Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Bloodshot 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Part man...part machine...part Diesel...all 4K.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 12, 2020

With Bloodshot, first-time director David S. F. Wilson adapts the Valiant Comics character of the same name with technical proficiency but without that hook to draw audiences into the world and leave the theater craving more. There's an obvious want to see this kick off a franchise but that seems unlikely, not only because the material as it's presented here is rather tepid and generic but also considering the entire state of the moviemaking world where it might only be surefire blockbusters and independently funded films going forward. Will there be room for middle-of-the-road movies like Bloodshot over the next few years? That remains to be seen, but it would be surprising to find this particular picture as the seed for something big moving forward with sustained box office performance and rabid fanatics eagerly awaiting the next installment.

In Mombasa, a highly skilled American operator named Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) breaches a target structure ahead of orders, kills a handful of bad guys, rescues a hostage, and saves the day. But when the nefarious Martin Axe (Toby Kebbell) and his goons get the jump on him, they kill his wife Gina (Talulah Riley) and put a bullet in his brain. He awakens to news that his body was donated by the U.S. Military to Rising Spirit Technologies where he has been brought back to life under the watchful eye of Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce) not with sorcery but rather with technology. Ray now possesses radically advanced regenerative powers thanks to a bloodstream made of nano robots that quickly rebuild damaged tissue making him all but invincible. When Ray hears a song that triggers the memory of Gina’s death, he breaks protocol by breaking out of the facility in search of revenge. But Ray will soon discover that there’s more to his story than he has been led to believe, that killing Martin may only be the beginning of a long, bloody journey of self-discovery and freedom.

Bloodshot never quite carves out its own unique identity. It looks a lot like a video game and borrows its key plot elements from several other sources, playing like a mishmash of RoboCop meets Wolverine meets the T-1000 where scientific enhancement and unstoppable regenerative abilities make the perfect killing machine. “Bloodshot” is a scientifically created, radically advanced superhero, not born on another world but given a second chance as one of the first of a new breed of human. The film finds its drama in how and why he has been created and used in the world, and of course it's not as straightforward as it may initially seem. That the movie twists the narrative partway through is no surprise, and neither is that it's not exactly rocket science to decipher the truth prior to its reveal. Still, there's just enough meat, borderline stale as it might be, to make the experience enjoyable enough to warrant a watch, particularly as there's general gunplay, parkour-type action, car chases, heavy duty fisticuffs, and digital effects aplenty to satisfy any genre fan.

Like everything else about the movie, the action scenes are well choreographed and blend practical and digital elements well enough, but there's not much here to really push the envelope. Bloodshot's action meets the standard for modern choreography and visual structure but like the lead character it doesn't push any boundaries. That's the whole movie in a nutshell, really. It's entirely acceptable, even palatable, as it's made of off-the-shelf components and ideas that altogether make for a perfectly fine, but perfectly forgettable, experience. Even Diesel doesn't seem to quite know what to do with the part. There's little opportunity for him to infuse any real personality into the character, in a way understandable given the topsy-turvy character twists-and-turns that necessarily alter the performance's shape and focus as the film moves along. Diesel is fine in isolation, handling those ebbs and flows with enough machismo on one end and light humor on the other with a bit of heart in between. He satisfactorily shifts gears between killing machine and tenderhearted man. His co-stars are flatter, though; none of them have opportunity to stretch thanks to the paper-thin characters they inhabit. Toby Kebbell has some fun as Martin Axe, and the performance is only elevated as the truths about his character are revealed partway through the film.

Bloodshot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

The digitally shot Bloodshot arrives on the UHD format with a native 4K/HDR presentation that's a solid all-around upgrade over the counterpart 1080p Blu-ray. The picture is obviously more crisp and well defined, evident right out of the gate. Skin textures are high yield for intimate definition and overall image clarity and sharpness rate very high. The clean, slick elements within the RTS offices dazzle and even most of the effects work looks sharp and agreeably natural at this resolution. On the downside is that establishing shots struggle here like they did on the Blu-ray; the one showing Budapest in the 32-minute mark is particularly poor. But on the whole the UHD's resolution brings with it a picture that is clearly a step ahead of the 1080p image, solidifying textures and enhancing clarity enough to matter but not so much as to label the UHD a revelation. Still, it's a good solid upgrade that outclasses 1080p at every opportunity.

The HDR color palette is likewise a strength and also a fine area for improvement over the Blu-ray. The tunnel scene in chapter six is awesome. The red is much more dense and hellish while the improved clarity elevates the content by a good margin. The scene works so much better on this format. Generally speaking, HDR brings with it greater color density, reinforcing the various tonal shifts and the general color timing seen throughout the film, whether neutral, warm, red, blue, or green. Whites are beautifully crisp -- the shirt Ray wears when he wakes up in chapter three -- and shadow details and black levels are superb. Noise remains in low light, such as during a scene featuring Ray and Gina in bed in the six-minute mark. Fortunately, no additional source or encode flubs are in evidence beyond those handful of choppy establishing shots. This might not be a reference UHD in the traditional sense of the term, but as a boost over the Blu-ray it's a very solid effort from Sony that brings added life to a visually varied film.

Bloodshot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony elevates Bloodshot's sonic credentials with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack that powers well beyond the more limited 5.1 configuration accompanying the Blu-ray. It's clear from the outset that the Atmos track brings with it substantially greater firepower when Ray storms the house and rescues the hostage. Gunfire is more crisp, explosions hit with heavier low end output, and music finds greater spacial engagement and overall improved clarity. Action scenes to follow are a delight of detail and depth, exploding with a power the Blu-ray track simply cannot muster. The added spacial range is used to fine effect as both support element and discrete sound identifier. The overhead channels are used throughout, including helicopter rotors in the 4-minute mark and in carrying various elements, from heavy details to flying debris, in the movie's most action-packed segments. Environmental atmospherics are a treat, completely immersing the listener into the film's numerous locales. Dialogue is clear and well prioritized from a natural front-center location. This is a terrific audio experience that is alone worth the price of UHD admission.

Bloodshot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bloodshot's UHD contains deleted and extended scenes and previews (all in 1080p/SDR) while the bundled Blu-ray includes all of the extras outlined below. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release does not appear to ship with a slipcover.

• Outtakes & Blooper Reel (1080p, 1:59): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Initiate Sequence: Directing Bloodshot (1080p, 9:16): Looking at the character's comic book roots, story themes, the work of translating the character to the screen, Dave Wilson's work as director and the qualities he brought to the project, the visual aesthetic, satisfying fans, digital effects work, sets and shooting locales, crafting key scenes, and more.
• Forgotten Soldiers: The Cast of Bloodshot (1080p, 11:13): A closer look at the ensemble cast and the characters portrayed in the film.
• Deleted & Extended Scenes (1080p, 12:09 total runtime): Included are This Is What We Fight For, Why Can't I Remember Anything, Eric Evacuates, Alternate Ending, and Alternate Ending with Filmmaker Commentary.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Bloodshot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bloodshot has "franchise" written all over its periphery, but this debut film isn't all that endearing (and likely not enduring) and not quite strong enough to see a clear pathway towards more. It's a perfectly fine film as it is, reasonably entertaining and sure to satisfy Action junkies, but it also reeks of "been there, done that." And that's fine. It's competent, enjoyable, and generally well made and performed. It's just not likely to spawn the next big thing, particularly in this current environment. Sony's UHD A/V presentation is excellent. The video is rock-solid even if it won't blow anyone away and the Atmos track outclasses many others of a similar style. The extras aren't world-changing but do just enough to bring fans a little closer behind the scenes. Recommended.