Final Destination: Bloodlines does two thing the franchise has never really done before: created a familial relationship between characters as well as injecting the film with some great comedic feeling. The result? Arguably the best installment in the series. Having watched every FD this past week, it's pretty stark taking them in together in such a short time. The point has always remained the same: death as spectacle. Yet just about every entry does absolutely nothing outside of those parameters and that's where Bloodlines really shines. Not only does it have an amazing major set piece to start the film and not only does it have some of the best kills in the franchise, it absolutely knocks it out of the park in the spaces in between those focal points.
I can't overstate enough what making your cast of characters in Death's game not only care for each other but interesting, funny and likeable does for a Final Destination film. Tremendous cast in a well written death-a-thon!
Of course Bloodlines' other major selling point will be the final appearance for the legendary Tony Todd. What a career, what a person, what a voice and what a tremendous final outing. It's a goodbye worthy of his greatness and it's a goodbye most legends rarely get. I'm not being facetious when I say the ticket price is worth it for Tony alone.
After first viewing it's honestly neck and neck with the original for me and without thinking too much, I'd probably honestly would rather re-watch Bloodlines because of how funny and well executed it is, even if the original is such a great, creative, more thoughtful-than-you-think film. The entire week during my re-watch I had an ever growing sentiment of 'this franchise is really kind of mid, if I'm being honest'. Bloodlines shows that with a little care and some clever people at the helm, the series can be even greater and deadlier than ever.