rose) dying in an explosive disaster at a rooftop restaurant. As it eats away at her, she resolves to find Iris and try to figure out what the nightmares could mean, but Death has other plans for her and her family. The scope of this film is larger than previous entries, following an entire family being killed off one-by-one and exploring notions of family, legacy and loyalty. It’s a refreshing take that removes the film somewhat from following too many of the typical franchise tropes, with previous entries almost entirely focused on young adults or teenagers. The story is ultimately a vehicle to set up violent, gnarly setpieces, and in that realm the film absolutely succeeds. This is the bloodiest and nastiest film in the franchise yet, which is saying something because that’s partially what Final Destination is known for as a franchise. There’s lots of exploding bodies, piles of blood and guts, and the most hilarious and wild methods to kill people off. The opening sequence, as with most films in the series, is a massive stand-out, but later moments (particularly a disastrous tattoo parlor sequence and another sequence inside a hospital) shine just as brightly. Death’s gotten pretty inventive here.
While the writing of the film won’t blow your mind, I appreciated how the film was both friendly to series newcomers and had relatively tasteful easter eggs and references to previous films. It never felt too intrusive, where if you didn’t get the reference it would damper your enjoyment of the story, and I respect that. Additionally, it is also pretty refreshing to see that the film takes its time, in a sense; whilst it rushes into the basics of the narrative, it does give some room to breathe between big sequences and attempts to build up some sense of character dynamics and tension. It would be easy for this film to simply rely on the kills to do the heavy lifting, and I’m glad it didn’t. The dialogue mostly avoids getting too bogged down in exposition, and trusts its audience to pick up on the series rules. Tonally, this movie feels like the most effective synthesis of both the serious elements of the series and its inherently campy and silly nature. It’s completely in on the joke and leans into that, but not in an ironic way, and has an element of sincere love for the ridiculousness of this story that helps make it work all the better.
Technically, the film makes its 50 million dollar budget look fantastic, especially considering it was originally going to be a movie sent straight to streaming. It’s not the best looking horror film out there, but the stunts and kills look great especially when done practically. Without getting too much into spoilers, when this film decides to go hard on the violence, it succeeds. There’s almost a comical element to it, particularly to a long-time horror fan like me, as you watch the wind do some ridiculous and mysterious things until someone’s head explodes. There’s moments where some CGI will look less-than-stellar, but it almost adds to the charm. The editing, score and cinematography for the movie are all solid, and there’s some moments where they seriously attempt to push those elements further than previous films, which is much appreciated. This isn’t a movie that’s been made haphazardly or without effort. Everyone involved seems to care about making a good, fun horror movie, and in that aspect they completely succeed. This is one of the most fun times I’ve had at the movie all year, with a packed audience that was completely in on the movie’s tone. It’s great to see the horror community unite to support this movie and it’s deserved.
The film has a solid cast overall, with lots of strong supporting players. Juana does a good job in the lead, and has to work with a difficult tightrope of being both compelling and somewhat frustrating; her character doesn’t get believed by people for a lot of the film, but she always comes off believable to the audience, and is pretty consistently likeable throughout even if her character feels somewhat underdeveloped. Other strong supporting players include Owen Patrick Joyner and Richard Harmon, who play brothers Bobby and Erik. Between them, they have two of the standout sequences in the film, and their brotherly bond feels real, playful and fun. Erik, whilst being a potentially unlikeable character for much of the film’s runtime, is a scene-stealing presence whenever he’s around. Another standout is Brec Bassinger, who plays the younger version of Iris seen in the film’s opening sequence and various flashbacks. She gives an effortlessly fantastic performance as a deeply anxious young woman whose wonderful night turns out to be a disaster beyond belief, and infuses every moment with a sympathetic likeablity and genuine sincerity that is very compelling. Her career in horror will be one to watch for sure.
Whilst he is only in one scene of the movie, a true stand-out of the film is horror legend, the late great Tony Todd. A series regular since the very first film, he makes one final post-humous appearnece here as William Bludworth. He’s woven well into the story, given Todd’s own personal request that his cameo have meaning and relevance rather than a simple post credit scene. He also reportedly improvised his final lines, which hits all the more hard considering what he’s discussing during them, and I couldn’t help but get a little bit weepy seeing him conduct his magic as an icon of the screen. I’m glad they gave his character a proper send-off, as well as giving us one last chance to see a master at work, and it helps the movie feel like the culmination of every Final Destination so far. Whilst it’s currently unclear if they are to continue the series, I would safely bet that a sequel announcement is imminent; while it won’t be the same without Todd, it’s incredible to see him one last time.
On an aside note, I have to appreciate the marketing and advertising for this film; the first trailer I saw was just a shortened version of the Tattoo Parlor sequence, and it was immediately apparent what franchise it was before the title even dropped, yet I was immediately sold just on the strength of that sequence alone. Likewise, later trailers have the confidence to let the wind-induced shenanigans to speak for themselves, and I think that speaks to how great the kills are in this movie. It’s a bold move, but it pays off, and I think it works in the films favor because audiences know what to expect whilst are also curious for more. There’s been images floating about of blood-soaked log trucks driving around in promotion of the film; whoever came up with that idea is a sadist and deserves a raise.
Overall, Final Destination: Bloodlines is a great time at the movies. Whilst it will never be the pinnacle of artful horror or rich with depth, it’s an exhilirating, fun and exciting time, with gnarly and bloody kills that combine well with a sincere yet humorous tone to create the most satisfying overall film in the franchise yet. It’s easily the best film in the series since the first, and gives even that a run for it’s money. It’s great to see a cult classic franchise be so widely accepted now and liked, and whether they chose to continue the franchise onwards from here or not they’ve delivered a wickedly enjoyable watch with its newest entry. Ultimately, that’s always been the series’ bread and butter, and they’ve nailed it here. Now if you’ll excuse me, I heard some wind chimes outside, and a weird burning smell…
