If you were to think of a film franchise whose primary concept is inherently interesting and the films are horrific yet strangely compelling, not many come close to the Final Destination. It’s one of those rare franchises where you can walk in without seeing a trailer or knowing a single member of the star cast, and you can be assured that you’re going to get your money’s worth.

How Bloodlines Differs from Earlier Final Destination Films

But what I love about this movie specifically is that the makers have put a welcome focus on what it means to face the inevitable. As a long time follower of this franchise with a faint memory of the earlier films, I found this entry refreshingly different. Thankfully, it is different in a good way.

You see, it’s not that the early movies weren’t exciting. They were, but it’s just that those characters were mainly concerned with beating death. This film doesn’t leave the trademark one-event-leads-to-another kind of death, but here, characters also look beyond it, as well.

​For example, in one scene, when a character realizes that he might die shortly, he tells his brother to take care of his pet turtle after he is gone. In another scene, the lead character realizes that she would be safe from death in her maternal grandmother’s cabin.

​But her mother steps in, saying that she should be in the cabin, because as long as she’s safe, death won’t reach her kids either. These were two of the multiple things this film did differently from its earlier films. In other words, you could say the characters of the earlier films were primarily focused on strategy. Here, it’s strategy and heart.

Final Destination: Bloodlines Plot Overview

Like I was saying before, different is the name of the game here. While the previous film’s characters were dealing with death among themselves, this one takes a different step forward. This film explores the questions of what happens when someone who was supposed to die goes on to grow old and have children.

If you have seen any films in this lineup, you can surely guess how this ends. Yet, the story is interesting. Here’s how it goes:

Final Destination: Bloodlines follows Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a college student who keeps having nightmares of an incident that happened 50 years back, in 1969. In that dream, she sees a couple, Iris and Paul, who go to a high-restaurant tower, Sky View.

There, Iris has a premonition of a chain of events that causes the building to collapse, killing everyone inside. Iris warns everyone, but isn’t successful in saving them.

She goes home to find out if there is any connection to her dreams. Her uncle tells her that the woman in her dreams is his mother. The family kept her existence a secret because of her mental state and because of her overprotective nature, which led to various family problems.

Stefani tracks her down and learns that nobody died in that incident. But death came for the survivors and their descendants because they were never meant to exist in the first place.

Direction & Screenplay: Balancing Gore With Self-Awareness

Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein’s direction is sharp, ensuring there isn’t a single dull moment. A common trait across the Final Destination films is that the killing scenes are incredibly well done. The same applies here, but the interesting thing is that the film is quite self-aware.

For example, in one scene, Stefani tells her cousin, Erik Campbell (Richard Harmon), to stay away from kids playing soccer, because of how one thing could lead to another, and he could die. In response, he sarcastically says that a soccer ball to his face does sound deadly. In another scene, when Stefani realizes that the safest place for them is Iris’s cabin, her brother, Charlie, quickly asks, “So we just lock ourselves in a cabin forever?”

While the direction is great, credit also goes to the writing and screenplay team. Furthermore, cinematographer Christian Sebaldt deserves appreciation for including shots of natural scenery that provide a refreshing sense of calm in an otherwise horrific film.

Acting Performances: Kaitlyn Santa Juana Leads a Capable Cast

Kaityn Santa Juana has done a fabulous job here. The leads of this franchise are typically limited to saving their own and others’ lives, which is an incredibly noble thing to do. But I have always longed for a character which was more layered. For example, even while death is circling around her family, she has a hard time accepting her mom back, who was absent from her life for a long time.

The writing is crisp, sure, but it’s her performance that makes you feel for the character. She gets to play a character that is not doing well in class, a saviour, and a hurt kid who had to go through a lot at a young age. And, she has conveyed every emotion brilliantly.

When she eventually succumbs to death, you really feel sad. It’s probably the first time I have felt this sad for a Final Destination character. Maybe it’s the recency bias speaking, but her performance really moved me. Owen Patrick Joyner also shines in a really vulnerable moment, where he asks his brother to look after his pet.

I liked that the film chose to focus on these human emotions while still being a Final Destination product, and got capable actors to pull off their vision. It’s the focus on these moments that brings “heart” to the franchise. Richard Harmon also plays the role of a guy who means well despite all his unconventional behavior.

Final Verdict: Is Final Destination Bloodlines Worth Watching?

Final Destination: Bloodlines isn’t a sequel that the producers just made for an easy cash grab. It’s one of those rare films where the sequel is better than its prequels because the makers realized that people are waiting for a Final Destination film that made them care about who was dying. 

If you have always wanted these movies to focus on what it means to face death rather than just survival, you’ll surely love this one. Watch this one for heartfelt performances and emotional storytelling, while still being a strangely fun film.

If you’re interested in films that explore the feelings of being stuck in your circumstances, you might find the analysis of my O’Romeo piece worth a read.