There are a few things that Final Destination Bloodlines does well straight away, as compared to other films from the franchise (particularly from the second film onwards). It delays the inevitable, almost fleshing out the deaths to a point that they become infectious (oddly). Also, the makers seemingly have understood the tonality of the franchise pretty well – accurately treating it as a horror comedy that doesn’t choose to take itself seriously. One of the issues that I had had with the earlier Final Destinations was that it did take itself way too seriously, mostly focusing on the gore, violence and shock value while letting go of the sudden-ness of the humour around it. I mean, whenever a character is suddenly killed, there is a sense of tense laughter that invariably creeps in, something that is finally acknowledged here. And what that then does is, makes Final Destination Bloodlines the best outing for the franchise since Final Destination (2000; the first part).

I enjoyed the tease with the cold open even as you are introduced to a blind-folded character Iris (Brec Bassinger) even while being on a date in the early 60s. The setting usually plays an important role in the franchise to begin with. So after a plane (Final Destination), a race course (The Final Destination (4)), and a bridge (Final Destination 5), the spiritual sequel here has a setting of a restaurant “in the sky”. There are hints interspersed in the setting that would cater to the fans of the franchise who have literally paid for death to rip apart a bunch of clueless characters – an annoying kid playing with a coin, a jerky lift carrying a crowd “more than its capacity”, a dodgy glass floor seemingly cracked by a portion of the chandelier, a fire deftly building up on a frying pan and a bunch of clueless characters who are about to be killed off. For anyone who is aware of the franchise, would also know that the disaster about to unfold is a premonition (a word that I had learnt as a kid while watching the films of the franchise) of Iris, and that the entire drama is staged around it. But in a double-whammy of sorts, the drama shifts focus to current times when you are introduced to Stefanie (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) who has been witnessing similar nightmares featuring her grandma, Iris. And so, Stefanie remains the fulcrum of the film.

The frivolous and playful tonality of the film can be identified through its bunch of characters around Stefanie – an indifferent brother, a reckless and annoying “Cuz” (cousin), a caring uncle and a doting aunt, all of whom add a distinct flavour to the narrative. If The Final Destination (2009) did boast of rapid kills per minute, the scenario drastically shifts to a sense of world building wherein there is a considerable buildup in the drama even as Stefanie and Iris meet at a mysterious setting for the very first time. And even when their meeting ends with a kill, the writers don’t lose sight of the humour quotient in the drama, even as Iris politely asks Stefanie to take a step-back before being smeared in blood through a piercing piece of metal, all thanks to the GOAT killer of all slasher films – Death! There is a playful energy in the sequence that accounts for the humour around the incident!

The films of the franchise essentially are known for some of the most gruesome deaths, and this continues to remain the main USP of the franchise with Final Destination Bloodlines too. The ability of the franchise does lie in creating an intimidating death sequence with the help of inanimate objects that are harmless, most of the time. And here too, be it the lawn mower or a harmless football or a hose pipe or even a trampoline, they all invariably become deaths allies in bumping off the most clueless characters. And you know what the first rule of a horror film is right? Those who don’t believe, DIE! And, this is the age-old technique that the makers utilize while insinuating the drama with dollops of humour. The sillier the character, the more satisfying the death. And speaking of which, the structure of the drama resembled the Indian Cricket Team from the 90s who heavily depended on the prowess of Sachin Tendulkar (most of the time). In a match, once Sachin was dismissed, the entire team would fall like nine pins. Similarly, while the “kills” take a time to get-going, once they do, the fun quotient kicks in. Some of the most innovative death sequences involved a character been sliced in a garbage truck or an MRI machine gone rogue, accounting for the deaths and limbs of a couple of characters, or even a near-death experience involving a ceiling fan and gasoline. If Bulla from Gunda (1998) was alive, he would exclaim ‘Death Ne Tujhe Lamba Kar Diya’ or ‘Tu Toh Katela Gurda Yaani Ki Murda Ho Gayi’ (never mind the translation), even as I digress. This, even as the inclusion of Tony Todd as William Bludworth was a wet dream for the fans of this franchise.

One small lost opportunity lay in the lack of emotional quotient in the drama, not particularly because anyone expected it (in a film of this franchise) but more given how the story was setup in the final act. Even the slight element of mystery with respect to the order of the “deaths” that was the mysterious byproduct of the drama, went missing here, something that made the drama slightly predictable. And just because of that, I expected a little more from the final act that seemed a notch lower than the entire film. It partly let go of the frivolous and playful tone of the drama, while being a touch too abrupt with the entire sequence that did unfold. Yes, the outro sequence brought back the drama in the vicinity of being hilariously enjoyable, but the final act ensured that the drama fell a touch short of greatness! Nevertheless, the screenplay here is extremely entertaining and enjoyable thereby signalling the return of the campy franchise in its best outing after 25 years!