Cinema reviewer Robert Garver returns with thoughts on two long-awaited franchise revivals—one about dodging death, the other about embracing discipline.
“Final Destination: Bloodlines”
It’s hard to believe that we went over a decade without a new “Final Destination” movie. Fans love this series and its “slasher-movie-without-a-slasher” gimmick. The “killer” here is the concept of Death itself, which takes the form of unlikely, elaborate, horrific accidents.
This sixth installment features arguably the best opening kill sequence of the entire franchise. Set in the 1960’s, apparent protagonist Iris (Brec Bassinger) visits a rooftop restaurant at the top of a hastily-built tower. The tower collapses and everyone is killed, including Iris, but the scene turns out to be a dream-like vision by Iris’s granddaughter Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) in the modern day. But wait, if Iris was killed in the tower collapse, how did she live long enough to have a family? Things aren’t adding up, even by “Final Destination” standards.
We eventually learn that Stefani’s whole family is marked for death, it’s just taken Death a few decades to get around to them. Cue the convoluted, yet inventive sequences of family members getting picked off in ways that only the sickest minds in horror can dream up.
Though we know most of the characters are toast, they’re more likeable than usual thanks to their strong familial bond. That, and a sincere farewell appearance by the late Tony Todd, make “Bloodlines” the most heartfelt of the “Final Destination” movies. I can’t say it’s the tightest entry, as I think it leaves too much potential unfulfilled at the end, but until the last ten minutes or so I was ready to call this my favorite installment in the series. As it is, it takes a backseat to the fifth movie, but it’s in a respectable second place.
Grade: B-
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is rated R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and language. Its running time is 110 minutes.
“Karate Kid: Legends”
Huh, another franchise that took over a decade off, at least with its movies. Jackie Chan is back as Mr. Han, the new head trainer of this series following the passing of Pat Morita’s Mr. Miyagi. Han wants to train his great-nephew Li Fong (Ben Wang) in the martial arts, but the boy’s mother (Ming-Na Wen) forbids it due to a family tragedy. She uproots Li from Bejing to New York City, where he makes fast friends with schoolmate Mia (Sadie Stanley) and faster enemies with her karate champion ex-boyfriend Conor (Aramis Knight). For a multitude of reasons, including standing up to the psychotic bully and avenging a beating on Mia’s father (Joshua Jackson), Li needs to defeat Conor in the Five Boroughs Karate Tournament.
Mr. Han is happy to come to America to help Li train, but there’s a problem: it’s a karate tournament and Han specializes in kung-fu (viewers of the 2010 “Karate Kid” were quick to point out that the title was misleading). Many of the principles are the same, but Li will never win with kung-fu skills alone. To give Li a karate influence, Han drafts in Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), the most famous student of Mr. Miyagi. Intense training montages ensue.
The bad news is that the movie is highly formulaic and predictable, with expected story beats (save for a detour where Li trains Mia’s father in boxing, which probably should have been saved for a sequel) occurring like clockwork. The good news is that the movie is a decent enough version of the formula, with the chemistry between the characters, especially Li and Mia, ever charming. “Karate Kid: Legends” isn’t in the same league as the all-time-classic original, but it’s hard not to get a kick out of a movie this sweet.
Grade: B-
“Karate Kid: Legends” is rated PG-13 for martial arts violence and language. Its running time is 94 minutes.
Robert R. Garver is a graduate of the Cinema Studies program at New York University. His weekly movie reviews have been published since 2006.
Last Update: Jun 09, 2025 10:50 am CDT
