By: Cameron Tyo
May 21th, 2025
Warning: There will be what some people consider major spoilers for the movie Final Destination: Bloodlines
I have achieved my goal of watching all the Final Destination movies for the first time in the last few weeks, as the release of Final Destination: Bloodlines loomed to prep myself for watching it. Bloodlines was released on May 16th, and I was finally able to watch it in theaters today.
Right off the bat, I think this movie has one of, if not the best, premonition scenes of all the movies. The slow panning on the cracking of the Skyview Restaurant Tower’s glass floor made the scene suspenseful, and from there on, the rest of the scene was pure chaos and in the best way possible. The whole cinematography of Iris and the other people trying to escape the falling debris of the tower collapse was exhilarating to watch, and I loved how the pyrotechnics and CGI showing the explosions and collapse of the structure were done. I liked the classic foreshadowing of the disaster that is to come that occurred earlier in the film, and the way the movie set up young Iris Campbell’s (Brec Bassinger) and Paul’s (Max Lloyd-Jones) relationship, which, while watching, might seem cliché, but was nice to watch. The premonition was longer than others in the series, but because of how the scene was shot, it didn’t feel all too long.
While the movie’s opening sounds just like the other Final Destination movies, there were a few moments where the movie strayed from the formulaic path. For example, we aren’t seeing the premonition through the lens of Iris, who would end up saving everyone who was in the tower that night, but through a relative‘s dream. It is a simple but unique way to show a premonition.
I liked the idea that everyone who was supposed to die the night of the tower collapse survived. Because of this, death slowly but surely came and took back the victims, but because some of those people had enough time to form families and birth children, death is foretold to be going for the survivor’s bloodline as well. To kill those who shouldn’t have existed in the first place.
The main characters throughout the show, being a family of the girl who held the premonition, created many moments of emotional tension.
You had moments where some of the family, like Howard (Alex Zahara) and Brenda Campbell (April Telek), would discuss with people like Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) how they thought that her grandma Iris (Gabrielle Rose) was crazy after getting the idea in her head that death was coming for her and the family. Emotional conflict among family members ensued right off the bat. It would only grow as others in the family, like Erik (Richard Harmon), Julia Campbell (Anna Lore), and even her own father, Marty Reyes (Tinpo Lee), would think the same thing of Stefani when she realized what Iris was thinking might actually be coming to fruition causing her to warn her family about death’s plan.
It wouldn’t be a Final Destination review if I didn’t mention some of the deaths.
I thought the deaths in the movies were few, but they were great when they occurred. The whole MRI scene with Bobby Campbell (Owen Patrick Joyner) and Erik, and the deaths that followed, were intense and gory. The scene included one of the slower and painful deaths you would expect to find throughout the series. You then had your quicker-paced deaths occurring, such as Julia’s death or Howard’s death, which occurred after a series of Rube Goldberg moments.
This movie also served as William Bludsworth’s (Tony Todd) final appearance, where he reveals that death has now caught up to him and that he‘s been giving advice on how death works to other people after Iris convinced him of this idea. Like typical, he tells a short spiel about why death is after the characters and gives a hint on how to possibly cheat it again. You get to know more of his backstory in this film as well. I thought the movie did a good job sending off the character, as his final line tells everyone to live life to the fullest, as you never know when it will end. That line made me tear up a little.
There are many other characters that I haven’t discussed that serve their purpose in the plot and film, and some plot twists and exciting moments that I also haven’t mentioned, but I feel I’ve already said a lot.
I will say, though, that Erik was probably my favorite character in the movie. He had some of the funniest moments throughout the movie, which helped balance the darker and lighter tones seen throughout the movie. I liked his interactions with his family members as well as some plans he made throughout the movie. I liked the whole scene at the end between Stefani, Darlene Campbell (Rya Kihlstedt), and Charlie Reyes (Teo Briones), but for spoiler purposes, won’t get too much into that. All I can say is that watching on the big screen and seeing how the lighting was done, as well ashow the lines and acting were delivered in the scene by the characters, created the suspenseful mood of that particular scene well, which made me enjoy it.
I did think the ending of the movie was a bit contrived, and I feel there could have been just some other way to end the film, but that is just my opinion.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie, but I’m not sure how well that is reflected in this review. I can’t tell if my thinking is being fogged by recent bias, but right now, I think this is now my favorite Final Destination movie that I’ve watched. Despite it being the longest in the franchise, the whole opening sequence was shot well. The character interactions were fun to watch, and the deaths were clever. Hearing the music through speakers and watching the cinema play on a big screen only enhanced my viewing experience. Watching the other Final Destination movies prepared me to catch the little eater eggs and references to past movies, and I hope another movie in the series is released.
And with that, here are my standings of the movies now:
1. Final Destination: Bloodlines
2. Final Destination 3
3. Final Destination 5
4. Final Destination 2
5. Final Destination
6. The Final Destination