The Final Destination franchise is arguably one of the top horror franchises of the 2000s. It doesn't have the longevity of the Halloween series or the consistent quality of Scream, but four of the five films are at least solid and tonally they perfectly fit the vibe of horror in the 2000s. It's been over a decade since the last entry in the series, and with the current run of legacy sequels in the horror genre I was looking forward to it. That being said, horror sequels with "Bloodlines" in the title have been notoriously some of the worst, so that alone had me skeptical. Back in November though, Tony Todd sadly passed away making this his last film and one I instantly became far more invested in, and I'm happy to report that this was everything I could have asked for.
This latest entry follows Stefani, a college student on academic probation thanks to a recurring nightmare stopping her from being able to sleep at night. The dream takes place decades in the past, and has her estranged grandmother dying in a giant accident. As it turns out, said grandma had a premonition and stopped a bunch of people from dying, leaving death to settle the score in its typical outlandish ways.
I think the perfect amount of time has passed for us to be getting another film in this series. The first three films are all rotten on rotten tomatoes despite their adoration among horror fans, and society as a whole has retroactively come around to them over time. While that appreciation has grown, we've also had a lot of time to understand how silly the premise is, and the writers behind this one clearly had a lot of fun playing with it. The 2022 Scream played with the franchise tropes in a way that poked some fun at what came before while also adding a bit of freshness to the formula, and Final Destination: Bloodlines has a similar vibe. It feels weird to say about a movie centered around brutal deaths, but this is one of the funniest movies of the year. It has a morbid sense of humour, but there are countless moments that are brilliantly thought out to get a laugh and my theater was eating it up. The film also centers around a family, something the franchise hasn't really done before, which made me care a bit more about the characters. We get to see them as a wholesome family unit so when they get picked off it feels like it means a bit more.
Most of the performances are nothing special, Kaitlyn Santa Juana as Stefani was fine but didn't really carry the film at all, especially compared to previous franchise leads like Devon Sawa and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Hands down the highlight for me was Richard Harmon as Stefani's cousin Erik, he delivers a performance full of sarcasm and wittiness that made me completely fall in love with his character, and Owen Patrick Joyner as his brother Bobby was also a delight. I also of course have to shout out the late Tony Todd. He only has one scene, but he brings his mysteriousness that I loved from his previous appearances in the franchise, then has a speech that is shockingly heartwarming. He essentially talks about enjoying life rather than worrying, a speech that just feels right as the last we'll see from him, and I'd be lying if I said a few tears didn't hit me.
Of course the reason people go into a Final Destination movie isn't the wholesome moments or the laughs, it's to watch over the top death scenes, and this one delivers. The opening is a bit too out there to rank among the franchise's bests, but it's a good opening, and a lot of the kills that follow are absolutely nuts. There is a biiiiit too much CGI gore that I wish was done practically, but the effects are a lot better than I would have expected so I won't complain too much. The scenes themselves are really the highlights each time, giving you a dozen different ways the characters might die before delivering something truly gruesome.
If you aren't a fan of the franchise this probably won't win you over, but if you are then I think you'll love this. It takes the franchise in a fun and fresh direction while never losing sight of what made the previous films work. 4/5
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