Between the successes of Marvel and DC’s cinematic universes, it’s a little surprising it’s taken so long for other comic publishers to jump into the ring. Enter Valiant Comics’ Bloodshot, an adaptation of the bestselling comic that’s intended to kickstart a series of films. Vin Diesel stars as the eponymous antihero, a super soldier with a tragic past. While Diesel has the star power to lead a major franchise, uninspired action and trappings of the typical superhero origin story threaten to douse the flames of shared universe aspirations.
Ray Garrison (Diesel) loves his career as a special ops soldier. He loves his attractive wife even more, which is why he’s vowed unstoppable revenge on the man responsible for her murder right before his eyes. The killer murders Ray before revenge occurs. Or so he thinks; Ray’s body is donated to RST Corporation, who then successfully resurrects Ray via nanotechnology. The nanites have replaced his blood, making him more durable than before and able to heal instantly. The only catch is that he’s lost his memory, something of which RST Corporation takes advantage. Ray’s quest for revenge becomes murky when he’s unable to determine what’s real and what’s not.
Bloodshot marks the feature debut of director Dave Wilson. His extensive background in visual effects work on video games seems perfectly suited to this property. It plays like a video game, after all. It’s clear a lot of effort went into visualizing the aesthetic and heavy use of glowing reds offset by flat grays, but the lack of directorial experience shows during action sequences. Considering this is an action movie, well, it’s a significant flaw. Wilson chooses two distinct modes of tackling the action sequences; either through super slow-motion to make a character look cool or haphazard shaky cam that obscures the fight choreography.
That this plays out like a video game means that the story unfurls precisely how you think it will. The story is by Jeff Wadlow (Truth or Dare, Fantasy Island), who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Heisserer (Final Destination 5, Lights Out, Arrival). Even for those unfamiliar with the source comic, the market has been saturated with comic book character origin stories for so long that it’s easy to remain ten steps ahead of Ray the entire narrative. They do spare us from seeing Ray replay the exact same revenge scenario on repeat, luckily.
Though the story might be typical and the visuals fall flat, for the most part, it does have bright spots in the cast. If you’re a fan of Diesel, then you’re already ahead of the game here. Guy Pearce brings affability to his turn as RST Corp leader Dr. Emil Harting, making him more rounded out than your average villain. Lamorne Morris is a scene-stealer as tech wizard turned comedic relief Wilfred Wigans, a much needed ally. The price of admission might be worth it alone for Toby Kebbell’s inspired dance to Talking Heads “Psycho Killer,” though his appearance is minimal beyond that. As for Eiza Gonzalez and Sam Heughan, they’re sadly wasted as stereotypical love interest allies or cartoonish villains, respectively.
Overall, Bloodshot exists somewhere within the realm of B-movie action and video game fare. Much of the cast is likable enough, and the humor successfully goes far in engendering the audience to the film. The superhero origin story has become stale by this point, though, and Wilson and the screenwriters present nothing new. Ray’s transition from soldier to superpowered killer holds no surprises, and the nanites mean the severe damage his body takes in the many battles is rendered bloodless. There’s enough entertainment offered to those looking for mild popcorn fun, but beyond that, it adheres far too closely to the average origin blueprint. This cinematic universe is off to an uneven start.
