'Bloodshot' Review—Relentlessly Stupid But Undeniably Fun

No matter what you think of this movie, there's one thing that we can all agree on: Bloodshot is a ridiculously badass superhero name.

First-time director David S. F. Wilson helms Bloodshot, a superhero movie starring Vin Diesel as Ray Garrison, a marine brought back to life as a superhero who can heal instantly. He soon decides to use his new powers to avenge the murder of his wife.

I can judge this movie as a pretentious film critic, or I can judge this movie as a die-hard superhero fan. If I were to judge it as an art snob who only appreciates "cinema," I would be crucifying this film. But I'm not going to judge it like that.

Bloodshot is a relentlessly stupid B-grade action movie with a lot of bad qualities to it. Still, it's an undeniably fun movie to watch that manages to pull you in based on its self-awareness and how it doesn't take itself too seriously in its ridiculous narrative.

First, I want to advise you not to watch the trailer for this movie before seeing it, because the trailer gives away every single twist and surprise that would shock viewers going in cold. The film's story does have a few unexpected reveals and surprises along the way, and it leads to some fascinating sequences.

The screenplay is a mixed bag; it contains a lot that we've already seen from the superhero genre, and it's nothing groundbreaking for an origin story. It loses a bit of steam in the second act, but it's a fast-paced story with a lot of ideas that work very well.

As for the action sequences, this movie has a lot of them, and while it's always entertaining to watch Vin Diesel kick ass, many of them are not memorable. Their geography is very confusing, and the direction is very subpar as well.

Some fight scenes have so many jump cuts to the point where it's hard to see the choreography. Eiza González has a scene where she's fighting a bunch of guys at once, and it's hard to see how much she's doing herself and how much is a stunt double because the camera changes angles too much.

One of the weakest aspects of this movie is the characters. None of them are very well-explored, and it can be hard for the audience to have a connection with Ray because of his lack of emotion and development. He's so powerful that he no longer feels like he has depth.

González's character, KT, has a lot to do in the story, but she is given very little motivation for her actions. The audience never gets to learn about her relationship with Ray and why she does what she does. Guy Pearce's character also has very undeveloped goals, and he lacks anything fascinating as a result.

The villains in this movie have no development, and their only purpose is to serve as a physical opponent for Bloodshot to have a few fight scenes. The dullness of the characters can partially be traced back to the performances, which are serviceable, but quite uninteresting as well.

Diesel gives a very subpar performance in this film. He ranges from being very quiet and stoic to yelling very loudly, and he fails to show any emotion besides "normal" and "angry." Lamorne Morris's performance as Wigans is the saving grace of the movie, as he displays the most personality.

While the visual effects do look cool, it can be jarring to see a fully digital Vin Diesel fighting giant bad guys. And while I've spent a majority of this review criticizing this film, it's very much a guilty pleasure movie, with scenes that feel straight out of an early-2000s superhero action film.

Furthermore, the climax of this movie is so over-the-top, large-scale, and CGI-heavy that it lacks any real tension, especially given that neither the hero nor villain had any weakness. But at the same time, am I going to complain too much about watching Vin Diesel punch a man with metal arms while falling out of a building? Not really.

Also, the dialogue in this movie can be a bit iffy, and the screenplay is so disjointed that it can likely be traced back to the screenwriters: Eric Heisserer and Jeff Wadlow. One of them wrote the Academy Award-winning film, Arrival, and the other wrote some of the worst horror films in recent memory (Fantasy Island, Truth or Dare, etc.).

Despite every problem I've mentioned, this is an enjoyable movie. Don't expect too much from this; know that it's a turn-your-brain-off comic book movie that may not be one of the better films the genre has to offer, but it is something that you can enjoy in secret.

Final Grade: Bloodshot — 7/10 (B-)

I typically end my reviews with a recommendation on what to watch at the theater this week, but given the current coronavirus climate, I'm making a different recommendation.

Stay home when you can. If you have to go out, masks are not the most effective solution. Wash your hands and avoid crowded spaces like the movie theater. If you want to watch Bloodshot, you can wait for it to come out on rental.

Now that many movies have been getting postponed recently, this will be my last review for a while, and I won't be seeing a movie in the theater for a month. Until then, I'll be writing a variety of articles and stay safe, everyone.