Final Destination: Bloodlines returns with a vengeance

​The same franchise that traumatized an entire generation from driving behind a semi-truck carrying lumber and an affinity for making sure the tanning bed still opens mid-session is back to create an entirely new set of irrational fears for movie-goers. Final Destination: Bloodlines is in theaters now. The film, which is the sixth installment in the franchise, is the first film to be released since 2011. The franchise began 25 years ago and has been consistently formulaic in its plot points ever since. An opening sequence of destruction and death is seen as a premonition from the main character, who manages to act and save a handful of survivors from a gruesome and violent death. But, death comes after them one by one in even more gruesome and volatile ways. The reasoning is quite simple, death doesn’t like to be cheated, so the survivors of these accidents are picked off, usually in the order they would have originally died so that deaths design doesn’t deviate.

​As the franchise has progressed, it seems to have developed more intricate and anxiety-inducing kill scenes that have insane build ups, occasionally throwing a curve ball to the audience before pivoting in an entirely new direction. (Remember the screw on the balance beam from the fifth film?) However, because the plot is often regurgitated, twists, turns and originality are required in order for another entry to be successful. In the case of Bloodlines, it currently sits as the highest rated film in the series and holds an impressive rotten tomatoes score.

​The film opens with the anticipated disaster as a fictitious skyrise lounge made of steel and glass is engulfed in flames and collapses, claiming the lives of everyone. But this time, the premonition is actually a dream, for young college student named Stefani. The tower collapse that was prevented actually occurred decades earlier, with Stefani’s grandmother being the one who had the premonition. The premonition is now a haunting dream for Stefani, as she tries to piece together what the nightmare means and how it relates to her estranged grandmother. This time, death has taken a little longer to work its way through the survivors as its claiming the lives of everyone that should have died that night, and any children or grandchildren that carry on their lineage (or…Bloodline, hence the title.) Stefani and her family then realiz that death is coming for them, but if they know exactly what to look for, or perhaps can figure out how to cheat it, they might be able to survive their inevitable fate.

​The film is directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B Stein. Starring is Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Ryan Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Alex Zahara, and with Brec Bassinger and Garbielle Rose both playing the role of Iris, past and present. The film also brings back series veteran Tony Todd, who passed last year. 

​With this newest installment, Lipovsky and Stien knew they needed the perfect balance of homage to the predecessors, but also something fresh and admirable. The death scenes, which some might say is what brings fans back for more, seems a little twisted to be a selling point. However, because these characters were/are supposed to die, it seems a little more admissible to smirk as viewers watch them meet their gory and tragic ends. Introducing the familial element is something new to the storyline, and it definitely ups the stakes for the characters. Before, it always seemed to be a group of strangers who made up the group of survivors, but by introducing a cast of characters that hold relationships to one another and the element of generational trauma, a more developed thesis of the film is present.

​As for the visual and practical effects, the film knows not to take itself too seriously, which is quite enjoyable. The filmmakers and the audience are both spectators on some ridiculous tongue-and-cheek dialogue and the spectacle of death with some of the ‘freak accidents’ being drawn out and tease viewers in a mindful fashion. There are so many moments that are callbacks to previous films and moments that have become fan favorites, and the flick solidly carries the torch of a franchise that has been around for two and half decades. It didn’t seem old or tired, and the attention to detail and ominous score help to steer the film in the right direction, providing enough predictability but still provoking enough twists and turns to keep the viewers satisfied. I’m unsure if the franchise will continue to release further entries in the series, but if they are anything like this, franchise fans will be satisfied and well-fed.

​Final Destination: Bloodlines earns a respectable and solid B.