Final Destination Bloodlines

2025, in the movie world, has been sort of underwhelming so far. There are big things coming for sure – Superman is looking to take the summer by storm, and 28 Years Later looks like it’s going to be a phenomenal addition to an already incredible franchise. However, in terms of what’s been released so far, Hollywood’s year has been somewhat middling. I certainly wasn’t expecting the sixth film in the Final Destination franchise to be a game-changer in that regard, and yet, it absolutely was.

I had an amazing time watching Final Destination Bloodlines, and I have a lot to talk about with this movie, so let’s not waste any more time. We’ll be keeping this review spoiler-free, so feel free to read ahead before you decide whether you should go and see this movie for yourself – as you can probably guess, I recommend you do. Alright, enough of the formalities – if this movie has taught me anything, it’s that the clock is ticking. Let’s dive into our review of Final Destination Bloodlines.

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Final Destination Bloodlines Review

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Final Destination Bloodlines is the sixth film to release in the Final Destination franchise, the first addition to the series since 2011’s Final Destination 5. In the 14 years since we’ve last seen a Final Destination movie released, I’ve always found the franchise’s absence from the film scene mind-boggling. Not only is there plenty of potential in a modern-era Final Destination movie, but the past few years in horror have also been demonstrating that horror fans are all-in when it comes to reviving old franchises, referencing films of eras gone by, and bathing in the glory of nostalgia. In many ways, I think that this change in attitude towards horror is what has led to such success for Final Destination Bloodlines. When they were originally releasing, these movies were lurking far beneath the bar of critical acclaim, and yet now, the world seems to be on-board for a movie that leans fully into its intention to provide the craziest, goriest kills possible. Before this movie released, the highest Rotten Tomatoes score ever achieved by a Final Destination film was a 63%, for Final Destination 5. Final Destination Bloodlines currently sits at a more than comfortable 93% – as the world has changed, so too has the world’s reaction to the horror industry, and as a lifelong horror fan, I love to see that.

Nostalgia aside, Final Destination Bloodlines also stands on its own two feet as an incredibly strong horror movie. This movie easily gives the franchise its best addition yet, and though it does occasionally make references to the prior films that built the series from the ground up, it manages to exceed each of its predecessors in almost every way, and stand out as a fabulous movie in its own right, even when separated completely from the franchise. All this is to say that if you haven’t seen the previous Final Destination movies, then sure you might miss a reference here or there, but you’ll be more than able to enjoy this film in all of its glory.

I mentioned that a franchise like Final Destination was ripe for a new addition in these modern times of improved VFX, horror inspiration, and, to get meta, an era of unprecedented paranoia. Horror movies have always been bloody, but with more and more movies adding to the well of twisted ideas, and improved visual effects, they’re only getting bloodier, and with Final Destination Bloodlines being focused entirely on the idea of death taking people in increasingly abstract ways, there was a high standard to reach in these departments. The gore is certainly there, as is the creativity, but I do have to say that the visual effects aren’t quite as good as I expected. There’s a silliness to the occasionally obvious use of green-screens and choppy CGI, but luckily, the tone of the movie allows for this silliness to thrive somewhat. I’m not going to give poor visual effects a pass because they match the tone of the movie, but it’s worth noting that their quality doesn’t at all ruin the movie, as they might have were it a more serious film.

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Now, let’s get into a little more grisly detail. Any good Final Destination movie needs an iconic opening sequence – in the original movie, it was the plane crash, while subsequent films have showcased rollercoaster crashes, fatal car pile-ups, and collapsing bridges. Well, while Final Destination Bloodlines breaks the trend of the opening sequence of mass vehicular-based fatalities, it certainly does not disappoint with bringing an incredible opening sequence to the table. Final Destination: Bloodlines‘ opening sequence is packed with thrills, kills, and lasts for almost 20 minutes. It’s impressive how grandiose and large-scale this entire set-piece is, and just shows that the team behind Final Destination Bloodlines understood what fans were looking for when it came to adding to the franchise. Honestly, I think this opening is my favourite in the franchise.

Final Destination Bloodlines is also, surprisingly, quite an emotional movie, with compelling performances all around. While the new era of horror has never shied away from reviving the campiness and over-the-top nature of the franchises it’s reviving, one thing I have loved is seeing old franchises revived with a newfound sense of sentimentality, and genuine character-building. Gone are the days of the dimensionless jock, the soulless popular girl, and the shy boy who very nearly makes it to the end. The characters here have personalities, the viewer is able to connect with them as the story unfolds. Importantly though, you don’t connect with them too much. While I may not be overly fond of the retro horror tropes, making characters impersonal was often a good way for directors to kill them off without breaking the audience’s heart. Here, though the characters are definitely likeable and diverse in personality, we don’t get too attached to the point that watching them die is depressing. Final Destination Bloodlines manages to walk the fine line brilliantly, another notch in its belt.

However, this is not to say that Final Destination Bloodlines doesn’t fall victim to some tropes of its own. In fact, it walks right into a trap that many other horror reboots have also suffered from. We’re keeping this spoiler-free, so I’ll keep this vague, but I really had to roll my eyes when the film introduced the idea of a survivor from the past, an old woman, locked away in a fortress of her own making, with security that rivals that of Area 51. It happened with Laurie in the Halloween revival movies, it happened with Sally in the 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel, and it happens here. Look, I get it, you go through something traumatic, you become changed by it. But there’s something about modern horror and battle-hardened old ladies with their own secret bases. It wasn’t too bad here, as the woman in question didn’t have an entire artillery collection in her house like Laurie did, but it was still noticeable. I guess that no matter the era, tropes are always going to prevail in horror. Compared to the tropes we used to have though, I guess this isn’t too bad.

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Another small critique I have for this movie is that, while it is anxiety-inducing, the movie loses some of its immediate fear factor by having characters die in some fairly obscure situations. Again, I don’t want to spoil, but whereas the older Final Destination movies made you scared to drive behind trucks, or even just go to the doctor for an eye exam, Final Destination Bloodlines makes you scared to engage in activities that you were probably too afraid to engage in anyway. There are a couple of deaths that recapture that old vibe of ‘death could get you at any time’, but some of the kills here feel like the characters were trying to put themselves in danger, even without death’s plot-driven interference. This does, ultimately, lower the anxiety-levels a little bit. Not completely, but a little bit.

Final Destination Bloodlines is also, to its credit, a very funny movie, though if dark humour isn’t for you, you may not agree with me here. There’s a couple of scenes, one involving a child during the opening sequence, and one involving a hospital nursery that both made me laugh, and then feel bad about laughing because of how dark the jokes were. However, this is a movie entirely about death, dark jokes are to be expected, and Final Destination Bloodlines pulls off the balance to a tee. This allows the film to keep the tone light in the face of so much death and misery, while also making sure that the dark humour keeps the movie grounded in the horror genre.

On a sadder note, however, Final Destination Bloodlines is the final appearance on-screen of horror icon Tony Todd, who passed away in 2024. While some may worry about the actor’s final, posthumous appearance in a film being in a Final Destination movie, Todd’s scene is actually quite a poignant send-off for the actor, and is handled with grace and care. In fact, his scene is easily one of the most impactful in the movie, and actually gives Final Destination Bloodlines quite a sweet, underlying message, even if the movie itself is determined to keep things fairly comedic and chaotic. Though I wasn’t expecting to walk away from the movie thinking this, I’m very glad that this is how Todd’s appearance was handled. A fitting send-off for a genre legend.

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

With that in mind, Todd’s scene is not the only time that Final Destination Bloodlines puts its kill scenes aside to focus on other factors. In fact, a good chunk of this movie is plot-driven, so if you’re going into this movie expecting non-stop death scenes, like some of the later Final Destination movies provided, I’m afraid to say you’re going to be disappointed. I hope you’ll find yourself intrigued enough by the movie’s plot to not be disappointed, but do temper your expectations when it comes to the frequency of the deaths. The movie has a lot to offer outside of these sequences, and the narrative expansion actually makes the kills hit a lot harder when they do happen.

However, I’m going to close out this review in the same way I always like to finish my horror reviews – is it scary? Well, not really. Not at all actually, at least if you mean in the way of jumpscares and a generally scary atmosphere. The movie is very gory, some of the deaths can be sudden, and it’s definitely tense as you watch the set-pieces unfold, but there’s nothing here that should stop anyone from watching this movie out of fear. But again, if gore isn’t your thing, stay well away from this one – seriously.

So, that’s my thoughts of the newest horror movie to hit the scene, Final Destination Bloodlines! Filled to the brim with comedic moments, over-the-top kills, and stomach-churning tension, this is a definite recommendation for any horror fan, and especially any Final Destination fan. I had an incredible time with this movie, and I couldn’t be happier to see the horror genre continue to thrive, cheap VFX and all. What did you think of this movie? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See also: Best Underrated Horror Movies

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Where to Watch Final Destination Bloodlines?

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Final Destination Bloodlines released in theatres on May 16, 2025. With it being such a recent release, there’s no word yet on when it’ll hit digital, but we’re sure that the move to streaming isn’t too far in the future. We’ll keep you posted on when it arrives!

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