The Final Destination franchise has always had a peculiar charm, equal parts dread and delightful chaos. With Final Destination: Bloodlines, directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein lean into everything that made the series memorable, while somehow refreshing the formula with a self-aware sense of humour and a dose of unexpected sentimentality.

The story opens decades ago in the swinging ’60s, where a seemingly glamorous night atop a new high-rise spirals into disaster. But in true Final Destination fashion, not all is as it seems. What begins as a terrifying moment of mass death quickly folds into a present-day mystery, as a young woman named Stefani begins having vivid nightmares that seem far too detailed to be just dreams. They’re premonitions—visions tied to her grandmother Iris and a past tragedy that’s come back, quite literally, to haunt her family.

From there, the film wastes no time jumping headfirst into the familiar dance with Death. One by one, survivors of a tragedy-that-almost-was find themselves ensnared in fate’s violent grip. But Bloodlines doesn’t just rehash old tricks. It gets creative almost gleefully so. If you’re the type of horror fan who finds joy in the imaginative ways people meet their end on screen, you’re in for a treat. There’s an almost cartoonish level of inventiveness to the deaths, and the filmmakers walk the tightrope between shock and silliness with a surprisingly steady hand.

What helps this film stand out, though, is its tone. It knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything more, yet within that confidence, there’s room for genuine character connection. Stefani, played with a likeable groundedness by Kaitlyn Santa Juana, carries the emotional core of the film. Her search for her grandmother and the answers hidden in their shared history gives the movie just enough weight to balance out its gory playfulness. There’s something tender about the intergenerational link, something that softens the film’s sharper edges.

Visually, the film leans heavily on CGI, but it’s thankfully balanced by some solid practical effects. The result is a look that’s slick without being soulless. A few standout sequences, particularly one involving a garbage truck, are as exhilarating as they are gruesome. The restaurant premonition scene, in particular, is a chaotic thrill, the kind of moment that reminds you why people show up for these movies in the first place.

The biggest emotional punch, though, comes with the return of Tony Todd as the enigmatic Bludworth. Knowing this was his final on-set performance brings a bittersweet quality to his appearance. His scene is handled with care, offering fans a moment of quiet reflection in a film otherwise soaked in blood and irony. It’s a fitting, respectful nod to a legacy that has long stood at the eerie heart of the franchise.

Final Destination: Bloodlines isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, but it does polish it with enough flair, fun, and feeling to make it one of the most enjoyable entries in the series. It doesn’t hide its ridiculousness. It embraces it and in doing so, it becomes something surprisingly endearing. This isn’t just another horror sequel. It’s a love letter to fans who’ve stuck around for the ride, complete with wild deaths, sincere characters, and a final goodbye that might just leave a lump in your throat.

In a year already rich with standout horror, Bloodlines earns its place—not by being the scariest, but by being the most joyfully unhinged and quietly heartfelt. And that’s more than enough.