Another 2020 release I originally missed was the science-fiction action drama Bloodshot.  It opened around the time that theaters were being shut down, but I wasn’t that interested in a Vin Diesel based-on-a-comic-book-superhero movie.  Now I’ve seen it anyway, and I am glad to report that it is certainly better than I expected it to be.  Nothing great — in fact, it is too derivative of other, better films like Total Recall (the first one) and Iron Man 3, but it is certainly watchable and somewhat exciting.

David S. F. Wilson’s film follows soldier Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) — who is never referred to as “Bloodshot” that I saw — as he is killed, and then reborn as a nanite-powered super soldier.  After he goes rogue and avenges himself on the man who attacked his wife, he gradually learns the truth about himself and his situation.  The scientific stuff is handled pretty well, and is actually understated, I think.  The film could have boosted its sense of wonder and been the better for it.  Instead the requisite CGI action assumes the primary focus, and that is fun, but also disappointing — the whole outside elevator fight scene is just way too ridiculous to accept, believe or appreciate.

But the script has merit, too.  A welcome sense of humor pervades the project, especially from computer whiz Wilfred Wigans (Lamorne Morris) and his RST parallel, Eric (Siddarth Dihnanjay).  The story allows Ray to build a lot of empathy for his manipulative experience, even if Vin Diesel doesn’t enact it particularly well.  Every story like this needs a strong antagonist, and Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce) fills the bill.  Pearce is a terrific actor; his smarts nicely balance Diesel’s muscles and the sexy, brooding presence of K. T. (Eiza González).

I have no opinion about the comic book (graphic novel?) source material, but the resulting film is decent, but pretty mindless.  There’s a lot of killing but the PG-13 rating keeps the gore to a minimum.  Moral and scientific dilemmas about Dr. Harting’s work abound, but are treated as minor talking points and don’t get in the way of the action.  The action is, like so many other comic book / superhero / Transformers-type sf dramas, filmed so quickly (even speeded up at times) that the mind can never really see what is going on in detail, which drives me rather crazy.  I’d rather have old time stop-motion animation, or guys in rubber suits stomping around model cities, where the action / destruction can be savored and fully appreciated.  This stuff is okay, better than expected, but still pretty inconsequential.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  19 February 2021.