Film Review: FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES (2025): A Brilliant Opening Sequence Sets the Stage for a Fun and Entertaining Horror Flick
Final Destination: Bloodlines Review
Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, written by Guy Busick, Lori Evans Taylor and Jon Watts and starring Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Brec Bassinger, Tony Todd, Richard Harmon, April Telek, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, Max Lloyd-Jones, Teo Briones, Gabrielle Rose, Owen Patrick Joyner, Yvette Ferguson, Alex Zahara, Brenna Llewellyn, Travis Turner, Tinpo Lee, Matty Finochio and Sophia Chapdelaine.
Be careful when tossing a penny away. You never know where it’s going to land. That’s the biggest takeaway from the new Final Destination film which is the sixth in the franchise. Originally intended to go straight to streaming, it is now most likely going to be the biggest box-office hit of the weekend at the theaters. It deserves to be because the opening sequence, in particular, begs to be seen on the big screen. Directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, quite simply, do not play around in terms of the way they set the stage for the movie’s plot to kick in. Other than the fact that the first twenty minutes are terrific, the rest of the movie is in line with the other films in the franchise: Extremely entertaining, but, alas, kind of forgettable.
Brec Bassinger plays Iris Campbell, a young woman whose boyfriend gives her a ring on a high-rise dance hall which is built mostly on glass. Considering the fact that the club is, indeed, resting mostly on glass, the audience can picture that the results will be a disaster, but whoever thought that the opening scene could rival sequences from the definitive, big-budget disaster movie, Titanic? A kid (Noah Bromley) threatens to throw a penny from the sky, but is stopped initially from doing so. As Iris tells the love of her life she’s pregnant, she has a premonition and all hell breaks loose in true spirit to the Final Destination franchise’s format. The young kid tosses the penny…and well you’ll enjoy the results which include a nice throwback soundtrack to the olden days as the party goers dance their last dance at the club.
Though we’re led to believe Iris died, she turns out to be very much alive and is sought after by her granddaughter. Iris is now played by Gabrielle Rose and Kaitlyn Santa Juana is our token scream queen for the film, Stefani Reyes. Stefani is flunking out of school and has premonitions like her grandmother. When Stefani arrives to see her grandma, Iris is a mess and scared of what could be. Every step taken is one towards death or so Iris believes. She makes Stefani leave her personal belongings outside her home in order to ensure safety. However, shortly after explaining her theories to Stefani and giving her a book on death’s patterns, Iris finally meets death.
Everything that appears on-screen in this movie is not to be trusted. From a piece of glass to a lawnmower to a garbage truck. Our characters end up meeting their fates with each one facing an untimely demise in the traditions these films have previously set for audiences. Julia (Ana Lore) is one of those unfortunate victims while Erik (Richard Harmon) thinks he can outsmart death. Can he? Hey, you never know. Eventually, two young male characters are shaking a vending machine that won’t give them their candy and things spiral out of control from there, culminating in a scene at the end where a tossed penny yields a train wreck where the train goes onto the streets and chases down our lead characters. Talk about a wild ride.
The supporting cast is fine. We have April Telek as Aunt Brenda while Rya Kihlstedt plays Darlene who cares for Stefani dearly but has to fight to help keep her alive. It is the late Tony Todd from Candyman, though, as William Bludworth (love the name) who chews the scenery to the fullest as he dishes out sage advice to those who seek his wisdom. The title of the film, by the way, refers to the fact that death is coming for the families in the film by following their bloodlines and there’s a very distinct order to death’s plan, but can it be stopped? What if one dies temporarily and comes back? What is considered death, though, in the technical sense? This movie has fun with its dark and intriguing concept and the viewer will too.
Final Destination: Bloodlines offers a great turn by Brec Bassinger at the beginning as the young Iris. She’s exquisite and the audience will enjoy her energy and screen presence. Kaitlyn Santa Juana is solid although she doesn’t really sell the film, the death scenes do. Still, Santa Juana is full of charisma and despite the fact that the film follows a very familiar formula, it’s quite entertaining. Nothing can top the opening scene which is so wonderfully constructed, it feels like it has a bigger budget than the other 90 minutes of the picture combined. Never toss a penny away. Also, never try to outsmart death, because it has a plan for us all. I’d like to walk away from the film with the penny lesson more. Call me a coward.
Rating: 7/10
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