Bloodshot (2020) [review]
Bloodshot (2020) [review]
I made it through the entire movie, but I wouldn't recommend you do.
Quick Review
Good… for a comic book movie. Bad for everything else.
It’s Vin Diesel with superpowers. Name that movie? Apparently steroids not only give clownishly disproportionate muscle mass, but also the ability to defy reality. Nothing against Diesel. He’s a good actor and person. Just noting that it’s not solely comic book adaptations which are tiring with their extreme lack of realism. For the most part, modern action movies are equally as guilty.
It’s a comic book movie. Feel free to stop reading.
Bloodshot is the main character. Grossly overpowered with a weakness that’s inconsistent and never exploited. The supporting actors are all quite talented, unfortunately their characters are shit and the action scenes are garbage. Even Guy Pearce can’t make this mess enjoyable. But don’t switch off just yet! There’s a smug, grating, clownish, homosexual black super computer hacker to look forward to!
This movie wreaks of China. It’s easy to tell when they’re involved with a production. Everything feels tacky and stupid. The action scenes may go down well in China, but they’re moronic to those of us who have protein in our diets and the muscle mass to actually fight.
The CG is alright but that doesn’t make an action movie. Action does. Walking in to every fight, literally face tanking bullets and explosions, makes for crappy viewing. There are dumb action movies and there movies full of dumb action.
A big ‘twist’ is revealed at the beginning. Not so much a twist as the plot. Don’t mentally switch off or you’ll feel stupid when you don’t see the others coming. They woke me up.
If this movie were more of an action/thriller than man-baby comic book nonsense, I believe it could have been a tolerable movie. The story is there and wouldn’t take much tweaking; remove the super powers, fixed.
‘Bloodshot’ won’t insult your sensibilities, but it’s embarrassing to admit that you watched it. More so to confess you possibly enjoyed a scene or two. The characters are terrible and the action scenes are mostly awful. The story is good and the acting is decent but that’s not enough for me bring me back again.
If this movies does spawn a franchise, I’d be surprised. Also intrigued as to where they would take the story.
Overview
Genre(s): Comic book, Valiant, Superhero, Action, Adventure
Location(s): All over Europe
Writer(s): Jeff Wadlow, Eric Heisserer, Kevin VanHook
Director(s): Dave Wilson
Main actor(s):
'Vin Diesel' as 'Bloodshot'
‘Guy Pearce’ as ‘Dr. Emil Harting’
‘Eiza González’ as the boobs
‘Sam Heughan’ as the cripple
There’s also a blind guy but I couldn’t remember the character name and or recognise his face to look up his name
Official Synopsis:
“Based on the bestselling comic book, Vin Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation. With an army of nanotechnology in his veins, he's an unstoppable force - stronger than ever and able to heal instantly. But in controlling his body, the company has sway over his mine and memories, too. Now, Ray doesn't know what's real and what's not - but he's on a mission to find out.”
Box Art:
In More Detail (no major spoilers)
No major spoilers here, but film structure and plot is analysed in detail. If in doubt, just watch the film.
I Don’t Want to Hate it, But There’s So Little to Like
Without a story there is no movie. The weakness of superhero films lies with abilities and powers of the characters involved. It doesn’t matter how good the story is if heroes are overpowered or their abilities are implausible. If the heroes are unrelatable, viewers can’t engage with the story.
Comic book movies are for kids and can’t have ‘Fight Club’ (1999) levels of complexity. Too simple and they will be panned by critics. That would be the incel man babies who demand comics be called ‘graphic novels’. They are for children. Grow up.
For the first 45 minutes, ‘Bloodshot’ appears to be following a very generic formula. Looking at the timestamps, I thought it was more like 15 minutes. Time flew by. The problem is I didn’t care about anything that was transpiring; something bad happened to the hero, superpowers bestowed, there’s revenge to be had, blah blah blah.
At the 45 minute mark, the story really kicks in. More characters are introduced, more locations, more CG, more plot. I understand why they did this, but I’m the kind of dent head who’s happy to turn off a boring movie and never care about the ending. Diesel is the sole reason I kept watching until this point; he doesn’t appear in any old old made for TV crap. Yet.
The pacing wasn’t bad. I think my issue is with the reveals. In order to set up the twists, certain events needed to unfold naturally. They made the film feel slow. Once you understand why they happened, the pacing makes sense. There’s a payoff to powering through the mundane elements.
Speaking of locations, I’m not sure where the movie is set at any given point. It jumps around various European locations, none of which seemed familiar. So maybe it doesn’t? Was I so switched off that I made up my own narrative? The attempt to diversify locations was very much appreciated though. I don’t want to see another film set in Genericville, USA.
Diesel, being the lead character, obviously isn’t going to die. Or is he! Doubtful as this is intended as the entry point to a franchise. Not knowing anything about Valiant comics, let alone ‘Bloodshot’, I have no idea who else has plot armour. This creates an air of mystery unachievable with more mainstream comic series. Ones where the heroes are all household names and we know they’ll never truly die.
The acting is decent all round. No one looks at the camera. Can’t ask for more than that in movie from 2020. I actually likes all the actors apart from the black hacker; can’t act, dressed like a clown, acting like a child on meth. Hated him. Still do.
‘Bloodshot’ has a nicely balanced story. It’s obvious what’s going to happen and who’s going to do it, but the reveal may throw you a little off balance. There’s just enough uniqueness in the story to make you question what will happen next. There’s a surprising amount of depth for a comic book narrative.
However, anything unique to ‘Bloodshot’ is lost in a void of bland action and mild monotony. The action is so obviously computer generated that it detracts from the seemingly realistic aspirations of the movie.
My complaints aren’t anything beyond the norm for modern cinema; Why are endless waves of military professionals walking in to an obvious slaughter? Why are people doing triple somersaults and backflips when they can simply down someone with a single punch to the face? The problem is with directors and choreographers who have no concept of reality or movie making.
At least if you watch it at somewhere past 3am on a Sunday morning.
Bloodshot’s Powers and Weakness
The film explains Bloodshot’s powers as nanites in his blood which repair tissue damage. Well the exact phrasing is:
“They are your blood”
Not as stupid as it sounds. The nanites could ferry oxygen around and fight off infections. Whenever the body is damaged, these micro machines could repair injuries far quicker than the natural alternative.
The downside being these nanites require recharging and that’s only possible at Guy Pearce’s lab. Power usage increases with the amount of damage being repaired. No power, no nanites, no life. Unless the plot calls for it. Hint, hint.
If these nanites make up his blood, why is Bloodshot repeatedly punching a concrete pillar and cracking it? He isn’t made of metal. His blood contains tiny metal machines which repair damage. He could punch a concrete pillar, break every bone in his hand and heal it within seconds. Why does he have super strength and invulnerability?
That’s enough powers, right? Wrong. The nanites can also connect wirelessly to computer networks. Just because.
Strengths:
Instantly heal catastrophic damage to the body
Super strength and speed
Can interface with and control machines wirelessly
One would think that an explosion powerful enough to vaporise part of someones body would also damage, if not vaporise, the nanites too. The filmmakers didn’t.
All these powers comes at a price… power. When the nanites run out of juice, Bloodshot dies. Being fully aware of this, what action does he take when shot at with automatic rifles? He makes no attempt to find cover, ever, absorbing each bullet.
What does he do when grenades are thrown at him? He remains motionless and blows himself to pieces.
What does he do when faced with large vehicles barreling towards him? Face tanks them. Obviously.
What’s the point in this vulnerability if it’s never used as a plot device. Sorry, it’s used once. Can you guess when and with whom\?
Weaknesses:
Needs to recharge
Rarely
Something else that’s fairly obvious, but makes no sense and is a spoiler
A ludicrously overpowered hero, with no clear vulnerability, makes for a boring movie. Actions scenes must have action. That doesn’t mean an overdose of unrealistic CG, rotoscoped against a cardboard cutout. Actors need to be moving; being active. Fights need to be choreographed. Theses are basic concepts which industry “professionals” shouldn’t need lecturing on.
Bloodshot should be diving all over the set, avoiding being hit, constantly aware of the need to conserve power. Or maybe if only to a avoid the inevitable pain when he’s shot, cut or has body parts blown off? Does he no longer feel pain? If not, why not? That would be a good way to limit his regenerative powers.
The story and hero are disconnected. There is a decent story and characters, but the lack of thought around Bloodshot’s powers drags the story down. It’s a shame. I can see how this could have been a good movie.
The Supporting Heroes
Supporting characters have little background or character development. My only recollection of them revolves around their stupid powers.
Blind guy who wears a scaffolding of cameras which allow him to see in 360 degrees. Like that’s a benefit!
Don’t know how he went blind
Cripple with a mechanical exoskeleton
Don’t know how he became crippled
Girl with some form of tracheotomy that allows her to filter air and breathe underwater
Don’t know what hell happened to her
A pair of tits attached to an anorexic coke head who exists to bring in the incel rapist crowd?
I don’t think her name is Dignity
Characters names, or names of the actors tied to them, are as foreign to me as to how this movie was meant to appeal to an educated audience.
Whereas Bloodshot has superpowers, the supporting characters are merely modified. Each were critically injured then put back together by Guy Pearce. How about restoring blind guys vision instead of giving him an impractical 360 degree view? Maybe repair the girls throat instead of welding a giant pump on to her chest?
I ignorantly dismissed these characters as hastily thrown together gimmicks; stupid traits for the sake of them having never been done before. Further in to the movie, it becomes apparent as to why they were modified in such ways. For a comic book movie there’s more complexity to the story than I expected.
There should have been a movie before ‘Bloodshot’, one which sets up these supporting characters. Then I may care about what happens to them or recollect their names. Being introduced and, possibly erased, in the same movie is a waste of a character.
Did any of them survive at the end? If not, how did they die? I honestly can’t remember what happens to 2 of them. Everything is so forgettable.
That Annoying Prick
One thing that isn’t forgettable is the 1980’s style, stereotypical, mentally retarded hacker. I could smell how shit an actor he was through my monitor; a nerdy, gay, black beta that could only have been inserted by China. While I applaud their ability to insult an entire race of people by parodying them them to lowest degenerates of society, it’s not good to watch.
Everything about this character is annoying. The way they act, talk, dress, their mannerisms, clothes, faux laugh, dent head humour, how they type on a keyboard. It’s all offensive. The performance falls so far short of comic relief that the investigators gave up looking for it a long time ago. I wanted to turn off the second they appeared. Unfortunately it was at a moment when the true story began to unfold. Torn.
The only redeeming trait of this character is that they may not survive. Although if they survive, it would be terrifying for a potential franchise.
(Anti) Climactic Fight
The ending is pathetic. Comprising of 2 equally mind numbing fight scenes.
If you find yourself watching only to satisfy your obsession of having to know what happens at the end of a movie, switch off immediately. Think of the lowest common denominator and that’s what happens. Whatever lofty aspirations you have will not come to fruition. It’s a big let down.
Boo.
Plus Everything Else
There is so much more to hate about this film that to list them all would be describing every scene in the movie. Ultimately it’s just the same thing over and over; too much CG, unbelievable action sequences and unrelatable super powers.
When I finished this movie I was on the fence. It’s not unwatchable but it’s not watchable. I don’t ever want to see it again but if someone put it on and sat through it with me, I wouldn’t demand we watch something else.
Initially I marked this as a good movie. However, my mentality has always been that if you’re willing to watch a movie multiple times then it’s good. Maybe I need to adjust my mindset and my reasoning should be… if you go out of your way to watch a movie multiple times, it’s a good movie? If I saw ‘Bloodshot’ while browsing my collection, there is no way I would think to watch it again.
‘Bloodshot’ is a bad movie.
Don’t Read This Section!
I’m not covering the entire movie and taking away potential earnings. This is an area for parts of the review which may ruin the viewing experience, not for disclosing every plot point.
The Wife
Just so this entire section isn’t full of hate, I’m calling out the arc with Bloodshot’s wife as a positive. She’s not dead, it was all a lie. When when he tracks her down, she’s moved on and has no interest in him.
Pretty standard stuff. I shouldn’t be impressed. However, I was expecting some low IQ Marvel style puff piece where everything was going to work out. Happily surprised.
How Did Bloodshot Survive
…the EMP? It would appear graduating high school, or mild intelligence, isn’t a requirement to be a Hollywood writer.
An EMP shorts out electrical circuits. They can’t simply be turned back on, they need repairing. If an EMP neutralises the nanites in Bloodshot then they cease functioning. They’re holding the body together, making up his blood. When they cease functioning he would literally fall apart.
If the nanites powering Bloodshot were to run out of energy, I imagine they would enter a low power mode. His body would remain intact, though he would appear dead. But if the nanites were destroyed by an EMP his body would disintegrate.
Why are the nanites even susceptible to an EMP? They’re powered by space magic, able to rebuild anything organic and wirelessly communicate with other machines. Just make them immune to electronic interference. Why not? Bloodshot is already grossly overpowered.
I would have been creative and used a machine which drained the nanites power. Maybe push them in to an overload state, giving Bloodshot more power, more strength, while causing him to burn super hot and using all his energy.
I’m copyrighting that idea for when they steal it for one of the sequels!
Final Fight #1
The one with Bloodshot, blind guy and cripple.
Is it still going on? In some hellish alternate Marvel dimension, is there a skyscraper lined with green cloth and 40 year old men dancing around on ropes?
What was the point! I don’t care about any of these characters.
Final Fight #2:
If I hadn’t known the movie was a comic book adaptation, there may have been some suspense in the final fight with Guy Pearce. Or if the lead actor wasn’t Vin Diesel.
As Bloodshot is face tanking everything thrown at him, as the weapons become more powerful, his power source is near depletion. What creative method will he employ to survive, defeat the enemy and cement his legacy as a franchise leading hero?
Nothing. He walks towards the enemy with an explosive and blows both of them up. Reminder; the more damage he takes the more power he uses. Creativity is truly dead in Hollywood. Dead in this first installment of a franchise.
This is more Chinese interference. I refuse to believe that in the year 2020, Western filmmakers thought that was a good way to end the movie. It’s too Asian.
Of course he doesn’t die and space magic saves the day. It’s a disappointingly predictable ending for a surprisingly intelligent comic book movie.
The Alternate Ending:
While searching for other Valiant comic related material, I came across a video on the Internet labelled as an ‘alternate ending’ for ‘Bloodshot’. It’s quite good and should have been used. It’s not an alternate ending so much as an alternate final fight between Bloodshot and cripple.
I’m not sure on the events leading up to this scene as the fight takes place in some sort of paddling pool. It’s too shallow for swimming so couldn’t be the scene boobs was flailing around in earlier.
At the end of the skyscraper fight, Bloodshot basically launches cripple in to the ground from a great height. There’s lots of dust and debris, with Bloodshot emerging victorious to fight Guy Pearce. I think this ‘alternate ending’ was meant to be inserted between these 2 scenes. Maybe cripple was launched through the pavement and ended up in the kiddie pool where this fight takes place?
The pair are fighting in the water when, after a short time compared to the damn skyscraper fight, Bloodshot delivers the final blow. Sort of. His nanites whirl around in the water and eat away at the metal legs of cripple. The weight of the exoskeleton and lack of legs cause him to sink to the bottom and drown.
I liked this ending. It fits in well with the slightly gritty mood of the movie. Which is maybe why they didn’t us it? By keeping the fate of cripple a mystery, there’s a possibility for him to appear in a sequel. Did he die from the fall or not? While they’re fighting, Guy Pearce could have escaped to appear in the sequel.
Perhaps the editors thought the fight had gone on for long enough and this scene would have been taking the piss? If that’s the case then cut 5 minutes from the monotonous skyscraper shit.
This is why I don’t like watching behind the scenes footage or extras. A lot of the time they have me question the intelligence behind movie makers.
Are scenes cut because they make the movie too long, would affect age rating, would not appeal to international audiences or to preserve an artistic vision? It’s almost never the latter.
