This gloriously gory return to form keeps it all in the family

The Advertiser

15-05-2025

Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.
Final Destination: Bloodlines
(MA 15+, 109 minutes)
3 stars
A whole generation of people have grown up with fears of logging trucks, carwashes, rollercoasters, bridge collapses, laser eye surgery and falling panes of glass and there's only one reason: Final Destination.
The suspense/horror franchise has been finding novel ways to kill people off since 2000. However, it's been a long time between drinks, with the latest instalment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, coming 14 years after its predecessor.
And the gap between films isn't the only thing that's changed - Bloodlines has played around with the formula a little bit.
We're used to seeing these films play out in the exact same way: a bunch of people are gathered somewhere (a plane, a highway, a rollercoaster, a racetrack, a bridge) when disaster strikes and everyone starts dying, only for our main character to suddenly be alive again several minutes earlier (it was all just a premonition!), with the knowledge of what's coming and the ability to save people. Several people are saved while many others die, but Death is not satisfied with this, and comes after all the survivors one by one.
This time, however, we still see that opening disaster (now it's a truly horror-inducing collapse of a glass-floored sky-high restaurant) but the person who's seeing the disaster unfold isn't someone who's there, it's a college student 50 years after the event. It turns out that what she thinks is a recurring nightmare is actually a real disaster that her estranged grandmother averted.
That's where the 'bloodlines' comes in - so many people were saved from this disaster that Death has had a hard time finishing them all off, and these survivors have had families of their own. So not only does Death have to come for the survivors, but also all their descendants.
And that's where we meet our main crew for this deathly adventure. They're all members of the same family, fated without their knowledge to die one after the other in horrible, freak accidents.
As with nearly all the previous instalments, Bloodlines has a cast of unknowns, led by Kaitlyn Santa Juana (the college student, Stef), while Brec Bassinger opens the film as young Iris, Stef's grandmother in flashback.
But while the cast is unfamiliar, the soundtrack certainly isn't - it feels like most of the budget went towards the music, with iconic songs like Without You by Air Supply, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson and more death-y tunes.
Bloodlines can easily be watched by someone who has never seen a Final Destination movie before. As with each of the entries, our main character has to explain to everyone else that Death is coming for them, so the central concept is always spelled out for new viewers. However the experience is going to be so much richer if you're a die-hard fan, because this one is chock-full to the brim with references, callbacks and general fan service. Things that would go completely unnoticed by a new viewer are laden with meaning for the experienced Final Destination-er: a train track here, a coin there, a casual mention of 'clear rivers'. There's basically a giant metaphorical 'IYKYK' sign flashing throughout the entire film.
But the most important callback is the return of genre legend Tony Todd (Bludworth, fittingly still in the morgue), in what would be his final film role. Todd is visibly sick on screen, but his presence and importance to the franchise lore is unmatched. The film is also dedicated to him, as it should be.
As in all good Final Destinations, the acting leaves a lot to be desired, but that's just part of the franchise's charm.
So how about the deaths, the most important part of any Final Destination film? Some are delightfully gory and memorable (just wait until the hospital scene), some are hilarious and some are entirely forgettable.
But the big opening sequence is a hell of a cracker, and sure to put anyone off going anywhere with glass floors. It's just a shame that so much of the film relies on obvious CGI. It's visually a bright and sunny film overall (like the fourth entry in the franchise) but you wonder if it wouldn't be better served with a cooler, darker colour palette, like the first and fifth films.