It’s hard to believe that we went over a decade without a new “Final Destination” movie. Fans love this series and its “slasher-movie-without-a-slasher” gimmick. The “killer” here is the concept of Death itself, which takes the form of unlikely, elaborate, horrific accidents.
This sixth installment features arguably the best opening kill sequence of the entire franchise. Set in the 1960’s, apparent protagonist Iris (Brec Bassinger) visits a rooftop restaurant at the top of a hastily built tower. The tower collapses and everyone is killed, including Iris, but the scene turns out to be a dream-like vision by Iris’s granddaughter Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) in the modern day. But wait, if Iris was killed in the tower collapse, how did she live long enough to have a family? Things aren’t adding up, even by “Final Destination” standards.
We eventually learn that Stefani’s whole family is marked for death, it’s just taken Death a few decades to get around to them. Cue the convoluted, yet inventive sequences of family members getting picked off in ways that only the sickest minds in horror can dream up.
Though we know most of the characters are toast, they’re more likeable than usual thanks to their strong familial bond. That, and a sincere farewell appearance by the late Tony Todd, make “Bloodlines” the most heartfelt of the “Final Destination” movies. I can’t say it’s the tightest entry, as I think it leaves too much potential unfulfilled at the end, but until the last ten minutes or so I was ready to call this my favorite installment in the series. As it is, it takes a backseat to the fifth movie, but it’s in a respectable second place.
Grade: B-
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is rated R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and language. Its running time is 110 minutes.
