“
Wanted.”
Ah, the summer of 2008 seemed to be brimming with greatness. T’was the year of “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” and about a hundred other movies I wound up enjoying. One other film came out as a top favorite from that year; one that offered spectacular visual flair fantastic special effects, and impossible stunt-work. I went into “Wanted” expecting nonstop entertainment, and it delivered.
Yes, the action scenes are spectacular. Whether bending bullets through the air, whipping cars around the road and launching them into the air, or derailing a train off of a freaking cliff, it’s all very impressive stuff! The opening scene, with the guy flying out the window, is an exceptional standout too; the way the glass sticks to his face makes it imaginative and incredible. Overall, the film is orchestrated in a fantastic over-the-top fashion; it makes an art out of action.
As far as the story goes, it’s quite a deviation from the original comic, so fans of the comic (if there are any) might be disappointed. The film certainly doesn’t focus on the superpowers or technology of the supervillians. But fundamentally, the story excellent in its own way. Its focus on supervillians over superheroes is still fairly strong. I'll admit that the inclusion of the "Loom of Fate," the wax bath, the bullet-curving techniques, and various other things are pretty darn strange and unbelievable, but it never really bothered me. Coming from the director of "Night Watch," I figure the movie's going for a mythos of its own, and I can roll with it.
Moreover, the film takes on a wicked life of its own. With the way the character morphs from a wimp to a wicked villain and the darkly humorous narrative, it reminds me a lot of “Fight Club.” But the cinematic style, action scenes, and overall plot structure (specifically focusing on training up the main character with bullet-bending powers) reminds me a lot of “The Matrix.” Altogether, the film’s story is as detailed, well-told, and well-structured as it is entertaining. And overall, the film seethes with attitude; sometimes to the point of insulting the audience. I love it!
Cinematically, I love the film’s photography and style. Acting is strong all around; James McAvoy is perfect as Wesley Gibson, Angelina Jolie is pretty darn hot and impeccable as Fox, Morgan Freeman makes a decent villain (it’s always amusing to hear him say “shot this mother-f***er!”), and it’s cool seeing Terence Stamp and Konstantin Khabenskiy in the mix. Production value is high and quite well-detailed. Music is pretty good; the songs they used by NIN and the song by Danny Elfman totally rock! In fact, I might to listen to them right now!!!
I know most folks seem to dismiss this as an average, underwhelming POS action flick. But I’ve always loved it since I first laid eyes on the trailers, and I remember walking out of the theater feeling like a total badass. For whatever reason, I wound up loving the action, the characters, the story, the humor, the attitude, and everything else. It still gives me a warm fuzzy satisfaction, and I don’t care what anybody else says. The film totally rocks.
This is me taking control of my cinematic pleasures. What the f*** have you done lately?!
5/5 (entertainment: 5/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4.5/5)
The Blu-Ray is great. Picture quality is quite grainy and noisy, but still has superb sharpness, detail, color, and contrast. Sound quality is pleasing.
PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5
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