Ronit J

Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) Synopsis:

Death runs in the family.

Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.

Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) Review:

Honestly, I almost missed this one. I think I saw a stray Reddit post talking about how good this film was, but I didn’t really pay attention. After all, it’s been a decade since the last instalment—which I watched in 3D, I remember—and I genuinely believed the franchise had decided to end. Wrong.

When I saw Final Destination Bloodlines on my feed, I was hesitant at first. But, I had watched The Monkey earlier this year, and really enjoyed the absurd gore-fest. Succumbing to my nostalgia and guilty pleasure, I decided I’d give this a try. At worst, I’d laugh at some absurd death sequences. At best, I’d actually have a good time.

Which one was it then? Read and find out!

Final Destination Bloodlines follows Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who starts having a recurring nightmare featuring a woman named Iris (Brec Bassinger playing a younger Iris) who died in a massive freak accident at the Sky View, a high-rise restuarant. While she doesn’t know for sure, she believes the woman is her estranged grandmother, Iris (Gabrielle Rose). Deciding to investigate, she goes back home. She discovers that Iris had a premonition, and managed to save hundreds of lives that day at the Sky View. But, Death isn’t happy about it, and is coming for them all.

Nostalgic Gore Fest, with a dash of Heart

You don’t watch a Final Destination film for the plot or characters; you watch it for the gore and absurd death sequences. And from that perspective, I think Final Destination Bloodlines did a fantastic job. From the cruel way the Sky View accident unfolds—including the satisfying ending where the annoying kid responsible is crushed to death—to the darkly hilarious manner in which Julia (Anna Lore) succumbs in the background, Final Destination Bloodlines offers a beautifully twisted series of deaths, full of in-your-face gore, poor CGI-carnage, and nostalgic schadenfreude.

But, Final Destination Bloodlines did have one thing that I don’t remember the earlier instalments having—an interestingly intertwined family angle. Now honestly, I don’t remember the stories of the earlier instalments that well. I do, however, remember the gory death sequences. With Bloodlines, the story too shines in a way that makes it almost memorable. The story mainly transpires in present day, but is heavily influenced by the events of the prologue (the Sky View sequence). But, unlike the earlier instalments, it’s not just the survivors who’re at risk. This time around, entire bloodlines of people exist because their parents/grandparents cheated death at the Sky View.

It’s not the most innovative twist on the Final Destination franchise, but it does add an interesting motivation and a personal touch. That alone, I believe, is the reason that the story—despite all its faults—manages to resonate better than the film’s predecessors. And it shows: Bloodlines is not only the best-reviewed instalment of the franchise, it is also it’s highest-grossing. Plus, there are loads of easter eggs and motifs across the film that—when you spot them—make the experience all the more rewarding.

Guilty-Pleasure that’s not for Everyone

I already said movies like these are a guilty pleasure for me. That means everything you read in this review is coated in a thick layer of my bias. Which also means, take everything I say with a pinch of salt. I dissed KPop Demon Hunters (2025) in the same breath as I praised it, so it’s only fair that I point out the issues with Final Destination Bloodlines, no?

For starters, almost every single death sequence is heavily dependent on “stupidity-max”. Yes, the pandemic and social media have proven to us time and again how idiotic people can be. Hell, even the Harambe incident—the one that the internet almost unanimously agreed was the downfall of humanity—was something straight out of a Final Destination movie, given the lack of caution and precaution. So, if you’re one to get your mood spoiled by the excessive suspension of disbelief that the film demands, you’re certainly going to hate this one.

From the several glaring inspection overlooks on the Sky View (cracking glass floor, over-capacity elevators, not to mention the clearly annoying kid who deserved what happened to him), to Iris’s ‘sacrificing herself after a lifetime of cheating death’ just so she could convince Stefani that they were ‘really in danger’, there’s a lot of stupid plot points that you have to suffer before you can relish the bloody spectacles. And some of them are bad enough to really break your immersion.

Plus, the characters are just conduits of the plot. They’re not really more than what their one-dimensional caricature requires for their respective death-spectacle. The plot too—despite the thread of family and bloodlines—is as predictable as the last Final Destination film. But, it’s fun to watch. So what the hell, right?

Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

TL;DR: Everyone dies.

After her uncle’s branch of the family bites the dust, Stefani, Charlie and Darlene drive the RV to hide in Iris’ cabin. Knowing Darlene is next , they reach the cabin only to have Stefani stuck on the driver’s seat after her seat-belt refuses to unlock. Winds blow, and it becomes clear that Death is about to strike. Stefani convinces Darlene to hide in the cabin, because as long as Darlene is safe, so are her kids. However, not all goes as planned. An absurd series of unlikely events results in a gas cylinder exploding, destroying the cabin. Stefani and the RV are thrown into water, where she’s about to drown.

Darlene manages to rescue Charlie, who’s pinned under a fallen sheet of metal. But before they can relax, a pole falls on Darlene killing her. Charlie rushes to rescue Stefani, but is a little too late. She stops breathing, and Charlie has to resuscitate her. Believing that she flatlined, they finally relax, thinking that they broke the chain and are free from Death. However, some time later when Stefani drops off Charlie at his prom date’s home, they learn that she didn’t cheat death. Almost drowning meant she stopped breathing, but her heart would continue to beat.

At the same moment elsewhere, the old woman who picked up a stray penny (the one that caused the deaths in the prologue) drops it while paying for lemonade. The penny rolls and gets lodged in train tracks, which results in the train derailing. The train crashes out of the railway’s boundaries, wrecking the neighbourhood around them. Stefani and Charlie, who almost escape from the sliding train, later get crushed by loose logs of wood that slide and fall on them. Cue credits.

Is Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) worth watching?

Well? That’s for you to decide. If you love the Final Destination franchise, then hell yeah. Not only does Final Destination Bloodlines deliver on innovative, gory deaths, it does so with a story that actually feels personal.

However, if you don’t like the franchise, this one isn’t going to change your mind. Bloodlines doubles down on everything that made the franchise fun and entertaining, but doesn’t innovate or break the mould in any significant way.

In Conclusion:

Final Destination Bloodlines (2025) cruelly delivers exactly what the franchise promises, with an interesting story and loads of absurdity.

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