Yep, James McAvoy is totally the man. And for that matter so is Timur Bekmambetov. Jesus Christmas, I just saw Wanted and I gotta say it kicked much ass. I had very high hopes for this movie and I was not disappointed. I have to admit, I wasn’t quite sure McAvoy could pull it off. He plays great doe-eyed innocence, but action hero? Well, let me just say, he f’n pulls it off, and pulls it off big.
The premise works and I dug it – a millenia-old order of assassins working to keep fate on track (this does deviate a bit from the comic’s plot – but they did a great job in adapting it to the screen). I was able to accept the mystical aspect of it (which they leave largely unexplained) and just completely immerse myself in this film. It handled exposition rather well, with a cheeky VO á la Blade Runner and got into the action at just the right moment. The pacing felt great, the acting was spot on and the effects were tight. Bekmambetov takes John Geata’s bullet time and pushes it even further.
The action is crazy-over-the-top with amazing chase sequences that tip their hats to Point Break, The French Connection, and the Matrix. In addition, you’ll see tons of little in-jokes like a VERY Han-in-Carbonite scene about half-way through the flick. I think my favorite was the appearance of Konstantin Khabensky as one of the Fraternity members.
Angelina Jolie is, of-course, awesome, any time you need a beautiful ass-kicking chick with a heart, she’s your go-to-girl. And Common even makes a great turn as the “Gunsmith”. And if your life won’t be complete until you hear Morgan Freeman say “Shoot this mother-fucker” well then…you’ve come to the right movie. I always like when he is in these mentoring style roles, even though this is nowhere near the gravitas of Se7en, he pulls them off really well. Terence Stamp makes an appearance as well and he plays it straight, not over-the-top (and I always love when General Zod shows up)
Ya know, I think Bekmambetov may have some father issues now that I think about it – lots of father figures in this flick, but I think that’s a topic for the podcast. Before I go, I gotta drop an >i< score of a 9 on this one. Action, humor, in-jokes, fun – it’s got it all – and coupled with great direction, effects AND sound. Go see it, you won’t be left wanting…except for a sequel.
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You beat me to it! I was going to post this exact same review this morning (except much more cleverly written).
2 parts Fight Club, 2 parts Matrix, add a pinch of Morgan Freeman, a heaping tablespoon of Angelina Jolie and mix it all together while wearing a black on black Armani suit (or something else suitably stylish) and you’ll get Wanted.
Definitely my summer movie to beat, knocking Iron Man on his Iron ass.
Guys, are you both taking crazy pills???
Better than Iron Man??
Do you remember how ridiculous Robert Downey Jr. was as Tony Stark?
This was not nearly as good as Fight Club, or the Matrix, and it felt very recycled from both of the afformentioned movies, among others.
Now this is not to say I didn’t like the movie and think it was pretty badass.
But it’s not even the 2nd best movie of the summer so far.
I would put it behind Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, and the trailer for Dark Knight.
I was able to give it a pass for all the superhuman things that happened, but the train sequence where only Cross, Wesley and Fox landed on their feet made me scratch my head a little.
The plot line was excellent with very little filler, and the action and timing were great.
But like I said, to say this was the best flick of the summer so far is a little much.