Based on the Valiant Comics series of the same name, ‘Bloodshot‘ is directed by David S. F. Wilson in his feature film debut. It was released through Sony based on a screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer.

After watching his wife Gina (Talulah Riley) get killed by a villain named Marcus Tibbs (Alex Hernandez), Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) awakens at the lab of the corporation Rising Spirit Tech, where its CEO Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce) tells Ray that he’s been dead and he was rebuilt with nanite technology. Ray suddenly remembers his wife being murdered and goes to get revenge. Little does he know, he has done this over and over, where Emil puts this fictional scenario in play so he can use Ray to kill his former business partners. His fellow experiment KT (Eiza González) starts to feel sorry for him while Dalton (Sam Heughan) and Axe (Toby Kebbell) grow jealous. When Ray is reset again, this time to go after a man named Nick Baris (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), a hacker named Wiggins (Lamorne Morris) has a plan to reawaken Ray’s real personality.

I will admit that I am not too familiar with the Valiant universe or even Bloodshot. So I cannot comment on the level of comic book accuracy of the film, other than I know that Ray Garrison was not Bloodshot’s original name. RST gave him a code-name to further brainwash, but he figured it out at some point, but I understand the filmmakers wanting to go around that to streamline the story.

The DCEU made a mistake by making their franchise too grim, so I was curious how Sony would handle the Valiant universe. For Bloodshot, at least, they chose to go the route of an action thriller. It was refreshing because it was not so dark that you could not enjoy the character development, but it also was not flat, making you feel connected to the plot.

Now, there were a few moments where the action went into slow-motion and it was meant to show Bloodshot’s abilities once he becomes enhance. These scenes were clunky and came out of nowhere, making it jarring. It goes from fast-paced fight-scenes to slow motion, but it made it obvious that the scenes were enhanced with CGI, somewhat drawing you out of the experience.

The actors, however, were great. This is the perfect role for Vin Diesel, who does an excellent job as Ray Garrison. You really feel his story come together and feel his desire for vengeance. Guy Pearce is excellent as the antagonist. His role as the evil scientist who takes advantage of the worst in us is one he has done before, but one he pulls off the best. Of course, Eiza González is excellent. Her fight scenes were well-done and her character is probably the most enduring of the movie.

Bottom line, Bloodshot is an excellent action-thriller where Vin Diesel shows off some serious skill. True, it had some technical snafus, but it is still an entertaining and fun comic book film.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Brief sexual content, Strong violence, Foul language

FAVORITE QUOTE: Vengeance is what makes a man like you exceptional.

Check out the trailer below:

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