7.1 | / 10 |
| Users | 4.0 | |
| Reviewer | 3.5 | |
| Overall | 3.5 |
Plagued by a recurring violent nightmare, a college student returns home to find the one person who can break the cycle and save her family from the horrific fate that inevitably awaits them.
Starring: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner| Horror | 100% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Polish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
| Movie | 3.5 | |
| Video | 0.0 | |
| Audio | 4.5 | |
| Extras | 3.0 | |
| Overall | 3.5 |
Final Destination has proven to be a reliable franchise ever since the first film hit theaters back in 2000, with its four subsequent sequels (through 2011, at least) not always increasing in popularity but all having decently consistent box office returns. I'm not exactly married to the series and thus can't rank them in order of preference... but no matter your experience level, Final Destination: Bloodlines is an accessible entry point, a solid reboot, and the most financially successful iteration to date despite the franchise's 14-year hiatus. (In other words, get ready for more.)

Bloodlines begins with an extended flashback to 1968, where young couple Iris and Paul Campbell (Brec Bassinger & Max Lloyd-Jones) are on a date at the grand opening of the luxurious Skyview tower, a first-class restaurant and club hundreds of feet in the air. Viewers are kept on edge during this otherwise celebratory event, which predictably ends in disaster when sloppy construction (and a wayward penny) makes the Skyview's "maiden voyage" not unlike the Titanic. After everyone dies spectacularly -- including Iris, Paul, and a boy named William -- it's revealed that said event was a recurring nightmare of college student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) that's plagued her for several months and, as it turns out, Iris and Paul were her grandparents. Unable to sleep and failing most of her classes, she returns home to visit her dad (Tinpo Lee) and brother Charlie (Teo Briones), as well as cousins Erik (Richard Harmon), Bobby (Owen Patrick Joyner), and Julia (Anna Lore), the children of her uncle Howard (Alex Zahara), Iris and Paul's son.
Anyway, it turns out that Iris is still alive and she had the same premonition that fateful evening back in 1968, where she saved the lives of everyone in Skyview by warning them moments before disaster struck. That's normally fine and dandy, but not in Final Destination world: as a result of cheating death, the survivors met their "planned demise" days, weeks, or months later... that is, except for Iris and at least one other lucky person who outsmarted what we can only assume were hundreds of close calls. But here's the kicker: since Iris was pregnant at the time, impending death is now in the cards for her extended family as well. Hoping to somehow break the curse, Stefani's first task is convincing them she's not crazy. It'll prove to be quite the challenge, though, because Iris' lifelong paranoia -- which the family dismissed as crazy talk -- have all but closed their minds to anything involving doom and gloom.
Of course, doom and gloom is right around the corner for the Reyes and Campbell family. But it wouldn't be right to spoil those Rube Goldberg machinations hinted at above, ones that may or may not involve that same unlucky penny from 1968, broken glass, a ceiling fan, one big statue, a lawn mower, a garbage truck, a meteor, thousands of bees, a high-powered magnet, and dozens more objects that align themselves to maim, crush, and exsanguinate some or all of Steph's relatives. They give Bloodlines a solid amount of on-brand appeal and most situations are constructed carefully, meaning that even the most seasoned FD disciple probably won't be able to predict the outcome of every scene. And while certain elements of the story don't hold up to scrutiny at all, Bloodlines is still fun in a way that few horror films really are and should appeal to franchise fans and newcomers alike. Again, I only saw the first couple entries back in the day and had no trouble following along, but word has it that a few fun Easter eggs are in here.
Warner Bros. offers Final Destination: Bloodlines in three main home video options: a regular ol' Blu-ray, a 4K UHD, and a preferred Steelbook combo pack that
actually has both formats in one handy package. All have comparatively solid A/V presentations as well as the same assortment of decent bonus
features, so pick your poison.

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately and reviewed here (soon).
Final Destination: Bloodlines arrived to theaters with a true 4K Digital Intermediate, and Warner Bros.' excellent 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision transfer seems well-equipped to deliver a true theatrical-grade experience on disc. The handsomely-shot extended opening is obviously a standout, as Skyview's luxurious atmosphere (and the subsequent fallout, of course) make for perhaps the franchise's most memorable sequence since a certain plane explosion and log truck all those years ago. But fine detail, color, texture, and shadows are all nicely appointed here, giving facial close-ups and grisly deaths an alternately pleasing and disturbing level of detail that's only hampered by a few stray dodgy effects. HDR adds punch in all the applicable areas, especially fire and explosions as well as bright lights against the darkness. Disc encoding is very good too, as Bloodlines gets a decent amount of room to breathe even on a modest dual-layered disc; this proves to be more than sufficient real estate for just over two hours of total content, as the main feature runs at a decently supportive bit rate from start to finish. Stray posterization and black crush could be spotted during occasional moments where shadows overwhelm the picture, but these two issues are extremely few and far between and could likely be part of the cinematography. Either way, it's a more than solid effort.

Likewise, the Dolby Atmos mix is a capably solid effort with ample surround usage and great use of the overhead channels at key moments, even if large stretches of Bloodlines are fairly scaled back with nothing more than front-channel dialogue and light background ambiance doing the driving. The original score by Tim Wynn, which contains a few brief references to earlier Final Destination cues, also gets a solid amount of support at the right moments and frequently drifts into the rear channels for sonic contrast. Bottom line: things squish, explode, and burn in spectacular fashion on countless occasions, and each moment sounds as disturbingly over-the-top as it needs to. Although it seemed to be mixed slightly lower than my normal reference levels, once adjusted it brings the goods.
Optional subtitles, including English SDH, are included during the film and all applicable extras below.

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with eye-catching poster-themed cover art, a matching matte-finish slipcover, and a few good to great extras led by an audio commentary with both directors.

Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein (both new to the franchise) both make their mark with Final Destination: Bloodlines, which is at once an accessible entry point, a solid reboot, and the most financially successful iteration to date despite the franchise's 14-year hiatus. I enjoyed it quite a bit despite parts of the story and its rules not holding up to scrutiny, but I've got a feeling that time will be pretty kind to this one. Warner Bros. offers three main home video options for fans and newcomers: a regular ol' Blu-ray, a 4K UHD, and a preferred Steelbook combo pack, each with comparatively solid A/V presentations as well as the same assortment of decent bonus features. Recommended.

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Collector's Edition
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Night Shift Edition
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Collector's Edition
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Extended Cut
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Killer Cut
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