Bloodshot Movie Review

BY COREY FLOYD

The world loves Vin Diesel. That’s a fact. Somehow he took the phrase “I am Groot” and became one of the most loved characters in the Marvel Universe. XXX was supposed to be a one-shot pony but The Diesel made it a franchise. We don’t need to even talk about the Fast & Furious franchise.  Now he brings us Bloodshot another comic book movie. Bloodshot's power is nanotechnology in his blood that allows him to recover from anything, gunshots,  stabbings, & explosions. The Ray Garrison takes a licking and keeps on ticking! Pretty much Dominic Torretto with actual plot armor. But fun all the same.

The film takes place about five years from now. Vin plays Ray Garrison a badass soldier working in the middle east (eye roll). During his trip home with his girl, things go sour and they are kidnapped by terrorists. Despite doing what they asked of him they were both killed. His death felt like a watered-down version of the death of Alex Murphy in Robocop. Minutes later Ray wakes up in a facility in a chamber being greeted by Dr.  Emil Harting played by the Guy Pearce  

(Iron. Man 3). He reveals that he did indeed die and his tech company bought him back to life and he is new and improved. He reveals that he has a team of technologically enhanced soldiers from a woman with robotic lungs for longer capacity and one satellite camera eyesight. The doctor explains his new enhanced strength and regenerative abilities that even heal a shotgun to the face. Naturally, he wants to get revenge or what he thinks is revenge.

It’s a great story turn that works out great on film. Everyone does an awesome job. As far as an adaptation from the comic book. It’s quite far away from what it should be. Vin Diesel looks like himself and NOTHING  like the character. I assume this is just another way for Vin to work without having to do much to himself. The action pieces look really good and the visuals are top-notch. Guy Pearce is a calm yet menacing villain (of course he’s the bad guy). Most of the supporting cast is nice but not memorable except for Wilfred the tech genius with sharp wit played by

Lamorne Morris (Winston from the New Girl.) 

If there is a sequel I hope he is in it. I say hope cause believe it or not the movie didn’t leave an opening for a sequel. Which could be good or bad I leave it to you.

You may have noticed I have not mentioned I didn’t touch on the writer and director yet. The director is David Wilson never heard of him right? Well if you’re a gamer you know his work pretty well. He was behind the visuals for several big-name games such as Star Wars Knights of the old Republic, The Division and he directed one of the Shorts in Love, Death & Robots ( looking forward to season 2) so he has a knack for Sci-fi. He does a great job with the screenplay he was given. Which makes me look at the writing Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer. Their history is a combo of good and bad films. Wadlow wrote the latest Fantasy Island Reboot (which I will cover soon) which was good but he also wrote Truth or Dare (shudders in disgust). Heisserer has hits and misses as well. He was a writer behind the Arrival and he also wrote BIRDBOX (meh). So I guess if you put them together you get a decent container story. Hopefully, if there is a call for a sequel, new writers. There wasn’t anything memorable about this film but I cannot say it was bad. It came a week before the lockdown so it has been available on digital for about 9-7!bucks for the rental which I think is fair. Hopefully, the studio takes the troubled release into consideration cause there is a lot more to this world that can be explored. I hope one day a sequel is announced.

Final grade C+