“Bloodshot aims for action, but shoots blanks on creativity”
Hello again readers to another online film review for the Quad. In this review, I will be discussing a superhero action film called Bloodshot.
Directed by David S. F. Wilson, Bloodshot is a full blown action packed film and a well renowned comic book of the same name by Jeff Wadlow that viewers would crave to watch and read. Starring Vin Diesel, the film centers on Ray Garrison, a revived US soldier seeking out revenge on someone that killed his wife with the help of his newfound superpowers.
After seeing the film on Amazon Prime, there were some positives. For one, the film was action-packed. In one scene, there was an exploding car and in another, a car being kicked in by Ray that demolished a goon. Along with action scenes, there was Vin Diesel. In his acting, there was a sense of sincerity with a hint of irony in playing a character that made viewers anticipate his next move. Plus, the special effects were something to admire. There was a moment in the film where I wondered if nano machines will become the future for humanity. Along with clocking at an hour and forty-nine minutes, the film never stopped and kept at a constant pace. Lastly, the film did well in having a villain in the film. While this is something minor to some viewers, I found this very important.
For negatives, there were quite a bit in this film. Throughout Bloodshot, the main problem is that the film lacked pure substance. There was a time where a minor character, like KT, needed more background story. As it turned out in the film, the only thing given was a brief summarization of who each character was and moved onto the main plot. Another problem the film had was bad scriptwriting in the first half of the film, particularly for Diesel’s character. As a consequence, the film centrally revolved on other minor characters to keep the film rolling. Then there is the main plot, which I personally found to be confusing. As an action viewer who had seen tons of action films, Bloodshot never seemed to grasp on what direction the film was going. It was not until the second half of the film that the plot was revealed. Rest assured, the film was quite entertaining to watch.
I would rate this film a 2.5 out of 5 stars for lack of creativity. Though this rating does not do it justice if you are mostly here for the explosions and special effects; for action fans, this film is 3.9 out of 5 stars. Overall, I enjoyed seeing this film for its Vin-Diesel action, but the film lacked in capturing the essence of creativity along with several other flaws that left questions about its plot. If this is not your Vin Diesel film to watch because of poor substance, try Fast and the Furious or XXX. Till the next online issue, this is Nicholas Bartelmo signing off.
Nicholas Bartelmo is a fourth-year student majoring in history. NB790429@wcupa.edu