Pov's Movie Point of View

This is the beginnings of a segement where I'll be rviewing movies, funnily enough. They may be movies that have come out recently, or old movies I've discovered on DVD, depending on how I feel. So, I just get to it.

Thoughtfullness WANTED

Today, I'm going to review one of the first big Movies to come out this summer, Wanted. The plot is fairly Matrix-esque. You average Joe Six-pack office worker finds out he is really the son of the greatest assasin ever, and has inherited the gift. He subsequently joins a league of "assasins of fate" who get there orders from, get this, freshly woven cloth. Come on... CLOTH? Was there nothing left for the fates to communicate with? Still, the idea that theses assasins were killing, not for any political or economic reasons, but to keep the world in balance, killing those who would cause the world the most suffering, could have been a cool theme. Too bad they didn't do anything with it.

Thats really the major problem with this movie. Like a lot of other movies lately, its trying to cash in on the success of movies like Iron Man, Fight Club, I Am Legend, and The Dark Knight by combining the mass appeal of an action movie with a thoughtful plot and deep, socialogical themes. Unfortunately, like a lot of the other movies that try to recreate that winning mix of action and brains, TRYING is about as far as they get. Wanted most takes after Fight Club, trying to urge viewers to take control of their lives, but the problem is, instead of weaving that theme into the abundant action and gore, it simply tacks it on in places and hopes for the best. This gives the movie a half-hearted feel, which is actaully kind of a shame, because there is a cool action movie here.

I will give Wanted credit, what it does do, it does well. Namely, the mass appeal part of the (mass appeal + brains) equation. The special effects are really top notch, some of the best of the summer. There are many creative ways of showing bullets graphically ripping through people's bodies in slow motion sprinkled throughout the film. Angelina Jolie was smoking hot. There is a very fun quarter of the movie that focusses solely on the protagonist taking vengance on all the people who made his normal life so shitty. Angelina Jolie is smoking hot and can handle a gun. A lot of the abundant gratoutitous violence is very clever and funny, including a truck load of exploading rats (no joke). Angelina Jolie is smoking hot and can handle a gun and a car masterfully. And there is a good twist in the plot as well, but unfortunately, it really only serves to heighten the feeling of wasted potential, and it seems a bit to familiar (*cough* Star Wars *cough*). Did I mention Angelina Jolie is smoking hot?

But as good as the action movie is, there is just enough of the failed brains part of the movie to make all of it seem brainless and stupid, especially the over-the-top training sequence, which seemed simply to be fight club with the violence turned up several notches, which in and of itself was a feat, but again, without the reasoning. I mean, Morgan Freeman is in this movie, and I usually trust him to pick good films, but it just wasn't there. There's just too much sensless violence for not enough sensible social commentary, and the movie falls flat. Wanted had a lot of potential, but in the end, I found it... wanting.


Final Verdict: 2 stars. It just doesn't live up to its potential.