James Whitehead
The true beauty of cinema is the broad scope of emotions and experiences that only films can conjure up. My last review for example was The Surfer, the psychological drama starring Nicholas Cage, a slow building thriller, full of abstract imagery and metaphor. Next up we have the complete antithesis, Final Destination: Bloodlines. And yet, it is with great pleasure and surprise that I can tell you both films were far more entertaining than I ever could have predicted.
Final Destination: Bloodlines is the first film from the franchise in over 14 years, but the film shows there’s still plenty of life in this franchise yet, in what may be its’ best film so far. That’s certainly if you take the critic’s words for it. At the time of this review, the film boasts a staggering 93% on rotten tomatoes, the highest for any Final Destination so far, blowing away all expectations for the sixth installment of the horror franchise. This is only supported by an equally impressive 89% from the audience score.
Movies are experiential events, and Final Destination: Bloodlines understands this better than a lot of films I’ve seen recently. The film strikes the perfect balance of comedy and entertainment alongside the excruciating tension the builds when death is near. A large part of the enjoyment comes from natural comedy brought about by its cast. Richard Harmon’s ‘Erik’ can be accredited with a lot of this, his delivery and timing throughout the film provided the audience with levity that was essential to stop the film feeling like a 110-minute-long panic attack (in the best way possible!).
The deaths were brutal, creative and all the effects were extremely impressive. The film gives you everything you’d hope for from a Final Destination film in spades, expertly paced and never dull. Whilst I wouldn’t have called myself a massive fan of the franchise going in, seeing its potential realised on screen was a delightful surprise, and I would recommend this film to anyone looking for a fun, bloody, emotional rollercoaster of a film, with Final Destination: Bloodlines now paying in cinemas.
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