Bloodshot/The Hunt

Considering the COVID-19 has destroyed our chances of getting to see many new movies, we’re left with whatever is available on demand, or streaming.  One of these options is now Bloodshot, and I’m here to tell you that it’s nearly a crime this film is one of those options. It’s a loud and obnoxious action-comic book film that has no use to anyone, healthy or sick.

The film stars Vin Diesel as U.S. Marine Ray Garrison, who, after a successful mission returns home to his wife.  Things seem great until he’s kidnapped and taken to a unknown facility where he witnesses his wife’s execution by a mad man.  Garrison himself is later executed, and it would have been nice if the film ended there. However, Garrison is resurrected by Rising Spirit Tech, a company that specializes in developing cybernetic enhancements for disabled US military personnel. The company’s CEO, Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pierce), tells Ray that he is the first successful candidate that they have resurrected using a special nanite technology. He is essentially a super-soldier, but before he can be given a mission, he has flashes of his dead wife and the man who killed her.  Garrison then tracks that man down, and executes him. And still, the movie doesn’t end.

In all seriousness, it’s here where the film displays its one decent idea.  Garrison has been programmed to re-live false memories of Gina’s death as part of a plot to eliminate rivals in Rising Spirit.  It’s a fun plot twist, but the film never does much with it beyond it being a background to poorly filmed action scenes.  The combination of bad editing and lousy CGI make the majority of Bloodshot a bore, and Vin Diesel isn’t the actor to save it with charisma.

I supposed I liked Guy Pierce and Eliza Gonzalez in their roles, but other than that, this will be one of the year’s worst.

Grade: D

The Hunt is a film that has a good deal of potential, and even a fair few things going for it, but it ultimately succumbs under the weight of its own parodies. It combines being a horror-thriller with a large amount of social commentary – it handles one of these elements well, the other not so much.  As a thriller, the film is presented with a great deal of dark humor and fun surprises within its body count.  As a social commentary, it’s akin to an exaggerated comments section on Facebook.  And despite it making fun of both sides of the political spectrum, it also forces you watch what makes each side insufferable.  Though I do find it hilarious that the film has been criticized by individuals on the right and the left who can’t fathom being told to relax.

The one thing the film has going for it is the performance of Betty Gilpin, who’s wide eyed reactions to everything become increasingly priceless.  She’s able to hold the film together for far longer than it deserves.  Fortunately the film has a fun climactic showdown that’s an amusingly well choreographed one on one fight. When it was over, I didn’t feel like I completely wasted my time…I mean, even some political comments on Facebook are winners.

The Hunt for all of its controversy, should do little to stir anyone into a political frenzy…unless of course you’re one of the idiots who the film is parodying.

Grade: C