Brec Bassinger in “Final Destination Bloodlines.”
Final Destination Bloodlines — the sixth film in the Final Destination horror film series — is new in theaters. How do critics feel about the death-defying movie?
The series kicked off in 2000 with Final Destination, followed by sequels in 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2011. Final Destination marks a reboot of the series under the direction of Adam Lipovsky and Adam Stein.
The official logline for the film reads, “Plagued by a recurring violent nightmare, a college student (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) returns home to find the one person who can break the cycle and save her family from the horrific fate that inevitably awaits them.”
Rated R, Final Destination Bloodlines also stars Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Brec Bassinger and the late Tony Todd. The film plays in Thursday previews before opening everywhere on Friday.
As of Thursday, Final Destination Bloodlines has earned a 95% “fresh” rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics based on 76 reviews.
The RT Critics Consensus reads, “Adding some surprising emotional layers onto the ghoulish bones of Final Destination‘s mythology, Bloodlines ingeniously executes grisly set pieces with precision and turns impending doom into outrageous fun.”
RT’s Popcornmeter rating based on verified user ratings is still pending.
What Are Individual Critics Saying About ‘Final Destination Bloodlines’?
Jamie Graham of Empire Magazine is among the top critics on RT who give Final Destination Bloodlines a “fresh” rating, writing, “Laugh as you barf. This fun reboot is crammed with affectionate nods and grisly kills as it bids a fond farewell to Tony Todd. Might it have been called Ultimate Destination?”
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter also gives the film a “fresh” rating, writing on RT, “The combination of CGI and practical effects works seamlessly, and the sequences are sadistically edited for maximum tension, which is thankfully relieved by frequent doses of mordant humor.”
Final Destination Bloodlines also earned a “fresh” review on RT from IndieWire’s Alison Foreman, who writes, “Silly, delicate, sharp, and mean, Bloodlines has its flaws but nevertheless confirms Death’s Design as a force worthy of its own special place in the horror hall of fame.”
Todd Gilchrist of Variety also gives Final Destination Bloodlines a “fresh” review, writing on RT, “While a canonically satisfying sendoff to the late Tony Todd’s William Bludworth bolsters the series’ morbid gravitas, a cast of playful, mostly likable 20-somethings keep proceedings light in juxtaposition to the filmmakers’ fiendishly inventive kills.”
Final Destination Bloodlines also impressesd Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com, who writes in his “fresh” review on RT, “Are these movies deep? Yeah, in their way. Because they get you thinking about metaphysics, free will, and karma by killing people in chain reaction Destruct-O-Ramas that are framed, lit and edited with all the dark magic at cinema’s disposal.”
As of this publication, Final Destination Bloodlines only has one “rotten” review from a top critic on RT, but even that review praises certain aspects of the film.
In her “rotten” take on the film, Megan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting writes on RT, “The highs of creative kills and Tony Todd’s poignant final bow are offset by an underdeveloped story that struggles beyond its solid concept. While uneven, it does at least succeed in delivering some summer horror fun.”
Rated R, Final Destination Bloodlines plays in Thursday previews before opening in theaters everywhere on Friday.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2025/05/15/final-destination-bloodlines-reviews-are-critics-loving-it-to-death/