Bloodshot - Review

Released: March 13, 2020

Shoot Me Instead

When Vin Diesel isn't doing Fast and the Furious movies, he is usually staring in a low budget action picture that should have gone straight to digital. I'm talking The Last Witch Hunter and xXx: Return of Xander Cage; this is the type of quality I was anticipating from Bloodshot. The trailers seemed to confirm my suspicions, and I set my expectations accordingly. As someone who could almost justify The Last Witch Hunter being a guilty pleasure based on its world-building, this is absolutely a waste of time. Bloodshot doesn't warrant the danger of contracting COVID-19 by going to the theater.

Many of the problems that this movie exhibits lie with the editing. The average shot length feels like three seconds, I tried counting, which creates a rushed pace. It overwhelms you into thinking that what you're watching is exciting or more action-packed than it is. Combined with the choice to shoot close-ups and mediums for most of the runtime, the problem is more noticeable. That combination is at its worst in action scenes. The 

shaky-cam and zoomed-in framing make it very difficult to follow what is going on. 

​Another facet of the movie that doesn't work is the story. While trying to mash The Matrix with Hardcore Henry, the end product is as bad as you expect. I never felt attached to any of the characters, didn't care what they cared about, or ever wanted to see them again. Even when a character grows a conscience, it comes across as desperate to keep the plot moving and artificial. At least it's wrapped in references lifted out of Fight Club and even calls itself out for the Reservoir Dogs one.

There are three things that I did like about Bloodshot. First, Lamorne Morris injects some much-needed humor in this drag of a movie. I would love for him to get more roles so I can see him in actually good films. He shows up right before the third act, so he's not the brightest light at the end of this very dark tunnel. Second, Eiza Gonzalez continues to be a strong actress that doesn't stand out but makes a mark in her roles. Finally, some of the set design and costumes were very nice. This movie proves that you can dig into the genre and make it look great on a big screen. At one point, a character puts on a rectangular metal helmet, and it looks incredible.

So like I said before, Bloodshot is not worth potentially getting COVID-19 over, so don't go to the theater to see it. If you are looking for movies to stream and come across it there, then it might be worth your time if you really want to see it. Other than that, I can't see a world in which this would be an acceptable way to spend an hour and forty minutes. 

2/10
There were inconsistent aspect ratio and lenses used which became really distracting