Final Destination Bloodlines

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES is a 2025 horror thriller film directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky from a screenplay by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, from a story by Jon Watts, Guy Busick, and Lori Evans Taylor. It is based on characters created by Jeffrey Reddick. The film marks the 6th entry in the Final Destination franchise, and the first entry since 2011.

Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.

The cast includes Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Rya Kihlstedt, Anna Lore, with Brec Bassinger, and Tony Todd.

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES made its debut in theaters May 16th, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

The FINAL DESTINATION film franchise is iconic, that is simply a fact that cannot be argued. The formula for the first film was absolutely ahead of its time which is a big reason why the franchise enjoyed a successful 11-year run that churned out five films. One thing I love about this franchise is the fact that each film offered something unique while still capturing the magic that made the original so great.

You could even argue that the original film isn’t the best film in the franchise, which is honestly something you could debate all day long with fans. For example, FINAL DESTINATION 2 hit especially hard because after that movie, I was never able to comfortably drive behind a truck hauling giant logs. I also have vivid memories heading to the theater to see FINAL DESTINATION 2 during a blizzard, and I swear I looked left right up and down probably a hundred times on my way to the theater.

There is something to be said about a movie that can stick with you like that. Now it’s been almost 15-years since the fifth film came out, and I honestly didn’t think that we would get another movie in this franchise. So when the marketing started to come out about a new movie, I was absolutely ecstatic. I was trying to keep my expectations in check because I am such a big fan, but on my way to the theater admittedly I was looking to be transported back to the good old days of movie watching.

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES was absolutely fantastic! I mean, I can’t even begin to explain how many things they did to not the only appease hard-core fans of the franchise, but to also create something that is just standalone a great movie. FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES finds a way to go full circle in terms of the overall premise of the films, while also upping the anti-on production value, scale, And most importantly, some friggin’ awesome deaths.

I went back and re-watched the original film, and although it was certainly goofy in some ways, it was never really intentional, making the tone feel sort of off. I felt like as the franchise progressed, they started to gravitate towards that blend of horror and comedy making for a much more impactful experience. FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES is absolutely in the vein as it can be hilarious at times but can also have you gritting your teeth in suspense. I was honestly so uncomfortable at times knowing that something was about to happen, and that just speaks to how well they handled the sequences in this film.

I’m finding it difficult to go too in-depth without giving anything away, but the domino effect of the FINAL DESTINATION films is just on another level here. I mean, honestly I’m having a hard time finding many critiques of this film. I thought the acting was great all things considered in terms of the blend of humor and horror, I loved the soundtrack, and the special effects were absolutely amazing. Clocking in at just shy of 2-hours I felt like the film didn’t seem to waste a single minute and was edited to perfection, and I’m honestly having a hard time deciding on which one of the awesome deaths was my favorite.

Just touching a bit more on the overall story, to be honest I tried to avoid watching too much of the trailers just because I wanted to be surprised to see what direction they decided to go as they attempted to reboot the franchise. After seeing FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES, I honestly feel like they handled it perfectly as they found a way to stay true to the franchise while also breathing new life into a very loyal fanbase.

Seriously this movie was just so much damn fun and I want so badly to just talk about it, but I’ll stick with my guns and not spoil anything and hope that someone else I know will see it sooner than later. Even the final seconds of the film felt like a tribute to the franchise, which I absolutely loved. Plus speaking of tributes, legendary actor of Tony Todd was given the sendoff he rightfully deserved in this film. He will be missed.

THE VERDICT

A massively entertaining horror comedy that perfectly captures the magic of the original films, FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES is an incredible addition to an absolutely iconic franchise. If you consider yourself to be a fan of this franchise, you need to see this movie as soon as humanly possible. I can’t wait to add FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES to my 4K Blu-ray collection, and have my fingers crossed that it will include some great extras on there as well.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.9/10

FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Fight or Flight

FIGHT OR FLIGHT is a 2025 action comedy directed by James Madigan, from a screenplay by Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona.

A mercenary (Josh Hartnett) takes on the job of tracking a high-value asset known only as The Ghost on an international flight. Realizing the plane is filled with assassins assigned to kill them both, the pair must work together in a fight for their lives.

The cast includes Josh Hartnett, Katee Sackhoff, Charithra Chandran, Julian Kostov, Marko Zaror, and Juju Chan Szeto.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT made its debut in theaters May 9th, courtesy of Vertical Entertainment.

With scripts getting recycled or remakes left and right movies often feel very familiar these days, and when I first saw the trailer for FIGHT OR FLIGHT I immediately thought this was 100% the plane version of the 2022 Brad Pitt action comedy thriller BULLET TRAIN (our full review and trailer here).

I will admit it still looked fun and I love me some Josh Hartnett, but I figured it would be a limited or VOD release anyway so I knew I would see it at some point. To my surprise FIGHT OR FLIGHT received a wide release showing that Hartnett still has some juice left, and I made sure to head over to the theater to see if it was worth an hour and a half of my precious time.

FIGHT OR FLIGHT does feel very familiar but I felt like director James Madigan and writers Brooks McLaren and D.J. Cotrona took the familiar concept and had fun with it. In many ways it felt like they watched BULLET TRAIN and did what they could to make a movie that was similar but still fun and engaging, and I actually really enjoyed it. Now this is more like the little brother as it does not have anywhere near the budget or star-studded cast, but they take advantage of what they have at their disposal.

There is no doubt in my mind that this movie is on Amazon Prime for $4.99 day one without Josh Hartnett because he is undoubtedly the primary draw for the film. Hartnett plays Lucas Reyes, a former Secret Service agent turned bleached blond alcoholic who has fallen on hard times with a target on his back, before he is given an opportunity to take on a mission that will clear his name.

Unfortunately for Reyes this mission is quite literally a death trap at 10,000 feet as he ends up on a flight full of contract killers gunning for the person he is tasked with taking into custody. He quickly realizes his predicament has left him with little options so he uses his resourcefulness and knack for successfully beating people to death to his advantage. Plus the plane was very well stocked with nips so that kept him going.

The premise is very straightforward, which was fine because Hartnett was the primary driver of the film anyway, as he serves up constant comic relief and is awesome in the stunt department. The action is pretty much non-stop once it gets going, and it seems to ramp up as the story progresses. FIGHT OR FLIGHT also included a few twists and turns which I thought was a nice touch.

As I pointed out Josh Hartnett is the primary draw for this film and for good reason because he delivers on all fronts. Hartnett recently starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s mystery thriller TRAP (our full review here), which seemed to be a bit of a career resurgence for the longtime actor. I mean the fact that he crushed it as a sociopathic serial killer and seamlessly shifted to play a badass former Secret Service agent is proof that my guy can still do it all.

I really liked Charithra Chandran in a strong supporting role, and I thought that she had great chemistry with Hartnett. Honestly the entire supporting cast was great, even though many of them only had about 20-seconds on-screen before Reyes sent them to the afterlife.

Similar to BULLET TRAIN, as bloody and violent as FIGHT OR FLIGHT can be it always has a goofy feel and never takes itself too seriously. I did feel like the tone of the film was a bit unbalanced at times, and I would like to have seen a bit more of a focus on Reyes’ backstory as it never seemed fully fleshed out.

The film chose to prioritize the action sequences over the story which did work out in the end as it was never boring, and some of the fight sequences were an absolute blast to experience. Plus it is worth noting I loved the final act when Hartnett took on a group of bad guys armed with a chainsaw. That was without a doubt the icing on the cake for me.

THE VERDICT

An engaging action comedy packed with creative fight sequences and fun characters, FIGHT OR FLIGHT may feel familiar but its never boring and Josh Hartnett on a rampage with a chainsaw is worth the price of admission alone. I didn’t expect a ton with this movie and I felt like it delivered more than enough making it easy for me to recommend seeing it in theaters.

“Who hired you? You’re not even sober.”

“I’m getting way closer than I’d like to be.” - Lucas Reyes

TED TAKES RATING - 7.3/10

FIGHT OR FLIGHT is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Sinners

“You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”

SINNERS is a 2025 gothic supernatural horror film written, directed, and co-produced by Ryan Coogler, the talented writer/director behind Fruitvale Station, Black Panther, and Creed. The film is produced by Coogler and frequent collaborators Sev Ohanian and Zinzi Coogler. The executive producers are Ludwig Göransson, Will Greenfield and Rebecca Cho. Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson handled the music for the film.

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

The cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Jack O'Connell, Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku, Omar Benson Miller, Hailee Steinfeld, Lola Kirke, and Christian Robinson.

SINNERS made its debut in theaters April 18th, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

THE GOOD

Ryan Coogler has always been a master storyteller, but SINNERS feels like the full flowering of his talent — a sweeping, soulful, and searingly original vision that cements him among the greats of modern American cinema. After seeing the glowing praise pour in for a week, I caught SINNERS in IMAX with my girlfriend, and it’s safe to say it exceeded the hype. This is Coogler’s best film yet, a triumph of atmosphere, emotion, and innovation.

Set against the haunting backdrop of the Mississippi Delta in 1932, SINNERS instantly immerses you in a richly textured world where past and future collide. Michael B. Jordan, in his finest performance to date, plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack, war-scarred veterans turned dreamers, trying to carve out a life for themselves — and their community — in the shadow of racism, violence, and supernatural menace. The premise sounds heavy, and it is, but Coogler balances the darkness with a palpable love for the culture, history, and spirit of his characters.

The film’s opening act is astonishing: a slow-burn tapestry of music, memory, and myth-building. Working again with cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Coogler crafts images that feel at once timeless and urgent, the dusty fields and flickering lights of the juke joint rendered in shimmering 70mm grandeur. It’s easily one of the best-looking films of the year, a technical marvel that never loses sight of the humanity at its core.

And then there’s the music. SINNERS doesn’t just have a great soundtrack — it has one of the most vital, bone-deep integrations of music into narrative storytelling in years. Ludwig Göransson’s score, interwoven with stunning blues performances recorded live on set, feels like a living, breathing character in the film. Each song, each chord, carries the weight of generations, the joy and pain of a people trying to endure and transcend. It’s no exaggeration to say the music pierces through you — it’s exhilarating, heartbreaking, and essential to the film’s magic.

What’s most impressive, though, is how SINNERS straddles so many genres without ever feeling confused. It’s a historical epic, a horror fable, a supernatural thriller, and a musical — and somehow it’s all of those things at once, fully and confidently. There are echoes of FROM DUSK TILL DAWN and NEAR DARK in the way the horror unfurls, but Coogler’s approach is more soulful, more mournful. The supernatural elements never drown out the deeper emotional currents about family, trauma, faith, and the complicated quest for freedom.

The cast is uniformly excellent. Hailee Steinfeld brings a complex, tragic energy to Mary, while newcomer Miles Caton, as Sammie, gives a breakthrough performance full of youthful yearning and stubborn hope. Wunmi Mosaku is a standout as Annie, radiating both strength and sorrow. Jack O’Connell’s vampire villain Remmick is chilling yet charismatic — a monster born of the same broken system as his victims, which gives the film’s horror a devastating resonance.

Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance, though, is the film’s heartbeat. Smoke and Stack are brothers forged in the same fires but shaped into very different men, and Jordan makes you feel every ounce of their love, resentment, and pain. It’s a virtuoso performance that captures the contradictions at the heart of SINNERS itself: beauty and brutality, loyalty and betrayal, survival and sacrifice.

THE BAD

If there’s one minor critique, it’s that the film’s third act leans a little heavier into traditional horror action beats, slightly thinning the complex textures Coogler weaves so deftly early on. But even then, the film’s emotional gravity never wavers. Coogler doesn’t just want to scare you — he wants to haunt you. And SINNERS lingers long after the credits roll.

At 138 minutes, SINNERS is a dense, layered experience, but it’s never ponderous. Every moment feels earned, every payoff rooted in character and history. Coogler directs with a confidence and boldness that feels almost revelatory — a reminder of what ambitious, personal filmmaking can achieve when given the resources and freedom to flourish.

THE VERDICT

In a year already full of strong films (BLACK BAG & MICKEY 17), SINNERS stands apart. It’s not just one of 2025’s best movies — it’s one of the most resonant, daring works of mainstream American cinema in recent memory. It feels destined to become a classic, the kind of film that audiences and artists will be studying and talking about for decades.

Ryan Coogler has always been great. SINNERS proves he’s something rarer: a visionary. And we are lucky to be witnessing his prime.

TED TAKES RATING - 9.8/10

SINNERS is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Drop

DROP is a 2025 mystery thriller film directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky), and written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach. Producers on the film include Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Brad Fuller, and Cameron Fuller.

A widowed mother's first date in years takes a terrifying turn when she's bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone during their upscale dinner, leaving her questioning if her charming date is behind the harassment.

The cast includes Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Jacob Robinson, Reed Diamond, Gabrielle Ryan, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks, and Travis Nelson.

DROP made its debut in theaters April 11th, courtesy of Universal Pictures.

The “cat-and-mouse” thriller genre of films has a ton of wiggle room when it comes to screenplay, with the overall idea being to keep viewers hooked and guessing right until the very end. The trailer for DROP enticed me right away but I did have concerns in terms of how they would be able to maintain the appeal for the entire film, and whether or not things would get a bit too wacky by the end. Thankfully you can rest assured because my concerns were put to rest pretty much immediately as DROP proved to be one of the more enjoyable films I have seen in some time.

The film taps into two things that give people anxiety this day and age, our reliance on technology and online dating. Violet is a single mom with more baggage than most people thanks to a traumatic past, but she is finally willing to take a chance by going on a date with Henry, a man she had been talking to online for a few months. Violet’s nerves are put to rest early on as her charming date and restaurant with a breathtaking view point to a promising evening, that is of course until she receives a DROP on her phone that changes everything. What seems like a joke at first turns deadly serious forcing Violet to make decisions that will change her life forever.

I’m not going to lie I was hooked from the jump, and I just loved how the story began to unravel. I apologize for the overuse of the term cat-and-mouse thriller, but it is just the perfect description for DROP. The story is such a whirlwind and it gets more intense by the minute leaving viewers on the edge-of-their-seats. The cast is fantastic and I loved the chemistry between lead actors Meghann Fahy (Violet) and Brandon Sklenar (Henry). Both characters have a certain level of intrigue adding depth to the story, and I really liked the direction of the screenplay. I mentioned my concern as far as the film maintaining interest and providing a satisfying final act, but man did it deliver. DROP is a wild ride from start to finish and everyone involved deserves a ton of credit.

DROP is creative in terms of the screenplay but it also delivers big time from a technical standpoint. The story needs to make Violet seem isolated as her life hangs in the balance and under the control of a mysterious stranger communicating with her via her cell phone, and they did a great job utilizing technical elements like showing some of the messages she was seeing as an on-screen graphic for example. Plus the camera angles are wild as viewers feel like everything is spiraling out of control. I also thought the score/soundtrack was amazing as it blended perfectly with the overall feel of the film. I mean sure the premise is over-the-top in many ways if you want to overthink it, but if you are willing to sit back and just appreciate DROP it will be more than worth your time I guarantee it.

THE VERDICT

A crafty and fast-paced cat-and-mouse thriller that gets the hooks in you early and never lets go, DROP embraces a wild premise delivering an incredibly entertaining experience for viewers. I really enjoyed this movie and can easily recommend it to anyone who is looking for something fresh and exciting. Do yourself a favor and see DROP in theaters.

TED TAKES RATING - 8.3/10

DROP is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.

Warfare

WARFARE is a 2025 war drama film written and directed by Iraq War Veteran Ray Mendoza and Civil War’s Alex Garland. Garland is a very talented director who recently blew audiences away with the war drama CIVIL WAR (our full review here), and this collaboration with Mendoza looks to have audiences in for quite a treat.

A platoon of Navy SEALs embark on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.

The cast includes D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Taylor John Smith, Michael Gandolfini, Adain Bradley, Noah Centineo, Evan Holtzman, Henrique Zaga, Joseph Quinn, and Charles Melton.

WARFARE made its debut in theaters April 11th, courtesy of A24.

I absolutely love a good war drama, whether we are talking PLATOON, BLACK HAWK DOWN, or one of my more recent favorites THE HURT LOCKER, they just suck me right in and the experience sticks with me. The films I mentioned are very intense, and although a big focus is on the gunfire and explosions in the battlefield, they do a fantastic job touching on the emotional toll it has on the men and women fighting to protect our freedom. When the first trailer dropped for WARFARE I simply could not wait for this movie to come out. I will watch anything A24 touches, but this movie just had a unique feel of a special cinematic experience. I had to see this on the biggest screen possible so I made my way to the IMAX for the early release screening, and boy was it worth it.

WARFARE opens with the speakers blaring as this platoon of Navy SEALs bond as they watch the music video for the 2004 hit song Call on Me, by Eric Prydz. It was such a cool way for the film to open as viewers had an opportunity to see these men as human beings; sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, before they embark on a mission that will change their lives forever. Soon after we find ourselves in the streets of Iraq on an eerily quiet night with nothing but sporadic gunshots erupting in the distance.

It is hard to explain how it feels to be watching a movie like this on a giant IMAX screen in complete silence, knowing that it is only a matter of time before the audio in the theater erupts. WARFARE does an incredible job setting the stage for this mission as everything happens in real-time, and by the time the film ends you will feel like you were right there with them.

I was blown away, simple as that. This is the story of a carefully planned mission that took a tragic turn, quickly shifting to a battle of survival. It really didn’t matter if it was a veteran of two tours or a guy experiencing his first action, you saw the fear on the faces of these men as they sacrificed their own well being in an effort to save their brothers. During an explosion, I damn near jumped out of my seat because it was so unexpected and I was just beyond immersed in what was happening on-screen.

WARFARE is incredibly intense and the gunfire will be ringing in your ears long after you leave the theater. I thought the entire cast was nothing short of amazing, with a big shoutout to Will Poulter and Cosmo Jarvis for their performances. Director Alex Garland is a beast behind the camera, and his collaboration with Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza is a match made in heaven, simple as that. The film ends with a tribute to the men who fought in this battle and it was pure perfection. I can’t wait to see it again.

THE VERDICT

A fast-paced and absolutely bone-chilling war drama from the perspective of the brave men who lived it, WARFARE puts viewers in the streets of Ramadi, Iraq, creating a uniquely immersive experience you won’t soon forget. You need to see this movie on the biggest screen possible in order to fully appreciate the masterpiece that Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza have created. WARFARE is on another level as a war drama film, and this is absolutely a movie I will be adding to my 4K Blu-ray collection. What are you waiting for, go see it!

TED TAKES RATING - 9.8/10

WARFARE is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.