HOLLYWOOD─I don’t know how to say this, but it seems whenever Vin Diesel does any film outside of “The Fast and Furious” franchise it just doesn’t knock the ball out of the park. The one exception to that rule is “Pitch Black” which was before those high-stakes car flicks. Diesel’s latest outing, “Bloodshot” tackles another superhero, one that might not be as well known to many entering the multiplex.
“Bloodshot” is a tricky movie to discuss because there are things that transpire that kind of spoil the direction of the movie if revealed to the audience. Would one make the argument that the twists that are delivered to the viewers are so game-changing that it will leave you speechless? No, not a chance, but they are incorporated into the movie in a way to drive the narrative and to keep the audience’s attention. That last statement might be the most important. How so?
This movie drags, it has a pacing issue. The level of excitement and action that one expects or hopes for a movie of this magnitude is just NOT there. When I think of a great superhero movie, I always go back to “The Dark Knight” because not only was it a stellar comic book flick, but it encapsulated the importance of a great narrative, a great hero and a fantastic villain.
“Bloodshot” drops the ball on all of these things. Vin Diesel is simply playing himself people. His character, Ray Garrison, feels like Vin! He’s big, he’s powerful, he talks with a deep cadence, the emotion shown feels forced, there just isn’t much there, where I can buy the bill of goods being sold to me. When it comes to a villain, Guy Pearce is a chameleon of an actor people. Has anyone seen “Memento?” Here he plays a scientist who is genius, who the audience is not certain if what he is doing is intentional or has some underlying angle to it.
The tension between Dr. Emil Harting (Pearce) and Morris (Diesel) never feels like a strong threat to our protagonist. We do have some fun with supporting players in Wilfred Wiggans (Lamorne Morris) who delivers a bevy of laughs that at least entertains the audience. There is also Katie/KT (Eiza Gonzalez), who seems like a loyal ally to Ray, Wiggans and Pearce. To be honest the writers should have worked on making Katie more of a love interest for our hero that goes absolutely nowhere and it’s unfortunate.
If you like action, there is a little bit here, some fine fights, so big explosions, but I’ve seen bigger and better in action films of the past. “Bloodshot” takes a stab and trying to deliver something smart in the comic book verse utilizing science, that doesn’t deliver to fans. This is a movie that is better served watching on TV during a day where nothing is going on. Let’s be honest we have plenty of things happening right now that prevents us from going to the movie, but if you spend money do it at your own risk.