BLOODSHOT (2020)
a review by Evan Landon
The latest movie I saw in theater since this whole quarantine epidemic was the newest Vin Diesel led franchise based off of a comic book, Bloodshot. While it’s not the usual b-movie, slapstick, body horror spectacle you guys are used to me reviewing, I do enjoy a good comic book movie every once in a while. Whilst criminally panned by critics (which usually sends me straight to watch it), this new wannabe franchise is pretty enthralling.
Doing my usual amount of above average sleuthing, I came across the Valiant Comics that the movie originally came from. If you know anything about me, I love me some comic books! I read the first volume in about an hour and still want more. Aside from the character’s real name being different than the one in the movie, it stays pretty consistent with the character Vin Diesel portrays. I don’t think it makes much of a difference if the character’s name is Angelo Mortalli or Ray Garrison, but the former definitely sounds more badass and like any Vin Diesel character ever. I wonder what made him change it because that definitely sounds like a classic Vinnie move for creative control, but I am merely speculating at this point.
The story follows a soldier who is killed after he and his wife are hunted down by an amazing Toby Kebbell who once again steals the show, even though I thought his character should have been extended more. He is brought back as the first dead soldier brought back to life by the company RST (Rising Spirit Tech) through nanotechnology. With this technology, CEO Dr. Emil Harting (Emmanuel Kuretich in the comics. Much better, again, right?) has a slew of other soldiers with synthetic eyes, legs, and lungs. These players have almost little or nothing to do with the real story, except for Dr. Harting (played by an always fantastic Guy Pearce) who turns out to be imprinting memories of Bloodshot’s death to utilize him as an assassin. He actually sees a different killer that shot him and his wife every different time.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but the nanotechnology that keeps him regenerating effect are pretty awesome and way different spectacle than what we have seen with Deadpool or Wolverine in the Marvel films which makes this comic book film stand apart. Even though Vin Diesel always plays Vin Diesel in every Vin Diesel movie, I feel like he did an alright job. Being surrounded by some pretty decent actors didn’t hurt neither.
2 out of 5