While Marvel and DC may be the big two comic book houses, there are plenty of other publishers whose characters can be mined for superhero movies and that's what Sony Pictures has done with Bloodshot. Adapting the character from Valiant Comics, the movie tells the story of a U.S. Marine who gains superhuman abilities from experimental nanotechnology. In Bloodshot, Vin Diesel stars as the Marine Ray Garrison, a fairly typical action movie soldier guy, who finds himself wrapped up in a conspiracy much larger than himself. But with Hollywood deep into the current superhero movie trend and audiences arguably becoming tired of origin stories, first-time feature film director David S.F. Wilson was tasked with somehow delivering a fresh way to kick off this potential franchise. Bloodshot puts a surprisingly clever spin on the superhero origin story that's fun and funny, but Diesel's performance ultimately leaves it lacking.
The story of Bloodshot capitalizes on the audience's knowledge of superhero movie conventions and tropes in order to deliver a second act twist that most won't see coming. The basic plot of Bloodshot is recognizable to most: Ray Garrison (Diesel) is a dedicated and talented Marine, but his life takes a turn for the worse when he and his wife are kidnapped and eventually murdered. Ray is resurrected by Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce), who's replaced the Marine's blood with nanites that give him superhuman strength among other abilities. Ray joins Harting's group of super-soldiers - which includes KT (Eiza González), Jimmy Dalton (Sam Heughan) and Tibbs (Alex Hernandez) - but when he starts to remember his wife and her death, he sets out on a mission of revenge. However, when the second act twist is revealed, it completely upends everything Ray and the audience know about his origin story.
Written by Jeff Wadlow (Fantasy Island, Kick-Ass 2) and Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Bird Box), Bloodshot's script is elevated beyond the typical superhero origin movie by the story's twist, paving the way for a slightly different comic book movie. To be sure, Bloodshot is every bit the action-heavy spectacle fans would expect from a Diesel-starring superhero blockbuster, and the script sufficiently helps bridge the gaps in between action set pieces. In his feature film directorial debut, Wilson, who previously worked in visual effects, brings plenty of dynamic action to Bloodshot, particularly in one sequence early on in the movie. But the heavy, serious action is also balanced by comedy, some of which is delivered by Diesel, but is largely provided by Lamorne Morris' Wilfred Wigans. Between the action, humor and story, Bloodshot takes viewers on a totally entertaining thrill ride, even if it's not the most consistent movie.
Much of the unevenness in Bloodshot arises from Diesel's performance, which walks the line between intentional action hero stoicism and unintentionally wooden. The story and twist in Bloodshot necessitate a deft acting hand, and while Diesel's characteristic machismo is effective in establishing Ray Garrison as a brawny action hero, the actor's performance doesn't bring any depth to the role. In the moments when the script does try to dig deeper into Ray's character, Diesel comes off as clunky, failing to connect to the more emotional moments. So while Bloodshot attempts to undermine superhero conventions, the movie is ultimately held back by Diesel's performance and works better when it slides back into the action spectacle, which is what Diesel does best. It's a shame because Diesel is surrounded by a talented supporting cast, with Morris being a complete scene-stealer as the hilarious Wilfred. González and Pearce are similarly compelling, bringing the emotional depth Diesel's Ray lacks, and even Heughan's Jimmy Dalton is an entertaining douchebag.
Bloodshot is an entertaining superhero blockbuster, even if it's a little uneven and clunky at times. It offers up some new ideas that bring enough freshness to this superhero movie to make it stand out from the many, many - many - origin story films that have been released at this point. But in the scope of the larger comic book adaptation category, Bloodshot is still a rather middling superhero movie. It's a solidly exciting adventure, delivering some visually interesting action spectacle, a surprising twist and some fun comedy. There is some exceptionally awkward and poorly done CGI in the third act, but even that is par for the course of modern superhero movies. In the end, though, Bloodshot is lacking some movie magic (and, perhaps, the right lead actor) that could've pulled it all together to be more than the sum of its parts.
As such, Bloodshot is worth seeing in theaters for those already intrigued by the premise and dedicated fans of the superhero movie genre. It offers enough newness to stand apart from other superhero films and may even become some viewers' favorite comic book movie - or, at least, their new favorite origin story film. But for those on the fence about catching Bloodshot in theaters, it's not necessary viewing (though it's still worthy of checking out after its home release). It's not an exceptional superhero movie, but it's not terrible either; it falls somewhere in the middle. Whether that's good enough to launch the Valiant Comics shared universe Sony and Diesel were clearly hoping to kickstart with Bloodshot, however, remains to be seen.
Bloodshot is now playing in U.S. theaters. It is 109 minutes long and rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, some suggestive material and language.
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