Wanted

There are some movies that you go into knowing they are complete fantasy, versus those films that are grounded in reality. Sure it's unlikely that we'll suddenly enter into an ice age, causing flooding and freezing of the entire northern hemisphere (see The Day After Tomorrow), but these events are explained in a way that makes me think it's at least plausible. Wanted is a film where you go in knowing some ridiculous things are going to happen but there's still going to be a sense of reality. Because of this, I was somewhat put off by certain plot twists at first, insisting to myself that what just happened was completely ridiculous and there was no way to justify what just happened. But once I was able to switch my mind to the mode of fantastical entertainment, I really enjoyed the movie.


Overall I was pretty impressed with director Timur Bekmambetov's take on the story, although I have no basis for comparison of his work as all of his previous films are in Russian. I actually don't mind Angelina Jolie as the stoic assassin who can drive a car with her feet and kicks major ass, including that of Wesley (played by James McAvoy). Also male viewers will appreciate a rear nude shot of the pre-baby bump Jolie. I've mentioned before how much I love James McAvoy's voice and unfortunately that isn't the case for this movie. Although I think he nailed the American accent, his character Wesley is a whiney medicated nerd who is just watching his life go on without him. While I realize that Wesley needs to be an annoying wimp for the story to work, it isn't easy to sit through the first half hour or so of the movie. However, considering how far McAvoy is from the typical action hero, he manages to transform Wesley into the badass super-killer able to work alongside Jolie's Fox.

My chief complaint about this movie: James McAvoy wears too many clothes. In the last 20 minutes or so of the film, McAvoy emerges from the bathtub to show off an almost-action hero physique. He's clearly in shape and could easily kick my ass, but he's not so defined or bulky to completely contradict the meek and geeky persona of his character at the start of the movie. So yeah, I personally think the shirt should have disappeared much sooner.

Recommendation: Entertaining