फाइनल डेस्टिनेशन: ब्लडलाइन्स

If you are going into this movie just to have a good time and turn your brain off then you'll enjoy this film. However, as someone who became obsessed with the Final Destination franchise nearly 2 decades ago after watching the choose your own fate edition of Final Destination 3 with the tanning bed scene permanently seared into my brain, I'm a bit more harsh.

Cons:

• The CGI blood and kills. Nothing takes me out of a scene more than dark red cartoon blood. With a film that is built PRIMARILY on deaths it should be quite limited on the usage of CGI. We've seen great use of practical effects which is why this feels like such wasted potential. The biggest reason these movies work is because no matter how ridiculous the set up is the death still feels real (4th sequel excluded). It doesn't have the same effect if the person dying sudden looks like an animated character.

• This might be the most useless protagonist since the 4th installment. The main character might be the blandest character in the whole movie, and she has some tough competition because only 3 people stand out in this movie. I can forgive throw away characters if the deaths are memorable but both are lacking here.

• There have been rumors that there were reshoots and I believe them because the final act has some pacing issues and ends somewhat abruptly.

Pros:

• I will say that this film had the 2nd best opening scene/disaster behind the pile up.

• Tony Todd's goodbye was moving and possibly the best dialogue he has given in the franchise.

• The hospital death scene involving an MRI machine has a great build up of suspense and emotion and is up there with other iconic final destination death scenes.

• While there is more cons then pros for me I still had a good time and still fun to see in theaters. While some FD sequels miss the mark there is always another sequel that can surpass it. Can't wait for the next sequels!!

Really enjoyed this one! It's super brutal again, but the story was told differently this time with the whole Bloodlines twist, which made it feel fresh and exciting. The plot was good and kept me entertained all the way through, with lots of intense moments, great pacing, and a few cool surprises along the way. I watched it in D-Box with Dolby Atmos - the sound was absolutely amazing, super powerful, and the moving seats made it even more intense and fun. Definitely a unique cinema experience. If you enjoy brutal action, great sound, and a fresh twist, you should totally check it out. Solid 7/10!

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.

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.

I don't know how they managed to pull this off, but somehow Final Destination: Bloodlines is the best Final Destination film of the lot!

What it does so well is to stand on its own as a fun experience, whilst also building on and adding to existing Final Destination mythology. It contains some nice nods and easter eggs to the previous films, and also weaves in Tony Todd's stalwart Final Destination character in a very satisfying way. However, none of this feels out of place to the point where newcomers will feel lost. Watching this film makes the previous Final Destination films better in my opinion due to the way it adds to the mythology.

Another great thing about this film is that it deviates from the standard Final Destination formula. Don't get it twisted, it is still largely the same thing, but the whole 'bloodlines' element does add something different. This makes it feel quite fresh, which is a big problem the franchise had after the second film in my opinion.

In terms of the performances and characters these are good. Certainly more fleshed out than the last couple of films. Kaitlyn Santa Juana is a strong lead as Stefani, and the rest of the characters are decently developed and interesting enough. Unlike some of the previous Final Destination films, I did find myself caring about the fate of these characters.

Then there is the main attraction of these films, the gory kills. You won't be disappointed watching this instalment as there are some top kills. The use of practical effects work was also very impressive in bringing them to life. They are all classic Final Destination kills, and will stick in your mind long after watching the film!

Overall this film was such a big surprise. It easily had potential to be a lazy cash grab, but they managed to make a thoroughly entertaining film that showed a lot of love and appreciation for the franchise. If you have enjoyed any of the previous Final Destination films or just have a penchant for gory horror, then you will definitely enjoy this!