Warner Bros. Pictures releases Final Destination: Bloodlines in UK cinemas on May 14, 2025.
Synopsis
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Review
The last Final Destination film we received was way back in 2011 with the 3D gore fest Final Destination 5. Since then, we’ve not seen the reaper work on his creative juices to right the wrongs of people who cheat him. That is of course until now.
Final Destination: Bloodlines, as expected, delves into the familiar territory of fate, death, and elaborate ‘accidents’. However, it introduces a narrative thread of family legacies adding a new layer to the existing formula.
The premise is consistent with previous films: a group of individuals narrowly escape a catastrophic event only to find themselves targeted by death’s design. This time, the circumstances are tied to a family history, which offers a slightly different motivation for the events unfolding. As those fated to die had not technically survived a horrific incident but are now paying for someone else doing so it adds a layer of pity for these people who did nothing but try to live normal lives.Now I could be wrong on this but what I believe this alludes to is that the major incidents in the previous 5 movies were in some way linked to the opening events of this movie which take place back in the 1950’s. As the opening ‘visionary’ manages to prevent this catastrophic event and save dozens upon dozens of lives, the ripples sent throughout families and people never meant to exist resulted in the other 5 movies opening events. Not the characters we met but someone else who had died that day This is never outright spoken but I do believe is alluded to during the film. If this is the case then that is a very cool (if a bit messy) thread connecting all the movies.
The sequences of potential and realised deaths are, as usual, the centrepiece. The opening scenario is one of the best that this franchise has offered, with one particular character’s death eliciting a loud cheer and applause from the audience (you will know when you see it). I swear, you could have removed the chair from under me and I would not have moved, this is how intense I felt during the opening sequence.
The franchise once again delivers on its reputation for overly creative and overly complex scenarios. While some may find these sequences exaggerated, they are executed with a level of detail that can hold your attention. These are the moments we’re here for, that elicit a sense of unease and intensity as we witness the escalating nature of these ‘Rube Goldburg’ situations. While I would love to discuss my favourite ones, it’s best left to witness yourself but if they were ranked, the weakest was still very good.
The cast are solid throughout (with our own Neil Vagg noting that almost all of the cast have at one time or another been involved in a DC movie or TV show!). While they deliver the laughs with their impossible ‘death is literally coming for you’ scenario before their final moments finally believing in it. Nothing else much to be said beyond a fun and solid cast.
Visually, the film mostly delivers. A few of the film’s earlier shots are partly unfinished with an awkward uncanny valley for the establishing shots of the Skyview Restaurant Tower but the gore is where it shines and this film has a lot of close up gore!
The filmmakers have effectively utilised the potential for everyday objects to become instruments of death, which is a hallmark of the series. Seeing each piece fall into place and I would love to see their process on which ‘domino pieces’ they establish to have the death punchline for each of their characters.
While Final Destination: Bloodlines doesn’t deviate far from the established structure of the franchise, it does try to personalise it with the family dynamic and the idea of someone successfully holding the reaper back.
It offers more of what fans have come to expect. It’s not a film with profound messages or intricate character arcs, it’s a fun rollercoaster ride filled with elaborate death sequences and gore galore.
Verdict
Bloodlines delivers on its core concept without attempting to completely reinvent the wheel. If you enjoyed the previous movies then Bloodlines will give you that next fix we’ve not had since 2011 and hopefully many more in the future.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
