In case you were missing those old school mindless action movies, here’s good news: Bloodshot is exactly that! Based on a Valiant Comics character of the same name, this should be the first installment in a franchise because why the fuck not. To call this movie commercial would be an understatement, especially when you consider the PG-13 rating. I had extremely low expectations for it and was luckily surprised by the result. The action is fluid and entertaining and the story has a few surprises in store, making Bloodshot a bit above average when it comes to this genre. It reminded me of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, with the whole nanotechnology and military aspect.
In development since 2012, Bloodshot was supposed to star Jared Leto but he eventually got replaced by Vin Fucking Diesel. After intentionally or unintentionally woeful xXx: Return of Xander Cage (that scene where he’s skateboarding around still haunts me to this day), it’s nice to see him in something other than Fast and Furious franchise. However, since this is a franchise deal, I gotta wonder why they didn’t opt for someone younger or less famous. I mean, I know the answer, this is another one of those formulaic movies where the ultimate goal is to make money and a big and proven name like Diesel is a pretty solid guarantee that that goal will be met. As a side note, I think that Iko Uwais (The Raid) would be a perfect choice. The rest of the cast was great, especially Guy Pearce and lovely Eiza González.
Meet Ray Garrison, an experienced veteran of many wars and soldier who always gets his man. After finishing his latest mission he decides to chillax for a bit with his girl, only to end up being kidnapped by an evil villain called Martin Axe. He ends up killing both of them and running away. However, Ray soon regains conciseness and realizes that he’s in some sort of a high-tech facility, alive for some reason. The only thing on his mind is revenge…
Filled with cliches and references to other movies, Bloodshot is not very original. It follows a familiar formula with a couple of twists that make you go ahh this was nice. One thing they had problems with are the jokes that usually just fall flat on the floor. They should have just skipped this part and went for full action without any humorous remarks, especially from the “IT guys”. Speaking of IT guys, I loved the realistic approach to 3D modeling in one of the scenes. Usually you can clearly see that the program is fake, but here it looked real.
Special effects were good along with fight sequences that somehow always end up as hand to hand fights. Although most of the guys are sporting automatic weapons. Classic. Also, we will be treated to the usual budget locations of Budapest, Prague and surprisingly South Africa that stood in for presumably expensive Italy. In the end, I think most of you know what you’re getting yourself into when you play this movie, especially with that big Diesel sticker upfront. Perfect for drunk/stoned viewing, Bloodshot is hopefully the last we’ll see of this franchise. Until, of course, someone decides to reboot it in ten years… Enjoy.
Director: Dave Wilson
Writers: Jeff Wadlow, Eric Heisserer, Kevin VanHook, Bob Layton, Don Perlin
Cast: Vin Diesel, Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Guy Pearce, Toby Kebbell, Lamorne Morris, Siddharth Dhananjay
Fun Facts: The device Baris uses on Bloodshot looks remarkably similar to a smartphone that never saw the light of day. Essential Gem was coming to the market in 2020 or 2021. However, Essential ceased operation in the first quarter of 2020.
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1634106/
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