Via IMDB
By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Even though these movies have progressively declined and become tired after the first couple of them, this is a sequel that ironically breathes new life into the series. “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is the sixth horror film of this franchise, but the first in 14 years. Creativity, emotion, and straying from the formula are the key ingredients added to the soup of intricate death scenes and carnage that give it a nice boost of spice for a deliciously entertaining show.
The story starts very similarly to all previous “Final Destination” movies with a chain of events leading to a catastrophic accident killing many people. This is where it differs. The horrible scene shows up as a nightmare instead of a premonition to Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who realizes she’s seeing through a window to the past involving her grandmother Iris (Gabrielle Rose). It was Iris who had the premonition saving hundreds of lives in 1962 from certain death.
All these decades later, and Death has not forgotten, systematically collecting on all these lives owed, wiping out not only the survivors of that averted disaster, but also any lives created that should not have existed in the first place. As Death makes its way to the Reyes extended family, Stefani seeks any possible way to thwart Death’s plan and keep her and her loved ones safe, conferring with Iris and her old friend William Bludworth (Tony Todd). With doom lurking around every corner, they can run but they can’t hide.
Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein have worked together for years but never on the set of a “Final Destination” film. These are two super fans of the franchise, however, and there are no shortages of tributes, references, and easter eggs that tie the other films together scattered throughout the movie. While they celebrate the past in this way, they also infuse this series with a newness that is refreshing without derailing the overarching themes established in earlier films. Being able to appease longtime fans and attract newcomers is a difficult task for any director, but these two accomplish that feat. Straying from the traditional formula of this franchise by focusing the target on a family tree, they touch on more emotional depth and family drama than previous iterations, thus investing viewers more into the story than the death sequences.
These directors also do a fine job of creating those imaginative, diabolically elaborate death scenes that fans have come to expect, with grisly and gruesome gore that has them squirming in their seats. Using IMAX cameras, the visuals have never been more crisp but sloppy CGI diminishes the quality a bit. There was also some sloppiness in the details, like during the scene set in 1962 using music from Burt Bacharach and Johnny Cash that had not been made yet. Lipovsky and Stein recover from these follies by lacing many of the scenes with humor, whether through dialogue or ironically crafted death scenes. This does make the film more comedic than horrific.
Splatter horror films like these don’t usually rely on experienced actors and performances to enhance the quality of production, and this one is no exception. Even so, the primarily young, inexperienced cast does a fine job of playing their roles adequately. Kaitlyn Santa Juana stands out as the lead, supplying much of the emotional connection. Another performance worth mentioning comes from Richard Harmon (“The 100”), who plays the tattooed and pierced cousin with a sarcastic, emo sense of humor that makes his character funny and likeable. Of course, the film would not feel complete without the presence of Tony Todd, who has appeared in five of the six films including the original back in 2000. Tragically, he passed away last November, and he was very ill while completing his scenes, but that did not prevent him from delivering a heartfelt, pivotal speech, impacting the storyline in a meaningful way. The film is appropriately dedicated to him.
Fans of the franchise will love it, and newcomers will want to stream the earlier movies upon seeing this one. “Final Destination: Bloodlines” successfully and surprisingly reinvigorates this series and will most certainly yield future sequels. Yes, it has flaws and can be a bit silly at times, but the entertainment value is undeniable, making it the better theatrical option out of the new releases these past couple of weeks.
This movie earns
