Bloodshot Movie Review: Vin Diesel's film fails to leave an impressionable mark thanks to poorly penned script
Bloodshot Movie Review: It's the screenplay of the Vin Diesel starrer that plays the party pooper in what could have been an outstanding beginning for the Valiant Comics Universe. It goes to show that the greatest superhero Vin will ever play is still Groot!
Bloodshot
Bloodshot Cast: Vin Diesel, Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, Guy Pearce
Bloodshot Director: David S. F. Wilson
Bloodshot Stars: 2.5/5
Superhero movies are to Hollywood, what biopics are to Bollywood! Between the race of Marvel Cinematic Universe vs. DC Extended Universe, another steady contender comes with Valiant Comics-inspired Bloodshot. Vin Diesel has all the chemicals needed to create the perfectly built superhero - with his strenuous brawn and robotic-like personality (or at least when it comes to his acting!) While Bloodshot's origin story is intriguing when heard for the first time, it's the poorly penned screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer that dampens the mood considerably!
For the unversed, Bloodshot sees Marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) being brought back to life by the manipulative genius Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce), using nanotechnology, which makes him superhuman with millions of nanites literally becoming his blood. What was once an honourable army guy has been transformed into a killing machine with only one thing on his mind - revenge against the man who killed his wife. Along with Ray, we have KT (Eiza González), who brings in the much need feminine aspect to what would have been an all-boys club and packs a mean punch while Jimmy Dalton (Sam Heughan) is all muscle with zero talk. The same goes for Martin Axe (Toby Kebbell).
With Bloodshot, Vin tries his damnest to give us a character with varying degrees of emotions but the focus is still very much on Diesel's machoism one-man army personality. His ability to grasp action scenes with finesse is parallel to his stoic dialogue delivery, which leaves you rolling your eyes rather than feel empathetic to a terribly wronged character. You end up feeling remorseful for Guy and Eiza, who excel in their roles, no matter how cliched their story arcs are. The real shining star or I could say saving grace comes in New Girl fame Lamorne Morris as tech genius Wilfred Wigans, who provides the funny moments aplenty. His over the top British accent never feels unwarranted and it's he who manages to make Vin's presence more comfortable during their brief witty sequences.
However, it's not Vin that can be entirely blamed for Bloodshot! It's the atrocious 'no rhyme or reason' screenplay that makes the film crumble from the get-go. No matter how much effort was put into the action sequences, eventually, by the time you reach the predictable climax, all you want to do is leave the theatre. Speaking of the action sequences, while there are certain hazy action pieces that will leave you dazed and confused, there are certain scenes that will leave you bewildered with excitement. That is if you are the one for the elaborately choreographed action sequences! Because Bloodshot has plenty! Director David S. F. Wilson and cinematographer Jacques Jouffret play wildly with Vin's greatest strength; his physique as he tramps down men in his wake using his superhuman ability. When it comes to the VFX, the computer-generated graphics used to explain the scientific jargon were a welcome sight but certain sequences lacked the realistic angle to it, instead, is a shoddy mess.
After watching countless superhero movies you can't help but see inspirations in Bloodshot. Whether it be the Wolverine storyline or the elevator action sequence, reminiscent of Captain America fighting off Hydra agents. There's also Vin himself, who manages to give us the same character in whichever setting he is a part of. You get the Fast & Furious as well as the xXx vibe in Bloodshot, which is bound to confuse one as to what Vin Diesel movie you are currently watching! Moreover, there's absolutely nothing new to offer to the superhero genre with Bloodshot and that's a bummer. Bloodshot had so much potential. alas, the vague sense of direction in terms of storyline becomes the party pooper. No matter how nuanced and creative the action sequences (the red smoke effect was a nice touch!) were, a superhero movie only excels because of its crisp storyline and larger than life yet relatable character. A lot of work regarding the story would be required before the makers even think of expanding the Valiant Comics Universe!
In finality, after watching Bloodshot, I can attest to the fact that Vin Diesel's best interpretation as a superhero still stands to be Groot!