Lacklustre: 'Wanted' is marred by lack of originality. Parents beware. Though the film is certified PG, the violence and gore might not be suitable for children. Picture: wantedmovie.com
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Wanted
Certification: PG
Cast: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan
Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann,
Common
Director:
Timur Bekmambetov
Genre: Action, Thriller
ANGELINA JOLIE will tell you, flip your car upside down into the air and shoot through the open roof at your target below; it's more accurate than when your car is levelled and right beside your enemy's.
The implied "cool factor" is enough to, and probably will, dumb down the sensibility of logic and thus, justify the action. Or so that's what it's hoping to achieve.
Such over-the-top action sequences, with their slick and death-defying stunts that will repeatedly remind you of the Matrix Trilogy are few of the reasons why this movie will sell.
Based on the concept of the mini-series comic book by Mark Miller, the movie tells the story of Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy); an accountant who has nothing going for him in his life. He just sits in his cubicle, takes prescription pills for his anxiety attacks, and "searches" for himself by googling his name every so often.
But in walks destiny one day in the form of Angelina Jolie as the ultra-sexy, ultra-thin and tattoo-covered Fox, protecting Wesley when an assassin — Cross (Thomas Kretschmann) — comes knocking.
Escaping Cross in a car chase scene that sees Jolie driving with reckless precision, a reminiscence of Gone In 60 Seconds, Wesley is then introduced to Sloan (Morgan Freeman), leader of a secret fraternity of assassins, aptly named The Fraternity.
Sloan explains to Wesley that his father, a member of The Fraternity, was recently killed by Cross. And that Wesley is Cross' next target. The Fraternity then trains Wesley in the art of their craft so that he can avenge his father's death.
While Jolie is the eye-candy, McAvoy helps hold the movie together. With his quiet demeanour, his non-hero physique with a tad of the nerd-factor, McAvoy delivers his Cinderella story by looking exactly the part of a pathetic guy going from zero to hero.
However, McAvoy still has much to learn about being an action-lead. He still looks very much choreographed on cue and his gun-wielding arms move from one position to the next without much believable aim in them. But his overall performance lends him enough credibility to convince the audience that he's actually making the world a better place while taking orders from The Loom — a weaving contraption which spells out names of targets for The Fraternity.
There's one problem with The Loom. It acts like the crime-prevention machine, but its origin is never explained. It gives the impression that it is randomly inserted to try and give The Fraternity some meaning, instead, it becomes the biggest plot-hole in the movie.
So it's a good thing that Morgan Freeman is there to explain all those fancy nonsense about looms and bending bullets. His voice has that calming effect that will make even the silliest lines sound so convincing that they are taken at face value.
Of all the high-octane action, director Berkmambetov has delivered them with enough detail while keeping the sense of urgency.
The John Woo gun-slinging style and bullets flying in slow-motion all come with dazzling effects; but somehow their believability just doesn't transcend through the screen and nothing about the movie feels original.
In the end this is just another brainless, hedonistic action flick that attempts to introduce its own set of logic and rules. And yet, it fails to be consistent in the very logic and rules that it has created. Because of that, the more you think about the movie after watching it, the more you will realise that it's actually quite bad.
Reviewer's Rating: 4 / 10
The Brunei Times
Certification: PG
Cast: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan
Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann,
Common
Director:
Timur Bekmambetov
Genre: Action, Thriller
ANGELINA JOLIE will tell you, flip your car upside down into the air and shoot through the open roof at your target below; it's more accurate than when your car is levelled and right beside your enemy's.
The implied "cool factor" is enough to, and probably will, dumb down the sensibility of logic and thus, justify the action. Or so that's what it's hoping to achieve.
Such over-the-top action sequences, with their slick and death-defying stunts that will repeatedly remind you of the Matrix Trilogy are few of the reasons why this movie will sell.
Based on the concept of the mini-series comic book by Mark Miller, the movie tells the story of Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy); an accountant who has nothing going for him in his life. He just sits in his cubicle, takes prescription pills for his anxiety attacks, and "searches" for himself by googling his name every so often.
But in walks destiny one day in the form of Angelina Jolie as the ultra-sexy, ultra-thin and tattoo-covered Fox, protecting Wesley when an assassin — Cross (Thomas Kretschmann) — comes knocking.
Escaping Cross in a car chase scene that sees Jolie driving with reckless precision, a reminiscence of Gone In 60 Seconds, Wesley is then introduced to Sloan (Morgan Freeman), leader of a secret fraternity of assassins, aptly named The Fraternity.
Sloan explains to Wesley that his father, a member of The Fraternity, was recently killed by Cross. And that Wesley is Cross' next target. The Fraternity then trains Wesley in the art of their craft so that he can avenge his father's death.
While Jolie is the eye-candy, McAvoy helps hold the movie together. With his quiet demeanour, his non-hero physique with a tad of the nerd-factor, McAvoy delivers his Cinderella story by looking exactly the part of a pathetic guy going from zero to hero.
However, McAvoy still has much to learn about being an action-lead. He still looks very much choreographed on cue and his gun-wielding arms move from one position to the next without much believable aim in them. But his overall performance lends him enough credibility to convince the audience that he's actually making the world a better place while taking orders from The Loom — a weaving contraption which spells out names of targets for The Fraternity.
There's one problem with The Loom. It acts like the crime-prevention machine, but its origin is never explained. It gives the impression that it is randomly inserted to try and give The Fraternity some meaning, instead, it becomes the biggest plot-hole in the movie.
So it's a good thing that Morgan Freeman is there to explain all those fancy nonsense about looms and bending bullets. His voice has that calming effect that will make even the silliest lines sound so convincing that they are taken at face value.
Of all the high-octane action, director Berkmambetov has delivered them with enough detail while keeping the sense of urgency.
The John Woo gun-slinging style and bullets flying in slow-motion all come with dazzling effects; but somehow their believability just doesn't transcend through the screen and nothing about the movie feels original.
In the end this is just another brainless, hedonistic action flick that attempts to introduce its own set of logic and rules. And yet, it fails to be consistent in the very logic and rules that it has created. Because of that, the more you think about the movie after watching it, the more you will realise that it's actually quite bad.
Reviewer's Rating: 4 / 10
The Brunei Times