It looks like Death has returned to form in Final Destination: Bloodlines, at least according to critics. The new Final Destination movie has debuted with an impressive 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which makes it the highest-rated entry in the beloved horror saga – and by a huge margin.
The new film is followed in the review aggregator's ranking by 2011's Final Destination 5, which sits at a respectable 63%. From there, all the movies in the franchise, including the original 2000 film, have "rotten" scores below 52%. However, we could argue that appreciation for the saga has evolved since the 2000s, and these numbers might not be entirely representative today.
Now, critics are loving the sixth instalment, which is arriving this week after a fourteen-year hiatus for the saga. GamesRadar+'s Final Destination Bloodlines review praises the film's killer set-pieces, smart script and satisfying nods to the franchise, saying Directors Zack Lipovsky and Adam Stein "use all the tricks in the Final Destination book to weave an intricate thrill ride packed with jaw-dropping, gasp-inducing, laugh-out-loud moments of gory fatality."
Other reviews are calling the movie "extremely bloody and yet playful" and "a joyride" for fans. "Clever, unpredictable and fun, Final Destination Bloodlines offers the series a transfusion of creativity that virtually guarantees that it will live to kill again", writes Variety, while Digital Spy describes the film as "a must-see gory dream come true for fans of the horror series".
Bloodlines follows Stefani (played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana), a college student who begins suffering from waking nightmares about a premonition her grandmother had in 1968 about the Skyview Restaurant. So she heads back home hoping to understand what's happening and save her family from Death itself.
Directors Zack Lipovsky and Adam Stein told GamesRadar+ recently about making the sequel. "We always said we wanted to make a Final Destination movie that you had to watch through your fingers because you were cringing so hard, but you also were smiling and laughing at the same time," said Stein.
"That's kind of the tone we were going for because Death in these movies - we've always loved how Final Destination Death is so clever," he continued, "and you kind of end up rooting for Death and trying to figure out what Death is gonna do next. And it's so delightful to kind of plan these intricate Rube Goldberg machines, and there's a lot of fun to be had with that."
Final Destination Bloodlines hits theaters on May 16. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies and upcoming horror movies in 2025 and beyond.
