'Final Destination Bloodlines' review: Those who party in glass towers shouldn't throw coins

Warner Bros. Pictures

In case you thought the world wasn't dangerous enough already, there will be a whole new set of ordinary things that will give you the heebie-jeebies from now on. Causing said diabolical terror is Final Destination Bloodlines, the sixth entry in the 'Final Destination' franchise. Based on the characters by Jeffrey Reddick, and written by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor from a story by the duo and Jon Watts, this bloody horror sends the grim reaper to the doorstep of Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a struggling college student who's having a recurring nightmare about her reclusive grandma Iris' (Brec Bassinger in flashbacks, Gabrielle Rose in present day) deadly date night when she was young. Coming to a conclusion that these are premonitions warning Stefani that her family, including herself, is going to die, she returns back home, determined to stop the carnage.

Stefani's endangered family features younger brother Charlie (Teo Briones), cousins Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner), Erik (Richard Harmon) and Julia (Anna Lore), mom Darlene (Rya Kihlstedt) and uncle Howard (Alex Zahara).

Whenever a story involves something as inevitable as death, at least half of its effectiveness and fun depends on the fragile relationship between setups and payoffs, and in that regard, Busick and Taylor have hatched a slick, satisfying thrill ride. It's rather delightful to look around, with or without our main characters, and think about all the different ways that someone can meet their demise, and there's also a surprise factor when something is simply a misdirection. Thematically speaking, there's very little blood to draw about any sort of family trauma that the script touches on ever so slightly, which does make some of the relationships between characters feel a bit stiff—including that of Stefani and Charlie which is the film's key connection—but thankfully you're not forced to listen to these characters babble on endlessly. Instead, the writing thrives because of the cleverness regarding the randomness and cruelty of death.

The other half of one's enjoyment is the actual execution, which is a somewhat mixed bag. Directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky orchestrate and shoot the opening sequence at Skyview, a restaurant in a tower, and a few other set pieces with real dynamism while maintaining a steady tone driven by glee and meanness throughout. Insert shots and wides invite you, the viewer, to participate in figuring out those possible causes of death. There's no time for mourning either as new dangers are just around the corner. Half-baked conflicts aside, the story moves along at a brisk pace.

Stein, Lipovsky and their creative partners devise wicked kills with hospital equipment, piercings and the Skyview setting, but there's also an element of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks when it comes to the slaughter. The VFX specifically appear as something that doesn't coalesce with the overall vision as some scenes look quite wonky and some look properly designed and finished. Editor Sabrina Pitre manages to keep the action energetic enough, which is impressive because their work is also hitting some roadblocks when composer Tim Wynn's cues and most of the needle drops aren't as exuberant and fitting as they should be.

Every performance seems to be mostly in tune with the tone that the directors establish, although a few of the performers struggle to fully give themselves over to the absurdity. Harmon stands out from the cast in a positive sense as his braggadocio and looseness matches the movie's ridiculousness perfectly, and he most likely gets the biggest laughs in the process, too. Santa Juana expresses Stefani's determination deftly, but you can't help but feel that there's some untapped potential that could've turned the story into something more memorable since we spend the most time with her character. These perils would feel more urgent if they were threatening to eliminate fleshed out characters instead of ones that are portrayed adequately at best, like Stefani.

There might be some fan service-y but ultimately endearing surprises along the way if you've seen the earlier instalments—unlike yours truly—but otherwise Final Destination Bloodlines doesn't really kick into high gear at any point. As it stands, the film is an amusing and oftentimes properly outrageous encounter with death because you can have a blast with all the payoffs, albeit it won't leave a lasting impact. Enjoy your popcorn, laugh at someone else's suffering for a short while and avoid garbage trucks afterwards. There are worse ways to spend your time before the grim reaper shows up in front of you.

Smileys: Screenplay, Richard Harmon

Frowneys: VFX

Well, that's a nutty way to die, I guess.

3.0/5

Where to watch:

This article may contain affiliate links, which means that we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. Thank you for the support!