Final Destination Bloodlines is the sixth entry in the Final Destination franchise. Directed by Zach Lipovsky & Adam Stein, the film stars Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger, and Tony Todd. Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.

For 14 years, the idea of a Final Destination to my favorite entry has been exciting for me. I never clearly understood why it took so long, and my OCD failed me with not ever being able to find that answer. When it was announced that Jon Watts came up with a story in the world of first responders, I was initially hesitant. The idea appeared to be insensitive, and I am glad they didn’t go down that route. I am also glad they did release this on HBO Max. Not only does this look great in the theater, but it is making BANK at the box office.

Starting off with my favorite opening of any entry in the franchise, the film takes its time to pull it all off, showing that this one will take its time for us to care more. It is not only incredibly intense, but the film does an admirable job at making us care about individuals that will only be in this opening scene, yet it will play an important part towards the rest of the movie. Led by Brec Bassinger, the actress steals the show in this opening act that will make her a strong stand out. There’s a part of me that believes this franchise could do well set in the past. I’d love to see that!

Going forward, the film does a great job at making us continue to care in the present day. The film’s real leading actress is Kaitlyn Santa Juana, who plays as the granddaughter of Iris, who appeared in the opening act. I think her performance is good, but the characterization is lacking something. She has the classic montage scene where she puts the clues together that I found cliche. The rest of the cast is great too, with some characters having better roles than others with Richard Harmon as Erik Campbell being a personal favorite. He genuinely has the funniest lines.

Speaking of funny, this one is perhaps the funniest entry in the franchise. I did not revisit the prior entries before this one, but I don’t recall ever laughing as hard as I did. Nothing is safe for anyone. While I can find the material morbid at times, the way they approach the humor embraces the insanity in order to help you have a good time.

As for the kills, I think if this is what you come to these movies for, then you will leave satisfied. To me, having a connective tissue is what has made me like these movies more than anything else. If the kills are justified to help push the story forward, then I am cool with that. For others, I think they know the kills are inevitable. They just want to see how creative it can be. By the end, I can’t say I was surprised by what happens. It’s done before with prior entries. With that being said, the film does try to lean too much into callbacks from the prior films that do not work. When the film embraces its new concept is when it works the best. When it relies on nostalgia, much like Alien: Romulus did, is when it doesn’t work as much. If the end result is going to be the same for every movie, then why should we care?

Also speaking of caring, the film does do a great job at making us care about the characters, but I am still left frustrated with a glaring plot hole that I haven’t seen anyone else bring up. Why in the world would the grandmother prove to her daughter that Death exists? Due to this, the rest of the family starts getting killed off. What was the whole point of her caring about protecting her family to begin with? It helps catapult the story forward, but the justification for this motive is lazy.

Finally, I want to touch on Tony Todd’s presence. Six movies in, and we finally have an answer as to who this person is. Technically speaking, the actress who plays as older Iris is 70. Tony Todd passed away at 69. Yet, in the story, there is a 20-year age gap that I found to stick out way too much for what this story is going for. I loved Todd’s performance here. It’s minimal, yet impactful and satisfying, but it does leave me questioning how care free and safe he was in the prior movies. There’s a part of me that thinks the fan theory of him being Death may have been better. At the same time, I am glad the writers didn’t lean into fan-fiction like Saw did in the past to create something more original. I was shocked to see how we finally get an answer to his character.

Overall, Final Destination Bloodlines offers something new & exciting that can help this franchise stick around longer. Just when we thought this franchise might be dead, it finds new life with a film that works with its new concept and characters we care about, but falls short between nostalgia and some creative decisions. I am amazed and thrilled this film has having the success it is currently having.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)