“Final Destination: Bloodlines” (2025) | Review

Death Still Won’t Take “No” for an Answer: ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Slays

After fourteen years buried in the franchise cemetery, Death has finally dusted off its Rube Goldberg machine of doom and returned to the big screen with a vengeance. And folks, this sixth installment isn’t just a comeback—it’s a full-blown resurrection that proves the best way to breathe life into a franchise is with a few dozen spectacularly staged deaths.

Final Destination: Bloodlines doesn’t just understand the assignment—it aces it, photocopies the test answers, and distributes them with a knowing wink to an audience that’s been starved for elaborate, physics-defying demises since 2011. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein (who previously helmed the decidedly less blood-soaked Kim Possible movie) have crafted what might be the most intelligent iteration of Death’s design yet.

The premise is refreshingly inventive: rather than another batch of impossibly attractive teens dodging a plane crash or roller coaster disaster, Bloodlines introduces us to Iris (played with fierce determination by Brec Bassinger in flashbacks and kooky gravitas by Gabrielle Rose in the present). After cheating Death decades ago during a catastrophic Space Needle-esque tower incident in 1968, she’s lived in isolation, Death-proofing her home like some kind of macabre Kevin McCallister. But now Death isn’t just coming for her—it’s targeting her entire bloodline in a multi-generational course correction.

If you’re thinking, “wait, that actually sounds like… plot?” congratulations on identifying the film’s secret weapon. Bloodlines manages the impossible by making you care about characters in a franchise where everyone is essentially walking hamburger meat.

The film wisely takes its time building tension, which might frustrate the gore-mongers among us, but those moments of restraint make the payoffs all the more satisfying. When Death finally strikes, it does so with the sadistic flair we’ve come to expect—especially in IMAX, where you’ll feel every bone snap, skin sizzle, and artery rupture with crystal clear precision. The practical effects are nothing short of masterful, delivering gloppy gore that looks tangibly wet and crunchy in all the right ways.

Richard Harmon’s Erik—the quintessential “bad boy” cousin—steals every scene he’s in with Gen-Z nihilism that somehow feels authentic rather than eye-roll inducing. When he delivers lines like “Death’s got a hard-on for our family tree,” you’ll find yourself laughing and nodding along with his fatalistic acceptance. (Especially when Death goes for his gonads!)

But the emotional center of Bloodlines belongs to Tony Todd, making his final screen appearance as the enigmatic William Bludworth. Todd, who passed away in 2024, delivers a swan song performance that elevates beyond mere cameo status. His trademark gravelly wisdom feels particularly poignant now, and the filmmakers give his character a graceful conclusion that absolutely feels earned in a universe where grace is in short supply.

The film’s signature death sequences are elaborate puzzles where everyday objects transform into Chekhov’s guns with deadly precision. True to franchise tradition, Bloodlines leans heavily into ironic needle drops that serve as Death’s twisted mixtape. Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” accompanies a particularly toasty demise, while Rupert Holmes’ deceptively cheery “Piña Colada Song” provides the soundtrack to a blender-adjacent kitchen catastrophe that’ll have you reconsidering smoothie preparation. The standout musical moment comes during a nose-ring tango choreographed to Badfinger’s “Without You”—proving once again that there’s nothing quite like a sentimental 70s pop song to underscore someone’s face getting torn apart.

For franchise devotees who’ve spent years pausing earlier films to spot Death’s design clues, Bloodlines feels like a love letter written in arterial spray. For newcomers, it’s an accessible entry point that doesn’t require encyclopedic knowledge of prior installments.

So grab your popcorn (but maybe skip the peanuts and hot liquids) and experience Final Destination: Bloodlines in IMAX, where Death’s design unfolds in all its gory, glorious splendor. Just remember to look both ways before crossing the street afterward—Death’s always watching, and now it knows your family tree.