Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel, is a live-action movie adaptation of the comic book of the same name from Valiant Comics. It’s about a former soldier who has been injected with nanites into his bloodstream. These nanites will rapidly repair any wound or injury he receives, no matter how severe. Aside from regenerative healing factor, they also grant him superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, reflexes, and endurance as well as the capability to interface with technology and the Internet.
This movie actually has a plot twist that could have been wonderfully Twilight Zone-ish, if it hadn’t been revealed by the trailer (I won’t mention what that twist is on the off chance you have zero knowledge of the source material, haven’t seen the trailer, and want to watch the movie). I only know Bloodshot – and every Valiant Comics character for that matter – by reputation. So, if that detail was kept under wraps, and it was only revealed to me while watching the movie, it probably would have blown me away. And I might have liked this movie better. Since the viewers already know what’s really going on, whatever potential enjoyability can be had from the beginning of the movie to the point in the movie where that critical information gets revealed is already compromised from the get go.
The filmmakers really dropped the ball by giving away the movie’s big plot twist in the trailer. But this entire movie is a giant botch-job, really.
This fact is also made quite obvious by the casting for the titular role. Now, Vin Diesel is a likable guy. However, he’s not exactly a versatile actor. He can only play one particular type of character. All of the characters he’s played on film (in live action; Groot doesn’t count) are basically just alternate versions of his two best characters – Dominic Toretto and Riddick. Right off the bat, I just knew Diesel was miscast for Bloodshot. In the first place, his look doesn’t match the character design of the source material. And as it’s been made clear in the movie, the role required someone who has more nuance and charisma.
This movie is an awful adaptation. I may not have read any Bloodshot comic book, but I know my comic books (after all, I’ve loved the medium before I could even read), and I know what a comic book movie should be like. And it’s clear that the filmmakers don’t. They took an interesting comic book superhero premise, and threw all available sci-fi action clichés at it. Thus, the end product is indistinguishable from every other generic sci-fi action movie ever.
Moreover, it has a stupid and bland plot, by-the-numbers characters, unfunny jokes, and unimaginative, CGI-heavy set pieces – further manifestations of the lack of creative effort put into adapting Bloodshot for the big screen. If there’s one redeeming factor in this movie, it’s that KT (played by Eiza Gonzales) is smokin’ hot.
To sum it up, I didn’t like Bloodshot. If it can be enjoyed, it can only be through a “so bad, it’s good” perspective. It’s just a disappointing adaptation and a very unremarkable movie overall. This should kill any plans for a Valiant cinematic universe. Which is a shame, since I would have welcomed a non-Marvel, non-DC shared universe of comic book movies with open arms.
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