There is no franchise in the world that gets us more excited about death than the Final Destination series. Die-hard fans have been waiting, with bated breath, for nearly fifteen years for another portal into a universe where death defies all odds, and no one is safe.
Final Destination: Bloodlines was released in May of this year, and it did not disappoint. While some haters claim that Final Destination recycles the same plot every single time, those with a more nuanced eye can see that every film offers further insight into the complex workings of death and its everlasting grudges. Bloodlines opens with a premonition, set in the 1960s, that is utterly shocking and unexpectedly outrageous; the directors really know no limits. It’s safe to say, see a penny pick it up, you’ll no longer have any good luck!
When Iris, whose perspective we see this premonition from, falls to her pointed death, we are transported to the present day, to a lecture hall. The girl screaming is Stef, who we later find out is Iris’ granddaughter, and has been dreaming about Iris’ premonition. This unexpected narrative choice already isolates this film from the others in the franchise…and it was only the beginning of the twists.
As usual, in this franchise, it is the ensemble cast that really makes these films special (besides the unique deaths, of course). However, Bloodlines’ cast were a standout. The fact that death was coming after a family meant that emotions were even higher, and these characters really felt for one another. We cared about them and wanted them to find a way out. However, death really doesn’t consider family ties.
As we watch Stef attempt to predict death, truths are revealed, and shocks are promised! There is one death in this film, involving an MRI machine, that is probably one of the most memorable deaths in the franchise next to the tanning bed disaster of Final Destination Three.
If you want a film that is disgustingly brutal, oddly humorous and intensely gripping, then I 100% recommend Final Destination: Bloodlines. It has satiated a starving fanbase, but stands alone as a fun, gruesome horror that all can enjoy.
