BLOODSHOT

RELEASED OUT NOW! 2020 | 12 | Blu-ray (4K/standard)/ DVD/download Director David SF Wilson Cast Vin Diesel, Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Guy Pearce

Despite his impeccable action-hero credentials, having Vin Diesel headline your movie is no guarantee of success. Yes, the Fast And Furious saga means he has no worries about paying the bills, but Babylon AD, xXx and even later Riddick movies have struggled to capitalise on his star power.

Bloodshot is the latest actioner where that isn’t enough to beat mediocre material into submission.

It’s effectively an update of RoboCop, with Diesel starring as a killed-in-action special forces soldier whose blood is replaced with nanites that turn him into an invincible revenge machine. Despite its comicbook origins, Bloodshot doesn’t feel like AN Other superhero movie; the narrative features a neat non-linear twist, while its team of artificially augmented warriors put a fun, techno spin on the X-Men. There’s also something to be said for visual effects that make a guy rebuilding his body in real time significantly more convincing than scenes set in London – never has the UK’s capital looked more Mediterranean.

In all other regards, however, this is a very conventional origin story, filled with by-the-numbers set-pieces and characters who talk in clichés. So Bloodshot won’t be giving Marvel many sleepless nights.

Extras Two tiny featurettes; deleted/extended scenes; bloopers.