Final Destination: Bloodlines, 2025.
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein.
Starring Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Alex Zahara, April Telek, Tinpo Lee, Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, Gabrielle Rose, Max Lloyd-Jones, Brenna Llewellyn, Mark Brandon, Yvette Ferguson, Travis Turner, Noah Bromley, Panou, Janelle Beadall, Jeanie Cloutier, Matty Finochio, Sophia Chapdelaine, and Jayden Oniah.
SYNOPSIS:
Plagued by a recurring violent nightmare, a college student returns home to find the one person who can break the cycle and save her family from the horrific fate that inevitably awaits them.
Death doesn’t like having its plans messed with. As anyone familiar with the Final Destination franchise already knows, Death also has intricate plans that, here, a character compares to math. If one can sniff out the fatal variables in any given situation, they can be pieced together like an equation, shutting down whatever micro-series of events would lead to grotesque impalement or dismemberment. This allows for an amusing, refreshing riff on the series that sees one character relentlessly throwing out crackpot theories about how they could die next, much like anyone who loves this franchise has probably done for decades, especially whenever they are on a road behind a truck transporting logs.
Final Destination: Bloodlines directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein (working from a screenplay by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, with MCU Spider-Man director Jon Watts credited as contributing to the story – which helps explain some of the razzle-dazzle blockbuster flourishes – and based on characters created by Jeffrey Reddick) have also created a clever way to complicate this by tenfold through an origin story of disastrous, mass accidental death and cataclysmic destruction mostly thwarted, ticking off Death in the process. If you were Death, presumably, you too would be annoyed that your carefully calibrated, multi-stage plans went to waste like that.
In the present day, Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) dreams about that harrowing event in graphic detail, soon realizing that she is living it from the perspective of her estranged grandmother (played by Brec Bassinger and Gabrielle Rose in the here and now) and that maybe her family’s assumptions that grandma’s rantings and ravings about Death coming for the family wasn’t unfounded crazy talk. That’s also a parental behavior curse passed down to her mother, Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt), who is also estranged from Stefani. However, she is close to her father, Marty (Tinpo Lee), and brother, Charlie (Teo Briones), but she is flunking away her scholarship due to poor grades resulting from such persistent nightmares.
Following some investigation, it’s made known that Death has not finished its decades-long slaughter of anyone who wasn’t meant to survive the destructive trap on that day. Featuring multiple perspectives of the event, it’s an epic-scale sequence fitting for the event (even if it’s plastered in unconvincing CGI backgrounds); it’s the typical Hollywood raising the bar by going bigger and louder, which is generally unnecessary and annoying yet also comes across reasonable for a franchise about Death outlandishly setting up kills. The expansive set piece is also elevated by Tim Wynn’s foreboding and sinister score, some gory practical effects and game stunt work (it has been reported that the record for the oldest person lit on fire during the making of a film was set), not to mention a twisted sense of humor using song lyrics and object close-ups to a combination of ominous and hilariously demented effect.
From there, the filmmakers meander a bit, setting up the rest of the Bloodlines plot. Once that ball is put into motion, it becomes increasingly clear that they understood the assignment of what viewers want from this franchise and, particularly, horror all-around. There is also a quick scene of these characters playing Mortal Kombat, further showing that they get the appeal of over-the-top kills and would probably be good for that franchise.
They are comfortable allowing some of these relatives to be stubborn idiots, meaning that when a scenario arises for typical Final Destination craziness to occur, it’s acceptable to lick one’s chops like a shark smelling blood, eagerly anticipating grisly violence to cackle at. Those expectations are also toyed with, giving way to entertaining, cruel surprises and darkly hilarious punchlines. There are sick kills here, and even sicker humor.
That’s not to say Final Destination: Bloodlines isn’t going for some emotional beats. It is, and admittedly, those elements are the weakest of the movie, sometimes coming across with a forced legacy sequel aura and character tropes, despite this not necessarily being one of those. The exception, of course, is a cameo from the late, gifted Tony Todd reprising his role and doling out some life wisdom that beautifully applies beyond the movie. However, the scale favors cheering on the carnage, with the filmmakers aware they can’t allow the proceedings to get too sentimental. Even when the film starts to play fast and loose with the rules it establishes, it’s forgivable since it’s in service of this franchise’s strengths. Above all else, one has to applaud the outrageously ingenious machinations of death put into motion.
The kills are gleefully insane and extremely gory, with no punches pulled regarding gender or age. However, what’s more impressive is the crafty misdirection and how elaborately they are staged, from a filmmaking and creative standpoint. It will make you “wanna shout” (which is featured on the soundtrack), alright; Final Destination: Bloodlines makes you wanna shout “fatality!”
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd you
