Final Destination Bloodlines-2025
Director Zack Lipovsky, Adam Stein
Starring Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Brec Bassinger
Scott’s Review #1,489
Reviewed August 9, 2025
Grade: B+
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) is the sixth installment in the Final Destination film franchise, but the first in fourteen years, making the film feel more like a relaunch than a retread.
I’ll gladly see any new (or old) chapters since I enjoy the once inventive premise, which is now familiar territory and part of the brand.
The plots are based on the idea of a small group of people who escape impending death after one visionary individual has a sudden premonition and warns them about a major disaster that is about to occur.
Of course, Death cannot be tricked for long.
After avoiding their deaths seen in the visions, the survivors are later killed one by one in bizarre accidents caused by an unseen force.
The unique deaths are the fun part. From a garbage truck compactor, a malfunctioning MRI machine, and a deadly vending machine, the anticipation is in the killings and how they will be showcased.
Events begin in 1969, marking the best segment of Final Destination Bloodlines and one of the greatest in the series.
Young adults, Iris (Brec Bassinger) and Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones), embark on a lavish opening celebration of the Skyview, a high-rise restaurant tower that resembles the Seattle Space Needle. He awkwardly plans to propose, and she intends to reveal that she is pregnant.
The scene is shockingly tender and emotional since we immediately care about the couple, a pleasant surprise in the horror genre.
As the lovebirds sip champagne at the sophisticated bar, Iris is unsettled by the skyscraper’s lofty height and an unnerving feeling of dread and destruction as revelers hoot and holler on a glass dance floor.
Eventually, the tower collapses following a deadly chain reaction, killing everyone inside.
The Mad Men-style art direction and set design are magnificent and polished, adding worlds of style to the film. The pacing also works with appropriate tension throughout the extended sequence.
The action shifts to 2024, and a violent recurring nightmare plagues Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), revealed to be Iris’s granddaughter. She heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save the Reyes family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them.
The 2024 events are what you’d expect from the Final Destination films, and while decent, they don’t compare to the superior 1969 part.
The most fun is watching the cat-and-mouse setup of the presumed chain of events.
At the Reyes family barbeque, an accidental chunk of broken glass, a mislaid sharp rake, a fiery grill, and a torn trampoline are all possible death objects revealed as the family sips drinks and revels in outdoor activities and chatter.
Or are they merely red herrings?
The genius is forcing the audience to look around their own homes and decipher how many different objects could lead to their deaths.
Santa Juana is excellent at carrying the film, playing a relatable girl next door. Her likability keeps the audience invested in her as she attempts to break the cycle.
Other characters are more stock. The annoying tattoo artist cousin, the absentee mother looking for a second chance, and the uptight female cousin. They are all intended victims that Death will surely pluck.
They all play second fiddle to the bloody deaths, which are the main attraction.
Notably, a recurring character played by Tony Todd returns before the actor’s death, getting a lovely sendoff. His character’s appearance, in both 1969 and 2024, ties in deliciously with the history of the franchise.
Giving fresh breath to a formerly aging franchise, Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) is much better than expected. It adds charm and fulfillment, making it a treat for longtime fans of the past twenty-five years.