Destino Final: Lazos De Sangre

It's crazy to me to think that the last time a 'Final Destination' movie came out I was a young 20 year old man full of hopes and dreams. And the title of the fourth film in the series, 'The Final Destination', implied it would be the final instalment of the series back in 2009, however anyone familiar with modern Hollywood probably knew that was unlikely to remain the case - and it lasted 2 years.

When you make an instalment 14 years after the last, there's probably a sense that you have to do something a little different in order to justify it. And this film does mix the formula up - slightly. Just enough that it feels a little different, but not enough that it really alters the formula we have come to know and love.

The opening scene in this movie was really good. It was lengthy, fairly creative and had some great individual kills in the mix. From there thing go into a lull for a while, allowing the story to set itself up. Then the film goes bananas the rest of the way and we are treated to brilliant kill scene after brilliant kill scene. There are some really good ones in this film.

One thing that was a problem here - and something that has plagued the series in almost every film - is that it is riddled with unlikable characters. I can only think that's being done intentionally at this point to make people feel disposable and like no one is safe, but I can't help but feel the films would be slightly more impactful if the characters were a bit more likable overall.

All in all though I would say 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' was a lot better than it had any right to be 25 years after the original. 8/10.

Seen these series way back then and I must admit this is a worthy follow up of this morbidly funny series!

The good: there is something hilarious AND simultaneously something very creepy about knowing that these people are all destined to die in a cruel and unexpected way. You know it and you still get shocked AND pleased in HOW stupidly horrendous they are about to die.

No household names as actors, but just as before they all act well , all portraying this sickening fear of dying to the T.

Any bad? 90 minutes is just about enough repetitive deaths in a row to not get bored and I must admit that the very first deaths were the best with the latter ones being less impressive visually.

Recommended watch for anybody into this kind of comedy gore and also recommended for the orignal fans of this fabulously dark Final Destination series.

There's a scene around the middle of the film Final Destination: Bloodlines where William John Bludworth, the character played by Tony Todd throughout the series says "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."

It such a wistful moment because this was Tony Todd's last film and was extra impactful because it almost looked as if Tony broke the fourth wall and spoke directly to the audience. It was an extremely poignant moment, especially since Todd appeared to be in such ill health.

We all know the general premise by now - cheating death just delays the inevitable.

When a woman named Iris saves hundreds of people from death in a space needle like structure that's about to collapse what happens is that they eventually die but it takes decades instead of days and Grandma Iris's family is now on the chopping block. Her granddaughter Stephanie has been having these insane nightmares about her grandmother's death in the tower and when she goes to see her, Iris tells her that you can cheat death, but you can't escape it.

And well, you can't.

This sixth installment in the final destination series ranks up there with the logging incident in the second installment. The opening scene of carnage is nothing short of amazing and superbly well-crafted and choreographed and funny and, thankfully, the perpetrator who caused all the damage was immediately rectified. 71-year-old stuntwoman Yvette Ferguson came out of retirement for a fire stunt in the premonition scene, which some believe to be a world record for the oldest person set on fire on camera.

Let's face it, at its core, the final destination movies are Rube Goldbergesque slasher films, but this one really had the best sense of humor of all the films in the series. Whereas the first few movies had scenes in which you would laugh out of relief this movie has scenes that genuinely make you laugh out loud, not from relief, but because the sense of humor evinced by the writers and directors is just so spot on.

Does it break new ground? Other than the laughs it provides, probably not, but it is still a highly entertaining film.

I am going to give this an extra half star "In Memory of Tony Todd."

WATCH IT

4/5.

This sixth franchise installment keeps the same core concept as the previous films but takes a fresh approach to the story. This time, the accidents aren't shown through the typical dynamics of the characters, but focus on tragedies from the past of the main character's grandmother. The film doesn't just involve friends and loved ones, but also family, making the narrative much darker and more morbid.

The deaths are far more creative, and while the accidents themselves aren't typical for a horror movie, they're events you could imagine happening in everyday life. Still, these occurrences are something we haven't seen in the series before, making the film all the more unpredictable.

It's been 14 years since the last installment, and I'm glad the creators decided to bring Final Destination back. I think they nailed the essence of the story, and the film is just as good as the previous ones, if not better than some. The effects are incredible, the CGI is top-notch, and we've been lacking a high-quality horror film like this, especially in the last few years.

I have to mention that the film disgusted and shocked me more than the previous ones, which means they nailed the effects. This film not only satisfies fans of the franchise but also brings something new and revitalizes the series.

Final Destination: Bloodlines isn't going to pull a rabbit out of its undead hat, reinvent the horror wheel, or stake its claim as a genre-defining masterstroke-but that's not the point.

What it does do is breathe new life into a franchise that felt like it had run out of steam. Bloodlines is a solid sixth installment, packing the same patented "inevitable death" mechanics we know and (occasionally) love, but with enough fresh twists to keep die-hard fans from checking out.

If you never warmed to the idea of "death's design" calling the shots, this won't convert you. For everyone else, the film delivers brilliantly choreographed set pieces of grisly demise-think elaborate Rube Goldberg traps drenched in splatter FX-that hit the sweet spot between macabre creativity and good old-fashioned gore.

The biggest upgrade this time around is emotional buy-in: the victims aren't a bunch of arbitrary strangers thrown together by fate. Instead, Bloodlines builds sincere rapport with its core ensemble, giving each death a bit more narrative weight (and, yes, a smidge of pathos) before the inevitable payoff.

Unfortunately, the dialogue remains as thin as ever-flat exposition one moment, telenovela melodrama the next-reminding you that subtlety wasn't high on the call sheet.

On the plus side, the movie leavens the carnage with genuinely funny, ironically staged moments-many courtesy of Erik, whose over-the-top flair steals scenes from our so-called protagonist-and the delightfully absurd chain reactions (who knew the garbage truck could be such a menace?).

Even though the film trudges into its predictable finale with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball, Bloodlines is pure adrenaline: brutal, energetic, and darkly comedic. In other words, exactly what you paid for when you bought that Final Destination ticket.