It doesn’t try to fool anyone—and it doesn’t have to. The new Final Destination knows exactly what it is: a parade of imaginative deaths, buckets of blood, some dark humor, and characters who exist solely to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But within that formula, Bloodlines works surprisingly well.
Right from the start, with an opening sequence that’s already among the best in the franchise, the film makes it clear it’s going all in. There’s tension, spectacle, and a pace that rarely drops. Directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky take their job seriously, even knowing they’re staging a twisted joke. And it shows in the precision of many set pieces.
One of this installment’s strengths is not taking itself too seriously, while avoiding full-on parody. There are nods for longtime fans, visual cues referencing earlier films, and a sense that—for once—the characters aren’t entirely clueless about what it means to be trapped in this curse. The family tree concept adds an intriguing layer, though it could’ve been explored more deeply.
Visually, the movie is solid. Shot with large screens in mind, it offers wide shots, more polished cinematography than usual, and staging that aims for impact without losing clarity. The kills are brutal, yes, but also creative, with that playful sadism that has always defined the franchise.
Does it have flaws? Of course. Some dialogues are flat, the characters stick to cliché roles, and the film occasionally flirts with unintentional parody. But overall, the balance between dark comedy, suspense, tension, and gore makes it a surprisingly enjoyable chapter—even for those who thought the saga had nothing left to say.
It reinvents nothing, but it does prove that with a bit of genre love, you can still make entertaining entries in a franchise that seemed spent. If you liked the previous ones, this is a safe bet. And if you never bought into the game, at least it’ll make you look twice before crossing the street.
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