Plagued by a recurring violent nightmare, a college student returns home to find the one person who can break the cycle and save her family from the horrific fate that inevitably awaits them.
For the past twenty-five years, the FINAL DESTINATION franchise has been tapping into our fears, unconscious though they may be, to deliver some of the most entertaining horror movies of the 21st century. Or, maybe more accurately, unlocking new, unthought-of fears. Even the franchise’s most dreadful, schlocky entry has its moments — I’m looking at 2009’s “The Final Destination,” which proved, unsurprisingly, not to be the final entry in the series. Where have we seen that before?
However, I may be a biased reviewer. This franchise started when I was in middle school, and I can still remember the effects the original movie and its 2003 sequel had on me. The palpable tension from those films lasted far longer than the movie’s runtime, thanks to the believability of the Rube Goldberg-esque set pieces that always resulted in the grisly death of one of the movie’s characters.
Enough about the past, you’re here because you want to know about the latest flick in the series, “Final Destination: Bloodlines.” By now, we know the film’s simplistic premise — a young main character with a premonition of a large-scale accident of some sort prevents the death of at least a handful of people who are then picked off in over-the-top, elaborate sequences. Except the filmmakers have changed the formula slightly for this latest take.
Our protagonist is college student Stephanie Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who has been having graphic nightmares about her grandmother dying in a skyscraper collapse. Don’t worry I won’t spoil anything else but figured the opening scene was fair game since it’s so prominently featured on the poster and the film’s trailers. Plus, it’s the weakest scene of the entire movie. These nightmares have gotten so bad that she is close to being kicked out of school. At the request of her roommate, Stephanie returns home to discover her estranged grandmother’s whereabouts and the threat awaiting her grandmother’s entire lineage.
After what turns out to be a relatively tame and unimaginative opening sequence that goes very heavy into CGI effects, “Bloodlines” ups the ante. (There is, however, a nice symmetry between the opening and closing of this movie.) The over-the-top, ridiculous nature of the franchise is fully embraced in this sequel, offering viewers some of the tensest sequences I’ve seen on screen in some time. If you are the type of viewer who gets an adrenaline rush from wanting to cover your eyes, this is the movie for you.
Oddly enough, this movie also has a morbid sense of humor, offering up some bleak, laugh-out-loud gallows humor in addition to its splattering of blood and gore. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein effortlessly move between tones, even within the same scene, creating a balance that alleviates the tension without spoiling the thrills.
Viewers will want to go in blind for this film. Some plot elements won’t hold up to scrutiny, and the writers don’t do a convincing job of tying this into the previous movies, despite many ‘in’ jokes for fans. The filmmakers know we are all here for the set-pieces and, on that account, the film absolutely delivers. After getting past the opening scene, this movie was a complete blast! “Final Destination: Bloodlines” is a fun and energetic horror movie that will thrill old fans and new viewers alike.
Now available on Digital and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, and DVD July 22nd
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