Final Destination: Bloodlines (Six Of The Same Movie, But Not In A Fun Way)

As the sixth installment of a long running franchise, I (perhaps naively) hoped this Final Destination would lead me somewhere different. Unfortunately for me, and everyone who see’s this movie, all we get is a wash, rinse and repeat of the previous 5.

My opinion (that you didn’t ask for): Skip it.

But before I go any further...

Spoiler warning: This review contains spoilers. If you’re spoiler-averse, check out the two-minute spoiler-free version on my TikTok (@uninvited.reviewer) or Instagram (@uninvited_reviewer). You've been warned.

As the sixth entry in a franchise where every movie is essentially the same—just swapping out the cast each time—the Final Destination series has never enticed me to spend money at the theater. But this new installment was marketed as something different. Released over a decade after the last film, I had hope that maybe, just maybe, they’d taken a fresh approach.

I was wrong. And possibly naive for ever thinking otherwise. After all, the first five films made piles of cash. So why change the formula now?

Everyone (all three of you reading this), I fell for the marketing. I fell for the slick trailer edits and the catchy one-liners. I got intrigued, just like they wanted. And in the end, I have no one to blame but myself. (As my title—The Movie Reviewer Nobody Asked For And Nobody Wants—suggests, no one requested this review, and frankly, no one needed it.)

While this movie firmly lands in the skip column for me, I’ll throw them a few bones:

One: The twist at the beginning—someone else receiving the Vision, and it taking place in the past—actually held my interest for a solid 45 minutes. That part of the premise worked. Unfortunately, it started to unravel once it became obvious it was all leading to the same inevitable outcome.

Two: Richard Harmon as Eric (cousin to Vision-receiver Stefani) is sharp, hilarious, and wildly entertaining. I suspect many of the film’s best moments are thanks to his improvisation. He clearly doesn’t take himself—or the film—too seriously, and it works. Highlights include his shout of “IS THAT WHY HE ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY CATCH?!” after learning his neighbor is actually his father, a scene where he complains about his boss while elbow-deep in someone’s mouth, and a darkly funny conversation with Owen Patrick Joyner’s character, Bobby, about baby murder. I love a scene that makes you laugh and then instantly question your morals. That’s peak comedy for me.

Three: Tony Todd’s bittersweet cameo as William J. Bludworth. The unspoken rule of the Final Destination movies is that no one survives—except Tony Todd. Knowing he was ill during filming and collaborated with the writers to create a worthy send-off adds emotional weight. This turned out to be one of his final performances, and it lends the movie a rare sense of authenticity.

Four: The return of the log truck! I laughed. It gets a shoutout. Nice to know that, while Death is endlessly creative, he still brings out the classics now and then.

But here’s the dealbreaker: I was bored. Painfully bored. And if I’m bored during a movie—a place designed to entertain—why on earth would I give it a good review?

You know what I want? A Final Destination that fully leans into its absurdity. One that embraces the chaos and says, “I know what I am—I’m ridiculous, and I’m here for a good time!” The biggest failure of this film is that it takes itself too seriously. That’s a trap many movies fall into, but few have done it six times. Even the Fast and Furious franchise manages to shake things up every third movie or so.

A few final thoughts before I scrub this film from my brain forever:

At some point, I’m convinced someone in charge just threw up their hands and said, “Put all the money into the CGI gore! More blood! More brains! That character hasn’t had their face splashed with a skull fragment yet—fix it!” I usually pride myself on being able to handle onscreen gore, but I found myself closing my eyes more than I expected whenever Death showed up.

And finally:

Why does every single movie in this franchise portray Death as a sentient being with a strict checklist and the pettiest vendetta imaginable? Death sets up the most elaborate Rube Goldberg kills but has a meltdown whenever someone deviates from the so-called “plan.” He gets everyone in the end. Always. So why care about the order?