Luke McWilliams gives his verdict on the superhero film, Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel and Guy Pearce.
After US Marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) successfully completes a mission, he goes on holiday in Italy with his wife where they are promptly kidnapped. Ray awakens in a cybernetic enhancement lab, headed by Dr Emil Harting (Guy Pearce) and is put to work.
For the best part of a century, DC Comics and Marvel have led the comic-book publishing charge. A former Marvel editor-in-chief founded Valiant comics in 1989, the year Tim Burton’s Batman set off the comic-book movie adaptation craze. Not content with their cinematic rights limited to Spider-Man, with Bloodshot Sony looks to kickstart their own Valiant cinematic universe.
Little known outside fans of Valiant, the movie serves as an introduction to and origin story of the titular hero. Like Wolverine, Bloodshot is physically enhanced with no idea of his past and is treated like a weapon. Shades of Terminator and Robo-Cop abound, as Garrison battles his own lust for revenge against those who wronged him at the cost of his own humanity. Finding a sympathetic companion in newly enhanced team member KT (Eiza González), Garrison is assisted in digging to the bottom of the conspiracy of his kidnapping.
Verdict: Franchise maestro Diesel (Fast and the Furious, Riddick and Guardians of the Galaxy) is in fine form as this comic-book hero, however it seems Bloodshot has little to go on outside of this origin story. Perhaps the next Valiant outing, Harbinger, will bring new conflict. 3 stars.
- Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net
Bloodshot is streaming on Amazon Prime and iTunes.
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