The Final Destination franchise is based on a very effective concept : Death has a plan, and no one can escape it.
Each film begins with a horrific tragedy that causes the deaths of many people in the future main character’s premonition. They then manage to save a small group of strangers or acquaintances at the last minute, but in doing so, Death’s plan is thwarted, and Death does not like people messing with its plans.
From then on, the survivors are hunted down and eliminated in a methodical and ingenious manner in the order in which they should have died. One by one.
Bloodlines : a generational twist
Final Destination : Bloodlines, the latest installment, takes the concept even further by introducing the idea that Death attacks not only the initial survivors of one of the tragedies (in this case, the destruction of the Skyview in 1968), but also their entire lineage.
This twist reminds us that they would never have been born if their ancestors had died, thus breaking the cycle that we thought began with Flight 180 in the first movie and ended with the fifth installment.
Bloodlines opens a new chapter, exploring the generational consequences of thwarting fate.
The butterfly effect was the basis for Final Destination 2, in which death gradually claimed the victims who had been spared after the passengers escaped the plane. Bloodlines simply extends this notion to the descendants of the survivors.
Tony Todd’s final gift
So, what is Bloodlines worth?
Having followed the saga closely and knowing that Tony Todd (Candyman) would be making his final appearance, I had to go see it in the theater. And trust me, I was not disappointed.
Expect the gore we love, unexpected moments of comedy, and even a touch of emotion that brought a tear to my eye during Tony Todd‘s last line. It was his final recording, and rumor has it that it wasn’t scripted.
May he rest in peace.
The film begins with a slight and welcome change of formula.
Playing with clichés always earns bonus points in my non-existent book.
Is Bloodlines perfect? No.
Is it a good movie? Yes, absolutely.
The shortcomings lie in the secondary characters, who aren’t always developed enough, and a moment towards the end that is completely incoherent. But we’ve been here for 5 movies already. They know characters are glorified red shirts at this point, and that the fans are more interested in their deaths than anything else.
I hate ranking things, but here we go…
The internet has a format, so I’m sticking to it.
How would I rank the installments?
The first is the best. It lays the foundation for the franchise, and you can’t take that away from it. The deaths are creative, and we discover Death’s plan. Plus, I’ve had a thing for Devon Sawa since Casper… so that helps.
Next, even though the main characters are replaceable, I would say the second one, if only for its iconic scene with the logs, which traumatized an entire generation. Over 20 years later, we still talk about it…
We can’t dismiss the cultural impact Final Destination 2 still has.
And that’s where it gets complicated.
For third place, Bloodlines takes the stage ! Yes, it’s largely thanks to Eric, but also because it manages to make us appreciate new characters, something that other films have failed to do (yes, I’m looking at you, Final Destination 3D!). Tony Todd, the Skyview deaths, and the spin on the plot make it a good entry -even technically better than 2, but we can’t fight the log scene-.
It’s a nice little addition to elevated horror, including generational trauma to the deaths.
Then, it’s number 5 that closed the loop with Flight 180 and its memorable deaths. It was a difficult choice between this one and Bloodlines. It made me like the franchise again after a few disappointing ones.
The third movie is very good, but it struggles to compete with some of the more creative deaths in the other entries. The cast is doing a good job (hi Chelan Simmons from the original IT), the tanning bed scene is still a fan favorite, and the location is fun. Besides, it is the first to have added a second vision given to the protagonist, which was highly appreciated. Why so low then ? Because it doesn’t quite reach the quality of the above.
And finally, “The Final Destination 3D,” which shouldn’t even be on this list.
It’s a big disappointment in both content and form. The 3D ruined many of the practical effects, the characters’ personalities are virtually non-existent, and how could they have let absurd details like those gas cylinders in the cinema with a “spontaneous combustion” label slip through?
There are good jokes here and there, but it’s as skippable as it gets.
90’s blankie
I kind of grew up with this franchise so my ranking would differ if I discovered them all today.
Nostalgia plays a big part in how we cherish things.
I’ll always take Halloween H2O above the ones that followed, because I’m a sucker for the 90’s horror vibes with random rappers acting. Most people hate it.
Take my ranking as you will (but if you like the fourth Final Destination movie, we can’t be friends.)
Being melancholy ridden is both a blessing and a curse.