Final Destination Bloodlines Review- Death Gets Playful and Deadly
Films that have a notion of ‘elevated horror’, which apparently started from 2014’s The Babadook and the recent hit
Films that have a notion of ‘elevated horror’, which apparently started from 2014’s The Babadook and the recent hit Longlegs (2024), are hailed by today’s audience. The lines between supernatural dread and psychological drama are blurred by these horror flicks.
The scream-tastic Final Destination: Bloodlines has changed the vision for the franchise. It is the highest-rated film of the entire verse. And here is our slashy Final Destination Bloodlines review, telling how we found the flick and whether it is worth a watch.
Plot details of Final Destination: Bloodlines
In our previous article, we gave an overview of the plot of Final Destination: Bloodlines. Still, for revisiting purposes, Stefanie (played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana) starts getting nightmares in which she sees her grandmother dying a bloody death. However, she gets to know that she is still alive, living on an isolated piece of land, trying to defy death for so many decades herself.
As her grandmother (Old Iris played by Gabrielle Rose) had resisted death successfully until now, her granddaughter wasn’t meant to be in this world. Since the title mentions the word “Bloodlines”, the death is after her entire family now.
Death doesn’t like to be played with, but death has decided to be awfully playful this time. As soon as Stefanie reaches Iris’s house, the grandma dies. But before giving in to death in front of Stefanie’s eyes just to make her believe that death is revengeful, she hands her a book, full of years of research.
The book has details on how to stop it from being more macabretastic and this is when the real deadly fun begins.
Get a glimpse in the trailer here:
Actors’ performances in Final Destination: Bloodlines
Some of the actors have not received much screen time, but have certainly left us thinking whether karma, free will, and human metaphysics actually exist. For example, Julia starts jogging while Erik, Charlie, and Stefanie are arguing about how Erik should stay away from everyday things around him that could lead him to his death.
We were thoroughly taken aback when Stefanie explained the things that could cause death for Erik but were actually working their way out for Julia. We were flabbergasted to know that Erik wasn’t Aunt Brenda’s (played by April Telek) child from Iris’s bloodline.
Okay, we are not here to give you many spoilers, but the point of saying is that the directors made sure that even the characters who did not get much screen time experienced deaths that remained unforgettable for us.
Otherwise, Kaitlyn, Richard Harmon (who played Erik’s character), Brec Bassinger (young Iris), Owen Joyner (who played Bobby’s character having a peanut allergy), and Rya Kihlstedt (who played Stefanie’s estranged mother) were all fantastic. Every character showed how they were deeply connected to the genuine meaning of Bloodline and what each character’s presence meant for the story.
No role appeared useless, and all the plot details of each character blended well with the narrative. On the whole, it didn’t seem like mayhem, but the character’s struggle against death’s cryptic ways of saying ‘hello’ in the process of saving their family was brilliantly pulled off.
Besides, Tony Todd’s farewell appearance was memorable. As per Nerdist, the franchise producer Craig Perry told that Todd was asked whether he wanted to say something special to his fans through his iconic role. Todd said,
“I intend to enjoy the time I have left. And I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. You never know when… Good luck.” [Source]
What do critics add to the Final Destination Bloodlines review?
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The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes gave a positive review of the film. It said,
“Adding some surprising emotional layers onto the ghoulish bones of Final Destination‘s mythology, Bloodlines ingeniously executes grisly set pieces with precision.” [Source]
The critics appreciated the fact that the story was well-plotted, as usually the sequels have an unseen pressure on the filmmakers to make it better than their predecessors. This time, it proved that it was worth the cinematic experience, and the legacy was maintained, even finer than before.
Fans reaction
Fans loved the flick- it did meet their high expectations as the trailer had promised. According to the elated fans, the movie did deliver what it was set to. They felt there was a touch of humor attached to death, as there were some intelligent death plots in the movie that not only kept our intrigue levels blasting through the meters but cranked the tension with every frame of every scene.
And of course, a very well-deserved R.I.P. to Tony Todd, which fans mentioned in their reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
Top 3 deaths in Final Destination: Bloodlines
We have ranked the most terrifying deaths of Final Destination 6. Here’s what we think:
- Erik Campbell (Richard Harmon)- crushed by the wheelchair in MRI machine
- Bobby Campbell (played by Owen Patrick Joyner)- a metal spring from the vending machine hit him in the head
- Julia Campbell (played by Anna Lore)- crushed by the trash truck
Is it worth watching?
Yes, for sure! Final Destination: Bloodlines is the highest-rated film of the franchise yet, and there’s a reason. Have a look.
| Final Destination | 2000 | 48 percent Tomatometer, 68 percent Popcornmeter | 6.7 (IMDb) |
| Final Destination 2 | 2003 | 52 percent Tomatometer, 58 percent Popcornmeter | 6.2 |
| Final Destination 3 | 2006 | 44 percent Tomatometer, 57 percent Popcornmeter | 5.9 |
| The Final Destination (4) | 2009 | 28 percent Tomatometer, 35 percent Popcornmeter | 5.1 |
| Final Destination 5 | 2011 | 63 percent Tomatometer, 53 percent Popcornmeter | 5.9 |
| Final Destination 6 (Bloodlines) | 2025 | 92 percent Tomatometer, 88 percent Popcornmeter | 7.1 |
Since the franchise owners knew where they wanted to take their direction, and wanted to instill creativity in the narrative of ‘death’ itself. They have proved that rather than throwing deaths here and there, there is a reason death is after certain people, and it is due to their bloodlines.
The longest flick of the franchise is bigger and better, and we are totally ecstatic that it is. It certainly was worth the length. Unfortunately, routine life things now have a new horrific face for us, but it will surely give us memories for our lifetime, just like the log truck in Final Destination (2000).
The curse of multiple generations was finally broken, and the questions that we were dying to have answers to were finally unfolding in real time. The sixth installment of Final Destination is hugely entertaining. Death doesn’t like being cheated, and this film proves it with style.
Our rating: 8.5/10
Is Final Destination: Bloodlines available for streaming?
Final Destination: Bloodlines (rated R) is now playing in theatres only, via New Line Cinema and Warner Bros., in IMAX theatres.
Genre: Horror, thriller
IMDb rating: 7.1
Rotten Tomatoes: 92 percent on Tomatometer (critics’ score) and 88 percent on Popcornmeter
Cast: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger and Tony Todd
Directors: Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky
Writers: Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor
Producers: Craig Perry, Sheila Hanahan Taylor and Jon Watts
Release date: May 16, 2025
Movie runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
Do you agree with the review of Final Destination: Bloodlines? Which death scene was an anxiety-inducing thrill for you? Let us know in the comments below.
