After fourteen years, Death returns. In Final Destination: Bloodlines, when Iris successfully saves a restaurant full of people in the 60s, she sets in motion a horrific chain of events where Death comes knocking for her descendants in present day.
Iris is played by Brec Bassinger in the 60s and Gabrielle Rose in the present day. Present day Iris is definitely Laurie Strode in Halloween 2018 coded, but Rose makes the role a very entertaining and silly one (Think Devon Sawa’s Alex from the first Final Destination, but played more for camp).
Our lead in this film is Stephanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), one of Iris’ descendants that has been suffering from a specific recurring nightmare. One so horrific it keeps her up at nights, which is affecting her grades in college. Steph heads down to her family and extended family’s homes, only to find herself thrust into the middle of Death’s latest design.
Stephanie is likable and proactive enough, but she doesn’t leave much of a mark. Teo Briones (previously Junior/ the brat in Chucky season one) plays Charlie, Steph’s brother. He’s likable, but isn’t given much to do. Rya Kihlstedt’s Darlene (estranged mom to Steph)has definite potential as there is a bit of a unique aspect to her character. Unfortunately, this movie doesn’t play into said aspect and only gives Darlene minor character development.
The two best characters are brothers Erik (Richard Harmon) and Bobby (Owen Joyner), cousins/nephews to Steph and Charlie. Bobby is the only one who buys into Steph’s warnings early on, and seeing his fear and panic escalate as the deaths start to pile up is relatable. He’s likely the most likable character in the film.
Erik, on the other hand, is a beautiful jerk. He’s not likable, but he is the most entertaining one out of the bunch. He doesn’t take Steph’s warnings seriously until it’s close to too late, tends to be downright hostile towards her, and enjoys repeatedly mocking Steph’s fears. He’s not nice, but succeeds in garnering multiple chuckles throughout (He’s easily my favorite character in the film). His care and concern for his brother Bobby helps to give this a-hole character just enough humanity so you aren’t actively rooting for him to die throughout.
Tony Todd’s brief scene is pretty sweet and heartfelt. He’s not intimidating or creepy here, just a sad and sick man who appears to give his condolences and some final words of wisdom. It’s startling to see how thin and weak he looks. Unfortunately, I’d rank this as his third best appearance in the franchise. RIP King.
Speaking of which, one of the better things about Bloodlines is the family dynamic found within, and the fact that we are following mothers, fathers, grand-parents, uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews and cousins. There are more leads here than in any previous Final Destination film, and their interactions are believable as family members.
The best part about Bloodlines is the way it switches up the structure and pacing of a Final Destination movie. This one definitely tries to find new ways to keep you on edge throughout. Unfortunately the last 20-25 minutes pale to what came before and were disappointing.
The best death set-pieces were the opening restaurant scene and the MRI scene. There is a lot of CGI utilized throughout (and not just during death scenes). Luckily, that doesn’t prevent any of the deaths from being highly entertaining and fun.
Zach Lipovsky (director of Leprechaun:Origins) and Adam B. Stein share directing duties here, having previously co-directed Freaks and the Kim Possible tv movie together. They feel right at home here, and seem like natural fits for the franchise. There aren’t any real scares here, but the proceedings can be appropriately tense, funny, and brutal.
Guy Busick (Ready or Not, 5cream, Scream VI, Abigail) and Lori Evan’s Taylor (head writer on tv show Wicked Wicked Games from 2006-2007) get screenwriting credit. The screenplay isn’t anything to write home about. It’s not terrible, but definitely plays into camp and humor more often than not (also very weird that the characters continually refer to Death as a He, something that never happens in any of the other films).
Final Destination: Bloodlines isn’t the best movie in the franchise, but it is in the middle-to-upper tier. If you’ve come looking for scares, you’ve come to the wrong place. Bloodlines makes for a very fun and entertaining time at the movies. It successfully breathes new life into this franchise about brutal, bloody death.
3.5 STARS
No comments:
Post a Comment