‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Review – A Suitable Dose Of Franchised Fear

After more than a decade-long hiatus from the silver screen, the Final Destination franchise has finally made a return. Following a string of so-so sequels (some of which fans go to bat for, and others they’d be happier to forget) the new film, Bloodlines, was set to release to milquetoast expectations. Currently, it boasts a 93/89% split on Rotten Tomatoes, between the critic and audience scores, respectively, and opened to the biggest box office numbers in franchise history, eclipsing $100 million globally in its very first weekend. Who saw that coming?

Not only did the film prove that the audience for these movies is still very much alive (à la the recent Scream revival), but it seems to have also garnered a completely new one. Without a doubt, we’ll be seeing more of these in no time – and, in good news for the future films, they’ll have some room to improve.

Now, Bloodlines isn’t a bad movie. Far from it, actually; this is a horror franchise reawakening that is both properly reverent and excitingly fresh. The winks and nods to the older movies are well-mannered and appropriately infrequent, while the newer additions, especially on the narrative front, work to ensure that this entry finds a way to stand out, despite being the sixth down the line.

But, interestingly enough, the film is still plagued by many of the same symptoms that burdened the franchise’s previous entries. Perhaps the biggest hiccup on hand is the film’s inability to commit to one tone. It’s difficult to get too far criticizing these movies’ cheesiness, as that aspect has become tantamount to the universe in time, but the film still struggles to balance even that at times. It’s a real circus trick to sell your characters when the things happening around them fight against their realistic conflicts; a heartbreaking moment of familial confrontation is followed immediately by someone dying in the most unbelievable, ridiculous way you can imagine. It wears on the believability, if the film is even going for that sort of thing.

Then again, Bloodlines finds a lot of strength in the extensive cast of characters it splays out across the traumatic events that shape the story. As is hinted by the title, the film basically follows an entire family for a great portion of the runtime. While there are clear standouts and one obvious star (the late Tony Todd, of course), you spend a lot of time following cousins, brothers, and mothers around, too, and it never feels out of place. The movie is built on the bloodlines, and such an approach garners extra appreciation considering how often movies like this one bumble bloated casts.

Yet the way these characters are knocked off, despite often being clever in setup, is a digital nightmare in execution. The CGI isn’t necessarily bad, but it also isn’t sparing, and the flaws start to make themselves apparent by the fifth or sixth death in the movie. Everything starts to look the same after a while, and while the narrative ultimately keeps this thing afloat, the novelty of the violence is lost in the blood that bathes it. Is it supposed to be gross? Sure, but that doesn’t mean it can’t still feel cheap, and at times, it certainly does.

The film’s opening is its strongest point, too, which doesn’t necessarily help the rest of it. Still, if you’re a horror fan, this is one of the best offerings to release this year up to now. It’s a solid franchise reminder that definitely does enough to warrant the attention it’s getting, and there aren’t any better options, at least right now, to fill that same vile void in the theater.

Final Destination: Bloodline is currently playing in theaters courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.