Final Destination: Bloodlines starts with a very pleasing tone, but eventually gets to its destination. It follows the franchise’s ritual by starting with a very bloody and gory sequence that satisfies the thirst of Final Destination fans. The movie is successful in making us feel nostalgic, as this franchise is continuing after 14 years, which is a very long time considering its popularity.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if we get our hand or foot stuck in an elevator, what would happen if a truck loaded with logs goes out of control, or when a gas cylinder explodes? The franchise is based on the very thought of a horrific death that is a result of chain reactions, and its latest installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, directed by Jack Lipovsky and Adam Stein, takes it up a notch with improved visuals, more gore, and, complementarily, more fire.
Although it is still based on the same storyline of cheating death, it still hooks us to the screen until the very last moment of the film. But there is a slight problem with the story: other parts of Final Destination follow death scenes in short durations, but Final Destination: Bloodlines tries to build up the story, which is not very unique compared to other Final Destinations. The movie does this to establish a new audience, but the fans are here for the creative deaths.
Christian Sebaldt has done splendid work in regards to the cinematography. Final Destination: Bloodlines includes some of the best visuals, which suit the storyline perfectly. Whether it is a long tower, a western city, or a single house in a vast land, the visuals are constantly amazing. Along with excellent sound design, the film makes us believe what is going on on the screen. The soundtrack, combined with silences, makes even a little creaking sound feel like heart-thumping suspense. However, some death scenes feel fake as a result of the overuse of CGI over practical effects. The makers should have taken more time to polish these scenes or should have used practical effects to make the deaths more convincing.
The casting is not that great, as some characters shine more than others in terms of conviction, while others are just used as humans who are going to be killed. Another drawback is that, unlike the earlier movies, Bloodlines does not connect us properly with the characters, which makes us feel no remorse at their deaths. And when we are getting a movie in the series after 14 years, the team should have properly worked on the script to make it watertight. Although the franchise focuses more on deaths and chain events, a good storyline with more twists would have made this movie a step closer to being a masterpiece.
Let’s focus on the main part of the movie, which is eminent: ‘death’. The movie has deaths from an elevator, a garbage disposal, and the fans’ favorite—death by wooden logs. It also features some new types of deaths in the hospital, which were out of the box. Other simple deaths fill us with fear, like one of the most memorable sequences involving a malfunctioning elevator—an everyday real-life event that makes the audience want to take the stairs instead of the lift.
The dialogues are good but not great. The family reunites immediately after the death of a member, which drops the suspense continuity and does not contribute much to the storyline, as no matter how well they plan, death is smarter than they are. Bloodlines features horror and suspense, which is sometimes a lot to take for a casual watcher. To curb this problem, the makers decided to add some humor to tone the movie down a little and break the monotony. But this backfired—the humor used is not that great and often feels out of place rather than fulfilling its purpose. The humor also undercuts the horror so much that the story needs a lot of time to build the horror once again.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is a good movie to watch alone, but its real charm comes when it is watched with a group, with constant discussion about who is going to die next. This movie could have been used as a cornerstone to change the basic concept of death, and might have included new ways to cheat death, but even with a proper “book of death” that could have made the lore more interesting, the makers used it just as a death collection of people.
Do not expect much from the story—enjoy the gore-filled visuals, which can make you close your eyes, as it is coming after 14 years of solitude. All in all, it is a must one-time watch movie to make your eyes bright with bloody and gory-licious scenes.
