I am fortunate enough to say that I am part of the generation that was completely traumatized by the “Final Destination” franchise. This franchise made me scared of flying, log trucks, roller coasters, laser eye repairs, and so many other things. What’s more is that after watching a “Final Destination” movie, you start to get paranoid of your surroundings. There’s something sadistically magical about that. It’s been over 14 years since the last entry into the series which earned major points for bringing the franchise full circle in the cleverest way possible, but here we are all this time later with “Final Destination: Bloodlines”. As we know which most franchises, they tend to age like a fine milk. Will this new entry turn into wine, or is it dead on arrival?

Surprisingly, I only ever saw one teaser trailer for this movie, and I somehow managed to avoid any other advertising for it. I knew the basic premise because it’s “Final Destination”, but as for the story behind it, I was practically blind to it. Which only heightened my enjoyment for this film because it was way better than I ever thought an elongated released sixth entry to a franchise that I already thought had ended years ago would ever be. 

This movie, of course, delivers all of the graphic gory and bloody kills as any “Final Destination” movie does in spectacular fashion wrapped in the shroud of anticipation as it slowly buildtowards them. And when they hit, they really hit. A lot of them are really crazy inventive. You can tell that the filmmakers were greatly inspired by the franchise while they were making this one. Some of these kills are so out there that it makes you wonder how the writers thought them up. Some of them even managed to get big laughs out of me. Mostly out of the crazy absurdity of some of them, but one in particular was very satisfying that you can help but laugh.

I also had the pleasure of experiencing this movie in IMAX, which was very interesting. When movies get the “Filmed for IMAX” treatment, it often either feels disingenuous or it’s just a tactic to get people to choose that option and pay extra for it and sometimes it doesn’t always feel worth it. But this movie did something interesting. Whenever something was about to happen, the aspect ratio of the film opens up. This normally happens whenever there’s a death about to happen. But it’s not as predictable as you might think as they use this tactic to their advantage to keep the audience on their toes. If you’re going to see this movie, I highly recommend seeing it in IMAX before Mission: Impossible kicks it out next weekend.

One of the best treats that this movie has to offer, and I’m not sure if this is a spoiler because I’m pretty sure that this was included in the marketing for this movie, but if you don’t want to risk it, go ahead and skip to the next paragraph. The best treat that this movie offers is Tony Todd’s final appearance before his sad passing. While only in one scene, it still left a big impact because it was like a farewell to not just the franchise but to the audience as well. May he truly rest in peace.

Overall, “Final Destination: Bloodlines” was a surprisingly fun addition to the franchise and delivers what you come to expect but manages to do it in a very unique and clever way. Lots of bloody kills as well as a lot of laughs, especially from the character Erik played by Richard Harmon. He was hilarious throughout the film. If you are a fan of this franchise, I can promise that you will not be disappointed with this one. This is a very welcomed new entry to the franchise for me personally. I highly recommend it to both fans of the franchise and fans of horror as well. Just be careful on your way to the theater.

4 ½ stars