Final Destination: Bloodlines – You Can’t Cheat Death But You Can Make a Great Sequel!
For horror fans, there are many iconic film scenes; a vomiting, possessed Regan from The Exorcist; Jason popping up behind Alice at the end of Friday the 13th; Baby, Captain Spaulding, and Otis on the run at the climax of The Devil’s Rejects... Another much-referenced scene is the car crash from Final Destination 2, which spurred many a horror fan to switch lanes if they ever found themselves behind a truck carrying logs (me included).
The Final Destination series of films – including the hilarious 3D sequel – have not only made an impression on fans’ psyches but on the genre as well.
The very idea that Death has a ‘design’ – and you can’t outrun it no matter what – is delicious and fun, especially when it’s set against a backdrop of hilariously creative and gory kills, which get wilder and harder to believe with each installment of the series.
Despite the announcement that 2009’s The Final Destination would bookend the franchise, I thought the series had pretty much reached its natural end with 2011’s Final Destination 5 (which served as a prequel of sorts to the very first film). However, when Final Destination: Bloodlines was announced, I was super stoked.
Final Destination: Bloodlines Is a Horror Legacy Sequel Done Right
I don’t typically get really excited when a legacy franchise announces a years-later sequel, requel, or reboot… but Final Destination is a bit different for me. I think the simple fact of the premise, which is that every film is different, makes each new entry easier to swallow.
It’s not like we’re following Sydney in the Scream films or Laurie in Halloween – each of these movies is completely unique in terms of characters, death scenes, and storylines, making it simple to take each film separately from the rest and view it as its own unique entity. It’s much less of an effort for me to enjoy the Final Destination sequels due to that alone, and let’s be honest; the crazy death sequences are worth the price of admission every time!
Final Destination: Bloodlines does something none of the other films have really done: It gives us lore! A backstory. Something more complex than ‘Death’s design.’ It gives the Final Destination series a definitive starting point that makes the rest of the series make sense in a linear fashion.
The film begins in 1968 when the first domino (or penny, as it were) falls, creating the ripple effect that we know and love that runs throughout the Final Destination films.
I honestly didn’t expect a lot from Final Destination: Bloodlines, but I really enjoyed it and had a blast watching it. From the get-go, the opening sequence delivers in terms of anxiety-inducing moments that lead to the inevitable and set up character introductions.
If You Love the Formula, Bloodlines Is a Tasty Treat!
The template of the film is much the same as previous installments (with some key differences) – the victims in the present day have to figure out where they fit in as far as the order they’re supposed to die in, and find the loophole that prevents their demise… Which, as we’ve seen through multiple movies, is tricky if not entirely impossible.
That leads us to some memorable death scenes! Though my favorite scene in the film is one where nobody actually died. (If you watch the movie and have seen me or know me, you can guess which one!).
I was impressed as always with the remarkable practical effects, which continue to be a hallmark of the films. Though CGI is definitely employed in this film, the directors did as much as they could practically to make the death scenes as realistic as possible, and therefore, more fun for viewers.
The acting is top-notch, the stunts (performed in one case by a 71-year-old actor, breaking the world record for the oldest actor to perform this type of fire stunt!), and the dramatic set pieces make this movie the sweetest eye candy for horror junkies and gore hounds.
I have to give the series credit for always going bigger and bolder, with the bridge sequence in part 5 giving way to the dramatic sky tower sequence in Final Destination: Bloodlines. It doesn’t get much bigger than that! What sets Bloodlines apart from the others and makes it memorable is the plot itself, which varies just a bit from older outings.
The past Final Destination films focus on the same core group of people from start to finish, but this film jumps timelines, showing the past and the future, then connecting it all into a fascinating story that serves the plot of this film as well as the previous entries.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is similar enough to its predecessors for diehard fans to love it, but different enough to intrigue viewers who long for something just a bit outside of the franchise’s norm. It hits that sweet spot that’s just perfect enough to revitalize a series that’s been around for 25 years and, by the looks of the box office numbers, could be sticking around for a few more films if fans are lucky.
It’s a Perfect Farewell to Our Beloved Tony Todd
For horror fans who have a soft spot for the Candyman himself, seeing Tony Todd in his final role as morbid mortician William Bludworth (and could it have been a better last film?) is bittersweet. But Todd got to say goodbye to his fans on his own terms, reportedly improvising the speech he makes in this film that reduced most fans (yes, including me) to a sobbing mess in the theater. Absolute fan service and it absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way.
Like the other movies in the Final Destination series, there are standout death sequences that will have you laughing. I’m not sure if there will ever be another car crash, bridge sequence, or even tanning bed demise, but it’s always fun to see what off-the-wall kills the directors come up with to leave fans stunned in their seats! Check it out.
***The review above was written by Christi Bandy***
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Images for this review were purchased via MovieStillsDB and CineMaterial.
The worse movie some movies just need stop i love these but this one i was really excited for and it was just disappointing
Oh, really?? I’m sorry to hear that. My husband and I caught Final Destinations: Bloodlines in theaters and we loved it. The opening sequence was one of the most exciting (great song choice!) and we enjoyed that it upped the humor. The additional laughs made the “same ol’, same ol'” formula of the Final Destination franchise feel fresh again. The inevitability of death can very easily become a drag – especially six(!) movies in – so going more extreme with kills AND laughs made sense to us. But comedy is definitely subjective, so I can understand being disappointed if the goofs weren’t to your taste. Thank you so much for commenting!! 🙂