Is this the"final destination" for an aging franchise? Not likely. And that's okay.

I am pretty sure I saw the first Final Destination film in the theaters, though perhaps it was on video. I know I saw the second, but probably fell off not long after that. After all, how can a story about little more than violent deaths be compelling in the long term?

When I heard they were making a new one, I was not surprised, for everything old is new again. And yet, much like the recent iterations of the Scream franchise, Final Destination: Bloodlines, is slicker, edgier, and of much higher quality, at least in terms of special effects and production values, than its predecessors. It is blood-soaked fun, a fair mix of laugh-out-loud outrageous death scenes and ones that make your skin crawl.

The opening scene, which sets the stage for the whole plot is just ... wow. Gory ... brutal, these words don't do it justice. A young engaged couple attends the opening of the Skyview Restaurant (think the Seattle Space Needle), only to be roped into an unimaginable tragedy. This opening scene - I won't say much to avoid spoilers - harkens back to the plots of the original films. In essence, people were supposed to die that didn't and Death comes calling. What sets this film apart is that Death, if unable to get at its intended victims, goes after their descendants, who, naturally, are young and attractive people in the way that protagonists in these types of films always are. They spend the movie trying to outwit death and come up with a way to break the cycle. Will they survive? Meh. Just watch 'til the end.

The death scenes in this film are brutal and gruesome in a fun horror movie way, but be warned: this picture isn't for everyone. There are definitely some moments that border on the shocking, and if you're squeamish or don't like intense gore, I'd go and watch the latest season of Wednesday instead. The Final Destination films have always been in competition with each other over shock value, and this one takes the lead.

The premise of Final Destination has always been somewhat clever, and I liked the twist with death going after the descendants of its intended victims, but let's be clear, the plot and the acting are subservient to the gore. This is a movie to watch because you want to see how everyone gets offed, not how they live happily ever after. If that's your cup of tea, then you should enjoy Final Destination: Bloodlines.