Bloodshot
Bionic man
Release Out now
Director Dave Wilson
Cast Vin Diesel, Eiza Gonzalez,
Sam Heughan, Guy Pearce
Distributor Sony Pictures
Certificate 12 ABased on the titular Valiant Comics
character, Bloodshot brings beefy killed-
in-action marine Ray Garrison
(Vin Diesel) back to life with super
strength and unique healing powers to undertake
tailored assassinations.
Trouble is, not unlike RoboCop, he’s haunted
by fragmented revenge-induced memories of his
more human past, while the techno institute that
regenerated him view him as nothing more than the
ultimate killing machine.
Given these stakes and the potentially intriguing
(if overly familiar) premise, it’s sad that there’s notmuch probing beneath the not-so-shiny surface of
Bloodshot to distinguish it from comparable fare like
Universal Soldier.
It’s not entirely the actors’ fault, however. Diesel
portrays the conflicted programmable protagonist
with typical (if unremarkable) gravel-voiced
conviction, Eiza Gonzalez makes for a feisty
enough female bionic counterpart, Sam Heughan
impressively flexes his (robotic) feet and Guy Pearce
adds some gravitas to shady scientist Dr Harting.
The problem is in the presentation; including
the choice of DP Jacques Jouffret (who lensed The
Purge series) predominately shooting everything in
medium close up, in a distracting attempt to make
events more intimate.
And it’s painfully clear VFX pro-turned-debutant
director Dave Wilson comes with a background
better suited to CGI. He excels at microscopic
details like the crawling insectoid ‘Nanites’
repairing Garrison’s damaged cells), but lacks
any real conviction of letting live action pop out of
the screen imaginatively, despite plenty of kinetic
activity on display.
Nevertheless, if you’re up for a cheesy fun,
throwaway sci-fi actioner then Bloodshot isserviceable, with enough twists, turns and comedic
IT nerds to liven up proceedings. There’s also an
exciting climatic elevator scrap that could have
been pulled straight out of a Marvel movie.
It’s just a pity that it all feels like a seen-
it-all-before bionic spin-off that doesn’t have
the confidence to morph into its own uniquely
regenerated creation.
Oliver Pfeiffer
W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K | 063
Onward
Brotherly love
Release Out now
Director Dan Scanlon
Cast Tom Holland, Chris Pratt,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Distributor Disney
Certificate UTaking place in a world where
technology has replaced magic, Pixar’s
latest fantasy adventure, Onward,
sets audiences up with a wonderful
premise from the off. The world is populated
by mythical creatures such as centaurs, pixies
and elves, where dragons are household pets
and unicorns eat from rubbish bins. But since
the advent of technology, the world has lost
its magical roots, rendering it familiar with
our own world – centaurs are now everyday
policemen, fitting their large frames into police
vehicles rather than galloping, and TGI Fridays-
like restaurants stand in the place of once
mythical taverns.
Magic has been forgotten... but not by
everyone. This is where shy Ian Lightfoot (Tom
Holland) steps in. On his 16th birthday, Ian
finds a magical staff his late father left him and
his quest-loving brother Barley (Chris Pratt).
The staff is said to bring back the dead for one
day. However, seeing as no-one uses magic
anymore, wielding the staff proves problematic,
leaving Ian’s father as just a pair of legs and a
waist. So, Ian and Barley go on a mighty quest
to bring back the top half of their dad before
their day is up. What ensues is 102 minutes offun, road movie joy that delves into wide-
ranging topics such as unfulfilled career goals,
familial bonds and the overuse of technology.
Not that these themes feel crammed in. In
fact, you’re having so many emotions as you
go through those 102 minutes that time flies
by quicker than a winged beast on its way to
another bold adventure. Speaking of bold, the
animation in Onward is a pure feast for the eyes- it’s colourful and engaging, the landscapes
are spectacular and there are enough funny
background moments to keep audiences
interested. The world is one of the movie’s main
draws, and we would have perhaps liked to
have explored it a little more.
The characters are also likeable. Pratt and
Holland’s chemistry is as crackling as the magic
surrounding them, and props need to be given
to the wonderful Octavia Spencer who voices
the majestic Manticore with humour and heart.
It’s been 25 years since Pixar’s first movie,
Toy Story, and though Onward doesn’t quite live
up to Andy’s toys, we’re so glad it’s still here to
deliver movies like this: enjoyable, emotional
and downright entertaining, Onward is an epic
fantasy for all the family to enjoy.
Rachael Harper
REVIEWS CINEMA
Bloodshot
Bionic man
Release Out now
Director Dave Wilson
Cast Vin Diesel, Eiza Gonzalez,
Sam Heughan, Guy Pearce
Distributor Sony Pictures
Certificate 12 ABased on the titular Valiant Comics
character, Bloodshot brings beefy killed-
in-action marine Ray Garrison
(Vin Diesel) back to life with super
strength and unique healing powers to undertake
tailored assassinations.
Trouble is, not unlike RoboCop, he’s haunted
by fragmented revenge-induced memories of his
more human past, while the techno institute that
regenerated him view him as nothing more than the
ultimate killing machine.
Given these stakes and the potentially intriguing
(if overly familiar) premise, it’s sad that there’s notmuch probing beneath the not-so-shiny surface of
Bloodshot to distinguish it from comparable fare like
Universal Soldier.
It’s not entirely the actors’ fault, however. Diesel
portrays the conflicted programmable protagonist
with typical (if unremarkable) gravel-voiced
conviction, Eiza Gonzalez makes for a feisty
enough female bionic counterpart, Sam Heughan
impressively flexes his (robotic) feet and Guy Pearce
adds some gravitas to shady scientist Dr Harting.
The problem is in the presentation; including
the choice of DP Jacques Jouffret (who lensed The
Purge series) predominately shooting everything in
medium close up, in a distracting attempt to make
events more intimate.
And it’s painfully clear VFX pro-turned-debutant
director Dave Wilson comes with a background
better suited to CGI. He excels at microscopic
details like the crawling insectoid ‘Nanites’
repairing Garrison’s damaged cells), but lacks
any real conviction of letting live action pop out of
the screen imaginatively, despite plenty of kinetic
activity on display.
Nevertheless, if you’re up for a cheesy fun,
throwaway sci-fi actioner then Bloodshot isserviceable, with enough twists, turns and comedic
IT nerds to liven up proceedings. There’s also an
exciting climatic elevator scrap that could have
been pulled straight out of a Marvel movie.
It’s just a pity that it all feels like a seen-
it-all-before bionic spin-off that doesn’t have
the confidence to morph into its own uniquely
regenerated creation.
Oliver Pfeiffer
W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K | 063
Onward
Brotherly love
Release Out now
Director Dan Scanlon
Cast Tom Holland, Chris Pratt,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Distributor Disney
Certificate U
Taking place in a world where
technology has replaced magic, Pixar’s
latest fantasy adventure, Onward,
sets audiences up with a wonderful
premise from the off. The world is populated
by mythical creatures such as centaurs, pixies
and elves, where dragons are household pets
and unicorns eat from rubbish bins. But since
the advent of technology, the world has lost
its magical roots, rendering it familiar with
our own world – centaurs are now everyday
policemen, fitting their large frames into police
vehicles rather than galloping, and TGI Fridays-
like restaurants stand in the place of once
mythical taverns.
Magic has been forgotten... but not by
everyone. This is where shy Ian Lightfoot (Tom
Holland) steps in. On his 16th birthday, Ian
finds a magical staff his late father left him and
his quest-loving brother Barley (Chris Pratt).
The staff is said to bring back the dead for one
day. However, seeing as no-one uses magic
anymore, wielding the staff proves problematic,
leaving Ian’s father as just a pair of legs and a
waist. So, Ian and Barley go on a mighty quest
to bring back the top half of their dad before
their day is up. What ensues is 102 minutes of
fun, road movie joy that delves into wide-
ranging topics such as unfulfilled career goals,
familial bonds and the overuse of technology.
Not that these themes feel crammed in. In
fact, you’re having so many emotions as you
go through those 102 minutes that time flies
by quicker than a winged beast on its way to
another bold adventure. Speaking of bold, the
animation in Onward is a pure feast for the eyes- it’s colourful and engaging, the landscapes
are spectacular and there are enough funny
background moments to keep audiences
interested. The world is one of the movie’s main
draws, and we would have perhaps liked to
have explored it a little more.
The characters are also likeable. Pratt and
Holland’s chemistry is as crackling as the magic
surrounding them, and props need to be given
to the wonderful Octavia Spencer who voices
the majestic Manticore with humour and heart.
It’s been 25 years since Pixar’s first movie,
Toy Story, and though Onward doesn’t quite live
up to Andy’s toys, we’re so glad it’s still here to
deliver movies like this: enjoyable, emotional
and downright entertaining, Onward is an epic
fantasy for all the family to enjoy.
Rachael Harper
REVIEWS CINEMA