Final Destination: Bloodlines – Review

Release Date – 14th May 2025, Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 50 minutes, Directors – Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein

With her life being disturbed by a recurring nightmare, student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) attempts to locate her grandmother (Gabrielle Rose) to find out what it means, only to discover that death is catching up with her family.

Instead of making a return with a remake or requel, as has been the case for other returning horror franchises since 2018’s Halloween, after 14 years, and following on from two generally lesser-regarded entries, Final Destination returns to the big screen for a sixth outing. One working in a similar standalone vein as before with occasional nods to previous entries. Yet, where it best succeeds is the fact that directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, clearly both fans of the franchise, understand the balance of comedy and darkness at play.

For every Tom and Jerry style marble-run build-up and execution of death there’s a suspenseful build up and sense of threat hanging over. Both forces combining to make for tremendous fun as the various escalations which lead to the demises that we see feel like their own individual set-pieces. Approaching the death with gleeful anticipation shared by the film and the audience. Getting a laugh from the sometimes, knowingly, ridiculous set of circumstances and a flinch from the gory splatter.

Death’s plan in this case has taken a while to catch up as he targets the family of student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana). Plagued by nightmares of a skyline restaurant disaster, seeing the perspective of two people with the names of her grandparents, she tries to track down her grandmother (Gabrielle Rose), despite family claims that she’s best just leaving things alone. However, after finding her she discovers that her dream was a vision her grandmother had before saving multiple lives at the restaurant; ever since death has been catching up, and now has to kill those who were never meant to exist – including Stefani, her younger brother (Teo Briones) and their cousins.

With each progression there’s a swiftness to Bloodlines that, while being the longest entry in the franchise at just under 2-hours, leads it to fly by. A good deal of which comes from the pure entertainment factor. Insert shots which add to the tense fate that the characters are unaware of and thrill of waiting to see how things unfold from a simple penny falling on the ground. Leading to an eventual trail of bloodshed and mutilation.

Within this trail the darkness lies. Yet, even in quieter scenes as the cast try to figure out how to stop death and break the cycle – featuring a wonderfully poignant turn from Tony Todd in his final film role, still relishing every line he’s given – there’s a sense of threat as they fear what will happen to them if they bring themselves to the only, still deadly, ways to disturb it. The balance throughout is well handled, often co-existing with great effect, and adds to the overall entertainment factor.

Very little of what we see is done with a wink down the camera. Instead, a great tongue-in-cheek grin staring directly into the lens as another wonderfully playful, chuckle-inducing needle drop adds to the dark humour (the soundtrack as a whole is rather good). Clearly made by fans who understand the workings of the franchise and what makes it so enjoyable; acknowledging and embracing the ridiculousness without ever feeling overruled by just silliness. Making for one of the best, and slickest, entries in the franchise.

Tremendous fun from start to finish mixing Tom and Jerry style disaster with dark tragedy for pure entertainment there may be plenty of laughs to be found within Final Destination: Bloodlines yet it never forgets the fear and tension in its splatter. As one of the best of the franchise it flies by.