Final Destination serves death, dismemberment… and a dash of sentiment
BLOOD, gore and about a gazillion ridiculous ways to die — Final Destination Bloodlines doesn't disappoint. The sixth entry in the franchise leans all the way in. Expect flying glass, a rogue MRI machine and possibly death by garbage truck.
It's gloriously pointless, unapologetically schlocky and honestly, that's half the charm.
Death is back — not that it ever left. The beauty of this franchise is you don't need a reason for the villain's return. It's Death. It doesn't need motivation. It just shows up, wrecks lives and keeps the plot moving.
In this universe, no one cheats Death and walks away. Well, almost no one. There's always that one person who thinks they're smarter than fate. Spoiler: they're not.
Of course, no Final Destination film is complete without a gloriously horrific opening — and this one delivers.
Picture a rooftop proposal 152m in the air, glass floor beneath your feet, full Loupe Lounge vibes… and then chaos. The whole scene is chilling — and because it's Final Destination, you know anything could be the trigger.
A flambé pan crackling too loud. A kid hurling a coin off the edge.
Couples dancing enthusiastically on the glass floor because apparently, that's a smart thing to do 152m in the air. You can't help but wonder — which one's going to set Death in motion?
Then — boom — everything happens all at once. Turns out, literally everything is a death trap.
The flambé? Deadly. The glass floor? Definitely cracking. The penny? Oh, it's got a mission.
The opening sequence goes full chaos mode — the kind that has you clutching your popcorn like a life raft.
But twist! It's not a premonition — just a dream.
Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) has been haunted by the same terrifying dream for two months — and oddly enough, she's not even in it.
She's just watching the carnage unfold like some cursed horror movie on repeat. The result? Sleepless nights, slipping grades and a fast track to academic probation.
In a last-ditch attempt to make sense of it all, Stefani uncovers a chilling truth: the dream isn't even hers — it's a vision passed down from her grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose).
Fifty years ago, Iris saved a group of people from certain death at — wait for it — that tower.
Yep, the one with the glass floors, flambé fireballs and that one idiotic kid tossing coins.
But in the Final Destination universe, Death holds grudges. It didn't just come for the survivors — it's coming for their descendants, too.
Stefani finds Iris living in self-imposed exile, in a house surrounded by death traps — which, let's be honest, seems like a terrible idea when Death's the one after you. Iris explains she derailed Death's plan decades ago, and now it's coming for the survivors' descendants, in order.
She insists she's safe… as long as she stays inside. Then she steps out — and is promptly impaled by a flying weather vane.
Stefani races against time (and Death) to save her family, only to watch them get picked off one by one in some truly stomach-churning death sequences.
Sorry for the spoiler — but come on, are you really surprised? It's a Final Destination movie. Of course, everyone dies.
What really stands out is the return of William Bludworth, the enigmatic mortician who's been cryptically guiding survivors since the beginning.
This time, his presence is finally explained: it was Iris's premonition that saved him as a child.
And now that she's gone, Bludworth is ready to face Death.
In a poignant move, directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein allowed Tony Todd to improvise his final scene.
The result is a quiet, unscripted monologue that doubles as both Bludworth's farewell and Todd's personal goodbye to fans: "I intend to enjoy the time I have left. And I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. You never know when..."
Todd, who was battling stomach cancer at the time, delivers it with heartbreaking honesty.
His death in November 2024 makes the moment hit even harder — a fitting end to a horror legend and the character he made iconic.
That aside, Final Destination Bloodlines is exactly what it sets out to be: campy, over-the-top, and packed with gloriously bizarre deaths.
It knows what it is — and fully commits. If you like your horror loud, ludicrous and tinged with legacy terror, this one delivers.
Classification: 18
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rakyat Post
3 days ago
- Rakyat Post
Ejen Ali's Fanbase Extends Beyond Malaysia, Calling ‘'Agents'' From Vietnam, Australia, Canada
Subscribe to our FREE Since its release in 2016, the story of a young secret agent Ejen Ali has captured the hearts of many Malaysians. With three seasons and a second movie currently out in cinemas under its belt, the popular animated series successfully drew international fans. A recent User Prior-Investment2793 shared that they saw many non-Malay fans lurking around in the app and wondered if there are other non-Malay fans of the animated series. This prompted people from Vietnam, India, Australia, the United States, Canada, and Ireland sharing their love for the show. Another Filipino fan shared that they first found out about Ejen Ali after watching another Malaysian animated series, BoBoiBoy. They got hooked on both shows due to the culture similarities in Malaysia and the Philippines. Meanwhile, a user in Vietnam said there's a local Ejen Ali fan community that's made up of around 1,700 people in Facebook. Ejen Ali The Movie 2 was recently released and has This marks Ejen Ali The Movie 2 as the fastest and highest grossing local animated film. The movie also surpassed the box office earnings of several international films such as Thunderbolts, Mission: Impossible, and Lilo & Stitch. The outpouring support from local viewers showed an increasing positive reception towards local animation. The film director Usamah Zaid Yasin thanked all 'agents' aka fans for supporting the movie. We poured our hearts into creating this sequel to meet the expectations of loyal fans who have long awaited Ejen Ali's next mission. Our aim wasn't just to make Malaysian animation competitive with international titles. The audience's reactions—their tears, laughter, and applause in the cinema—are the most precious gifts to us and truly encourage us to continue expanding the world of Ejen Ali's storytelling. Ejen Ali The Movie 2 director, Usamah Zaid Yasin The second movie picks up from the last episode of season 3 where Ali was granted a specialized smart armour suit under the secret Project SATRIA after losing his privilege to use IRIS. Ali's mission with his friends is not over yet because evil doesn't sleep. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Final Destination: Bloodlines brings death back in style
IT has been 14 long years since the last Final Destination entry, but Bloodlines marks a killer return to form. The sixth instalment in the carnage-fuelled franchise hits just the right mix of throwback nostalgia and genre evolution, all while maintaining the creative death sequences fans know and (grimly) love. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein do not just resurrect a beloved formula, they infuse it with renewed purpose and a multigenerational twist that actually makes sense. And yes, Death is still mad. Nightmarish family heirloom This time around, the ticking clock is tied not just to a single person but to an entire family tree. The story centres on Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a college student who begins having horrifying visions linked to a tragic accident from decades ago. Through a twisted family legacy, she learns her nightmares are not just creepy, they are part of something bigger, older and very much unfinished. It is a clever expansion of the original formula. Bloodlines does not try to reinvent Final Destination's signature structure (vision, denial, denial with screaming, acceptance, elaborate death, repeat), but it adds a layer of mythos that actually feels earned. By turning Death's curse into a hereditary curse, the franchise gets a chance to go both backwards and forwards at once and somehow, it works. Killswitch engage Honestly, no one goes into a Final Destination film primarily for character development. Viewers want death traps, improbable accidents and at least one scene that makes them rethink using household appliances. On that front, Bloodlines does not disappoint. The kills are outrageous, gut-churning and (thankfully) free from an overreliance on CGI. Every Rube Goldberg-like demise lands with that perfect balance of tension and absurdity, keeping the audience both wincing and waiting for the next creative fatality. This movie is gleeful in its gore and very proud of it. Fans of earlier entries will find plenty to admire here. There is even a distinct nod to the glorious chaos of Final Destination 2's infamous pile-up, delivered with a fresh coat of dread and inventive staging. This is a love letter written in blood. New faces, same unlucky destiny While Bloodlines injects a new generation into the franchise, this batch of doomed twenty-somethings (and some not) is a welcome refresh. The ensemble is diverse, likeable enough and, for the most part, convincing in their panic and disbelief. Standouts like Erik (Richard Harmon) and Charlie (Teo Briones) bring surprising charm and levity to the chaos. That said, the protagonist, Stefani, feels slightly under-seasoned when compared to some of the franchise's past leads. She is fine, just not particularly memorable. Especially when put next to Iris (Brec Bassinger and Gabrielle Rose), her grandmother and a character who exudes layered trauma, gothic conviction and all the Final Girl energy Stefani could have used more of. Iris, despite limited screen time, somehow steals every scene she is in with a mix of weariness and wisdom that gives the film real emotional weight. Still, the dynamic between the family members and the generational aspect of the plot gives the story enough texture to carry through even when Stefani's screen presence feels a bit diluted. Gore-geously produced Bloodlines is not a film for the squeamish or those with a philosophical inclination. It is a horror ride, bloody, ridiculous and wonderfully fatalistic. For those who appreciate this kind of chaos, it is nearly perfect. But it is also very much a niche delight. The pacing is fast, the tone is unapologetically bleak and the film assumes that its audience knows what they signed up for. There is little hand-holding and even less interest in reinventing what the franchise does best. Instead, it leans into the formula and sharpens it. That confidence makes it one of the better-crafted entries in the series, even if it is unlikely to convert new fans who do not enjoy watching fate literally body-check people into oblivion. Grim Reaper returns Final Destination: Bloodlines proves that even after six films, the franchise still has creative legs and many, many ways to break them. With smart callbacks, a unique mythological twist and some of the most grotesquely fun kills in the series yet, it satisfies long-time fans while teasing a broader universe that could actually sustain more stories. Yes, the main character might not leave a strong impression, but everything else from the execution (pun intended) to the pacing feels like a return to form. It is nostalgic without being stale, modern without being overstuffed and yes, still very, very fatal. It is gory. It is precise. It is a scream, but only for those who can stomach it. DIRECTOR: Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein CAST: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Tony Todd E-VALUE: 7/10 PLOT: 8/10 ACTING: 8/10
The Star
7 days ago
- The Star
Superheroes, dinosaurs, and Pedro Pascal: Summer blockbuster season is here!
Ethan Hunt's last mission? A new Superman? Two genre-spanning Pedro Pascal films, including a romance and a superhero movie? Hollywood's pulling out the stops this summer movie season, which kicked off with the release of Thunderbolts . May also brought big studio releases like live-action Lilo & Stitch , Final Destination Bloodlines and Mission: Impossible: Final Reckoning . Next month heats up with race cars in F1 , adventure in How To Train Your Dragon , zombies in 28 Years Later and beautiful killers in Ballerina and M3gan 2.0 . July is supercharged with Jurassic World Rebirth , Superman , Fantastic Four: First Steps and The Naked Gun . August delivers big with action ( Nobody 2 ), horror ( Weapons ), a lighthearted body-swap ( Freakier Friday ) and a New York love triangle ( Materialists ). And September closes the season with some supernatural ( The Conjuring 4 ) and romance ( A Big Bold Beautiful Journey ). Here's a guide to help make sense of the many, many options in theatres. Release dates are subject to change. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Now showing) Nothing ever really ends in the land of franchise filmmaking, but the 'final' in the title suggests this could actually be Tom Cruise's last ride as Ethan Hunt. Even if it isn't, audiences can trust it'll be full of death-defying spectacles worthy of the big screen. Lilo & Stitch (Now showing) This live-action reimagining of the 2002 classic about orphaned Hawaiian sisters who unknowingly adopt an alien was directed by Marcel The Shell With Shoes On filmmaker Dean Fleischer Camp. Sydney Agudong, who plays older sister Nani, said: 'The beauty of this movie is that it highlights the idea of Aloha and Ohana and the family dynamics that happen here along with the aliens and the Hawaiian roller coaster ride.' Lilo &Stitch Karate Kid: Legends (June 5) Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio unite for the newest Karate Kid film, set three years after Cobra Kai and focusing on a new kid, Li, played by Ben Wang. 'It kind of harkens back to the previous entries in the franchise,' Wang said. 'It's a kid who is a fish out of water who comes to a new city and has to face down bullies.' Ana De Armas leads this John Wick spin-off about a deadly (and classically trained) assassin. Ballerina How To Train Your Dragon (June 12) Unlike most live adaptations of animated movies, filmmaker Dean DeBlois is behind both. DeBlois said their goal was to make the film 'really immersive', to dial up the sense of urgency and peril and 'to just pull the audience in and make them feel like these dragons are real, that you could own one, you could fly on the back of one'. Mason Thames plays Hiccup and Nico Parker takes on the role of Astrid in this epic fantasy sure to enchant a new generation (and the one who grew up on the original). The original team behind 28 Days Later, including director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, return with a new entry featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes. This intergalactic adventure centres on an 11-year-old earthling (Yonas Kibreab) who is abducted by aliens and assumed to be a world leader. Oscar-winner Zoe Saldana is part of the voice cast. The creepy, dancing doll is back – as is an even more dangerous version on a killing spree whom she has to stop. Any questions? M3gan 2.0 Brad Pitt plays 'the best that never was', F1 driver Sonny Hayes, who's recruited to mentor a young up-and-comer (Damson Idris) in this high-octane film from Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski. Real racing cars were used, driver Lewis Hamilton consulted and a new camera system was developed to give audiences an immersive experience. 'It's a story about a last-place team, a group of underdogs, and Sonny Hayes in his later years having one more chance to try to do something he was never able to do, which is win a race in F1,' Kosinski said. Jurassic World Rebirth (July 3) Filmmaker Gareth Edwards (a Jurassic Park superfan and the director of The Creator) is ushering in a new era of Jurassic movies and harkening back to the Steven Spielberg originals in this film with Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey. Much about the film is being kept top secret, but Edwards said David Koepp's script read like a love letter to Spielberg's early work. 'It's basically a mission story where these military types go to this island to get this DNA, then there's a twist,' Edwards said. 'This family ends up involved and it becomes a story of survival. It's like one giant roller coaster ride and once it gets going, it sort of doesn't stop.' James Gunn is ushering in a new era of Superman, with a fresh face in David Corenswet and the promise that he's a different Superman than what audiences have seen before. Gunn said that this is 'a Superman that's both more grounded in his own personality and his relationship, which is much more complex than has been in the past. And then also the big magic world of Superman being in the world of the DCU with flying dogs and robots and giant monsters'. There's romance with Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, and a 'pretty scary' Lex Luthor in Nicholas Hoult. 'He's actually going to kill (Superman),' Gunn said. 'And that's cool to see.' I Know What You Did Last Summer (July 17) Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr reprise their roles from the 1997 slasher in this new instalment featuring an eerily similar situation and a cast of pretty young up-and-comers including Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King and Tyriq Withers. I Know What You Did Last Summer Rihanna produced and stars as Smurfette in this new musical adventure. 'There's a purity to the Smurfs mythos,' said Nick Offerman, who voices Papa Smurf's brother Ken. 'That, I think, is what makes their appeal so timeless. They're a benevolent group of wee blue villagers who, you know, want to love one another and lead productive lives while fending off the world's forces of evil, usually represented by the machinations of some wizards out for ill gotten gains.' The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 24) Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach unite to play 'Marvel's first family' in this retro-futuristic world set in 1960s New York. Director Matt Shakman (WandaVision, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) said they are the only superheroes in their world and are the leading lights of their age. While the scale and world building were on another level, Shakman said, 'it's also no different from all of the great comedies and dramas that I've done – in the end, it comes down to character, to relationships and to heart and humour'. Liam Neeson flexes his particular set of comedy skills as Frank Drebin Jr in this irreverent new entry from The Lonely Island veteran Akiva Schaffer, featuring Paul Walter Hauser and Pamela Anderson. Talk To Me filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou return with this creepy new movie about death, resurrection and the arrival of an adopted kid who is not quite right. Sally Hawkins plays the mother. Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos return for another animated heist, but this time they're teaming up with a new squad called the Bad Girls (voiced by Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova and Natasha Lyonne). An entire classroom of children goes missing in filmmaker Zach Cregger's eerie follow-up to Barbarian, starring Josh Brolin, Julia Garner and Alden Ehrenreich. Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are back as the body-swapping mother and daughter duo. Bob Odenkirk's former assassin Hutch Mansell can't catch a break. This time, Keanu Reeves joins the bloody fun. Dakota Johnson plays a matchmaker torn between two prospects (played by Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal) in love story from Past Lives filmmaker Celine Song. 'It's a modern love story that's set in New York City and it's inspired by the brief time that I worked as a professional matchmaker,' Song said. 'I really tried in this film to be really honest about the marketplace of dating, as the people actually experience it and live it today.' The Conjuring: Last Rites (Sept 4) Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return to their roles as paranormal investigators and authors Ed and Lorraine Warren. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Sept 18) Those who have no interest in superheroes or the usual summer shenanigans might appreciate this romantic fantasy-drama from the singularly named Kogonada who made the intriguing dramas Columbus and After Yang. Originally slated to come out in May, the studio moved the film starring Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge because, according to Variety, 'a September release was more appealing to the studio, as it's filled with more horror and male-centred titles, allowing the female event film to stand out.' – AP
