Bloodshot Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out At first glance, Bloodshot seems a very on-brand Vin Diesel movie. It kicks off with an action sequence that has the hulking leading man barreling into a dangerous scenario, successfully kicking butt without breaking a sweat. Then, we follow him to an exotic location, where he strips down to his signature white-tank top to be greeted by a fawning female character who exists chiefly to be as naked as a PG-13 rating allows. Naturally, tragedy will strike, pushing Diesel's hero into hell-bent on vengeance mode. But all is not what it seems in this surprising action flick. Based on the popular Valiant Comics series created by Kevin VanHook, Don Perlin, and Bob Layton, Bloodshot follows former soldier Ray Garrison (Diesel) on a globe-trekking mission of revenge. Ray's career in the military ended in his death, but groundbreaking nanotech -- from genius engineer Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce) -- resurrects him to fight another day. While he now has super strength and healing powers, his memories are gone. This section of the film is painfully clichéd. The opening action scene featuring a camo-wearing and gun-strapped Diesel facing down a frothing hostage-taker seems snatched from a shoot-em-up video game's cut scene. Then, Ray's wife Gina (Talulah Riley) appears in virginal white to exude innocence just moments before she'll show us her panties and some side-boob to prove what a stud the hero is. Then, she'll be swiftly fridged because behind every great man is a woman's corpse that motivates him. Early fight scenes have a high body count and a symphony of gunfire, but very little bloodshed because a PG-13 rating won't allow for that. These same restrictions mean the editing style of such scenes is of the frantic, blurry, quick-cut variety that makes the action often incoherent. Further masking the realistic impacts of gunshots and crushed skulls are shadows and smoke effects created by a field of spilled flour. Which is flammable IRL but isn't in the film for reasons as simple as someone probably didn't do their research. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=from-groot-to-dominic-toretto-vin-diesels-8-best-roles&captions=true"] All this is to say, I absolutely loathed the first twenty minutes of Bloodshot, save for one section. In the sequence where Gina is murdered, Toby Kebbell prances in playing a mega-douchebag villain. This too is a cliché, but one with which he was clearly having a lot of fun. What can I say, his joy is contagious. The camera tilts up from his striped gym socks paired with sandals to the long white jean shorts he's paired with a Hawaiian shirt. Because this slaughter scene will play out in the clichéd setting of a meat locker, Kebbell's baddie is draped in a crisp white parka and topped with a knitted cap with a jaunty pom-pom. Approaching a bound Ray, he dances merrily to the Talking Heads' hit "Psycho Killer." It's hilariously over-the-top, but undeniably fun. More villains should dance! (See Gamer.) Thankfully, Bloodshot begins to veer more into this spirited direction once a major twist unfurls. Okay, so the "twist" will only be a surprise to those who haven't read the comics. From there, he teams up with sexy super soldier KT (Baby Driver's Eiza González) and eccentric programmer Wilfred Wigans (The New Girl's LaMorne Morris) to get vengeance one last time. [ignvideo width=610 height=374 url=https://ift.tt/2xwPISz] The screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer essentially creates a bait-and-switch, setting up Bloodshot as if it's a hackneyed homage to '80s action movies before changing gears for something a bit more modern. The action scenes become less gun-focused, the villain less obvious, and KT offers a female character who exists to be slightly more than eye-candy or a tragedy prop. In his directorial debut, video game veteran turned filmmaker David S.F. Wilson delivers an aggressive pace that rolls over plot-holes with the grace -- but effectiveness -- of a tank. His experience with CG comes in handy with a slew of action sequences, which are solidly engaging. And while the baddies won't bleed, giving Ray black "blood" means you can literally blow him to gruesome bits, even in a PG-13 movie. (Thanks, MPAA!) All of which gives the latter action scenes a satisfying kick. Diesel strides through the role of sneering super soldier as you'd expect. His performance is 90% flex and smolder, and it's fine. It sets the bar for steeliness that much of the supporting cast is happy to meet. But with an irrepressible chipperness and brazen geekiness, Morris blows right past them all like a whirlwind of quips and charisma to absolutely steal this movie. He doesn't pop up until deep in the second act. From there, Morris becomes this film's very best bit, delivering British slang with a bouncy accent, playing a perfect foil to Diesel's stoicism with much comedic mugging, and even trying his hand at an impression of the action star's signature delivery style. It's hilarious. The action makes Bloodshot exciting, but Morris almost single-handedly makes it fun.

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