Bloodshot (2020)

With all the success comic book movies have been having lately it's not surprising a comic publisher other than DC and Marvel would also try to get their characters on to the big screen. Yes there are comics from companies other than the big two, and Valiant Comics is one of the bigger of the "rest of" comics publishers and Bloodshot is one of the more well known characters outside of Marvel and DC.

The film takes the tried and true route, setting up the basic premise of the character, a revived super-soldier brought back from the dead who starts to remember that his past may not be what he thinks it is. It's a good hook, if not overly original, and the film just sticks to it, telling its story in a straightforward but effective way. Vin Diesel is well cast emoting just as one would expect a super-soldier who lost his family to. I think what makes Bloodshot work is that everyone sticks to the plan, tells the story earnestly, without doing anything too radical. Don't expect any surprises here. This is fairly straight forward stuff. But for what it tries to do it does it.

It certainly likes its special effects. A self-healing hero may not be that novel these days so the film manages to find a way to make it seem new, with quite beautiful visuals of Vin Diesel repairing himself. And the stunts are top notch too. Excellent work here. Again, what Bloodshot does well it does well.

This shows there is room beyond Marvel and DC. While it's not overly ambitious it does please a crowd with a decent story and solid film making.

Bloodshot
Starring: Vin Diesel, Guy Pierce, Eiza Gonzalez, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, Lamorne Morris
Director: David S.F. Wilson
Writers: Jeff Wadlow, Eric Heisserer