Thanks for checking out our Wanted review. Unfortunately we don’t have a video version of the Wanted review, but we will discuss it in an upcoming podcast. For now, here’s our written review.
From the first moment that I heard about this flick I was interested… and then after I saw the first trailer a few months back I was completely stoked for it. Not many people have been giving Wanted much love, but I said that it, along with the Hulk (which most people were also saying was going to totally suck) would be the 2 surprise films of the summer (in the sense of quality, not box office… because let’s face it, no matter how good Wanted turns out, it’s going to get totally bitch slapped around at the box office by that little Pixar robot Wall-e). Well, the Hulk did indeed end up surprising a lot of people and turned out to be a pretty good flick. So did Wanted also live up to that? HELL YES!!!!!
THE GENERAL IDEA
The synopsis for Wanted looks something like this: “Based upon Mark Millar’s explosive graphic novel series and helmed by stunning visualist director Timur Bekmambetov — creator of the most successful Russian film franchise in history, the ‘Night Watch’ series — ‘Wanted’ tells the tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, the world will be introduced to a hero for a new generation: Wesley Gibson.
25-year-old Wes (James McAvoy) was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut. Until he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie). After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad’s death by unlocking his dormant powers. As she teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes discovers this team lives by an ancient, unbreakable code”
THE GOOD
First and foremost is the performance of James McAvoy was just fantastic. His character, Wesley, goes through a major transformation… a cheesy one… and yet McAvoy pulls it off in such a way that it not only DOESN’T come off as cheesy, but hilarious and believable at the same time. Going into the movie I thought one of the elements I was going to have a hard time with was buying McAvoy as an action star… well screw that because he pulls it off with no problems whatsoever. Jolie may get all the sexy shots in the trailers, but make no mistake about it, James McAvoy carries this film.
The underlying mythology of the movie regarding the history of this secret society of assassins called “The Fraternity” and how they get their instructions for who to kill was awesome. **MINOR SPOILER** you learn in the film that the ancient order of assassins was first formed by a group of weavers 1000 years ago. These weavers actually learned how to interpret secret messages from “fate” in the threads of fabric. The threads spell out who the Fraternity must kill in order to make the world a safer place. It sounds silly on the surface… but trust me, it totally works **END OF MINOR SPOILER**
This movie promises action in the marketing… and it delivers! There’s not just a lot of action… the action in the film is all top notch. The set pieces are carried out on a grand scale (wait till you see the train scene), the gun fights are cheer worthy and throughout the movie there a little “moments” of action. You know what I mean… not full out action scenes, but regular scenes with an element of action thrown in. It was all great, I loved it.
The visual effects were surprisingly good and always seemed to fit right in with what was going on. There were one or two spots where I thought to myself “THAT was clearly fake”, but other than that, it seemed to work.
Oh, and as a side note, I also laughed a lot in the movie. There are at least 6 or 7 moments in the movie that I laughed out loud.
The story in the movie is a solid one too. With a summer brainless action flick I sort of expected it to be… well… brainless. However, the plot is great… a compelling antagonist… a good little twist or two… it all just comes together well.
THE BAD
Ok, I’ll say this much. Some of the action sequences are so over the top that once or twice in the movie it pulls you out of the film. That’s about all I can come up with.
OVERALL
I just frigging LOVED this movie… much more than I was expecting. The action is terrific, McAvoy carries the film, Angelina Jolie is hot, seductive and pure deadly, it’s funny, great mythology and a good solid plot to boot. Aside from Iron Man this may be my favorite film of the summer so far. Overall I give Wanted a 9 out of 10
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ok, wanted was hot. i agree it ranks in the 9/10 category. the action was great and may i add the unexpected ending was pleasing. its not all the time that you find a non predictable action movie or in general. it was so twisted. angelina jolie made all that ish look so hot! its a 5 star movie and if you’re looking for something with an addrenolyn rush, check out Wanted!!
MasterMovieWatcher said,
in December 3rd, 2008 at 2:13 am
I wanted to kill myself the minute the movie began to play. Morgan freeman has really lowered his standards for this movie. Does he want his career to end up in the garbage? Angelina Jolie has proved to me again that she was born in a dumpster. If she made the movie any better it would have been named Shoot’em-up! When brad pit saw the screening of this movie he wished one of the bullets would fly off screen and into his own head. My favorite part of the movie was swatch watches attached to thousands of rats making them explode everywhere, the only thing that could top this brilliant idea, would be lying in a bath of wax or getting orders to kill people from cloth! If you want to punish yourself for two hours of you life, Enjoy!
Hey JackMontana,
2 or your 3 points are wrong:
1) He didn’t cause the death of all those people on the train. Jolie did by driving her car into the side of the train.
2) The “Slow guy” wasn’t trying to kill him. He was working with his real father trying to make contact with him away from the other members of the Fraternity.
Fantastic movie!
you must be absolutely kidding!! This movie had so many glaring holes you could drive a fleet of trucks through them. For one, how are we supposed to feel empathy for a guy that caused the death of an entire train load of commuters. Second- how does Jolie manage to throw a gun to Wes in the time it takes a bullet to make a full circle and hit her in the head, when the velocity of that bullet would have been around 1040 to 1500 feet per second.
Third- Why was it revealed that the slow guy who healed him each time was trying to kill him just before he got shot. Weren’t they trying to get our hero to kill his father. Just a complete lack of thought when it came to plot consistencies. Crap crap crap!!
(I loved Russian actor!
I )
Nothing to add. Great review. I’m totally with your 9/10 :)
I’m surprised people don’t like it?! I loved it!
This movie had me on the edge of my seat (I couldn’t wait to leave). Didn’t care about any of the characters, when Jolie shot herself it was just a meh moment for me. I fuckin hate slow mo in action scenes, happens every 2 minutes in this film, Jolie looked as though she was on the same diet as the country she picks he kids up from. Freeman was wasted “The Loom of Fate”, he must of choked saying that shit.
They take assassination orders from bad stitching. Enough said.
I wasn’t keen to see it, but my girlfriend loves Jolie so along I went. The movie met my expectations.
1/10
I had to skip over most of the other comments. I really can’t believe what sheep most guys have become when it comes to action flick. This movie was of crap. Go to your local comic shop read the graphic novel and then see if you still like the movie.
I want John Campea to refund my ticket to this crap. I just went to see this after seeing his revue and usually John C does a good job at this but this time …. I can not believe.what I saw. The only way you can appreciate the movie is if you have not read the comic first. The russian guy who shot the movie saves the day with his actions sequences but the plot didn’t move and the dialogues … my god .. they are horrible. Anyway next time I’ll read al the comment before hitting the theater.
Ok first of all, fuck everyone who gave this movie a good rating.I’ll give it to them it was an awe right action flick, but in no way did it live up to the graphic novel. where was the shit monster?
Best movie of the summer? LOL. No.
This movie was a joke, it was a cheesy homage to much better films that came before it. The plot was so tedius and the special effects were so overdone, what’s so enjoyable about a film that focusses on slow-mo bullet scenes every 5 minutes?
How John enjoyed this more than TDK I will never understand.
You could only enjoy Wanted if you left your brain at the door, it’s a passable popcorn flick but nothing of any real substance.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, though I did find it had an aweful lot of film cliches. I think I would give it 7 or 8.
best movie of the summer
I literally just saw it, and it was fantastic, Jolie played an amazing and sad ending, McAvoy really carried the film and you were able to see how he had grown into who he really wanted to be throughout the whole movie. Excellent, movie of the summer. :] x
Wow! Wow! Wow! Sure this movie was ridiculous, but boy was it fun! The trailer was great, but this was a rare instance where the film had more to offer than was just in the trailer!
To check out the trailer before seeing the film look here
http://www.zuguide.com/entity.php?ref=14140
Make sure to take a look around!
I disagree with most of this review. Not sure how the story is in the comic (because I’ve never read it), but I’d be willing to bet it would transfer better on paper than it does on film. Not saying that your review is wrong, I’m only speaking for my personal opinion. I thought McAvoy was a weak protagonist and the reasoning for the existence of the Fraternity was even weaker. I admit, the movie did have its funny parts. But as a whole, it failed to deliver. Overall, I should have waited for dvd or even better, HBO HD. Iron Man and the Hulk was way better than this. I’d give Wanted a 6.5/10. You really gave Wanted a higher rating than The Dark Knight?
I’m awaiting to read your review of The Dark Knight after I see it this week. Something tells me I’m not going to fully agree with that one either.
I thought it was good but not great. The action kept killing my suspension of disbelief. I really tried to get back in but I could not. It felt kind of like The Matrix and Fight Club had a baby with Daywatch. This is not really a bad thing it just could have been a lot better. I would give it a 7.5 out of 10.
Another film that failed to deliver for me, now don’t get me wrong but after the rave reviews & huge ‘big up’ I was expecting a classic !!! What I got was a quite enjoyable entertaining film, it did labour in parts but in the main it did pass ( but only just ) as an all action shoot em’ up… Morgan Freeman & Angelina both played solid roles but the James McAvoy main character – geek / assassain just didn’t really cut it. Maybe I’m being a little hyper critical but I was left with just a tinge of disappointment after almost 2 hours of this movie – its good but don’t expect miracles …..
This guy PHIL above seems to HATE LIFE IN GENERAL….he starts off by dissing the movie, and than he goes into how thin and ugly Angelina became….and he also said he had good taste in movies, well if he really does than he wouldnt comment on the way the actors look in the movie.
I wonna scream “DUDE RELAX!!!”…he goes on about how it was all unrealistic Bull^^^t…well than the Incredible Hulk should be rated even lower, because the Hulk looked like a rubber computerized doll….lol (the movie is good – dont get me wrong)…
As for Wanted, I believe it was the movie it was supposed to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Something which takes you away from your daily life entirely, something which doesnt make you think about the real life problems….
At the end I came out of the cinema feeling energetic and excited. I think the director did everything he could to make this type of movie a thrilling watch, and he succeeded…. 8/10
and please Phil dont take things this serioulsy, if you were a movie critic people would hate you….dont criticize, JUST ENJOY, thats what these movies are for….
Oh and what KILLS me is when people commenting on how sad that a nerd turns all cool…well then what about Spiderman (same thing)….i mean Tobey Maguire didnt look like an action star to me, yet Spiderman was great and that was the best part about it….and dont most comic books emphasize on the point that any ordenary person can turn out to be a superhero?…and getting someone like Vin Diesel for the lead in Wanted would have been way too cheesy and typical….
This one person (somewhere above) said that it was a “shameless promotion of the idea that you can kill people to gain power and to become cool”….that wasn’t the moral behind the movie, thats just the way this JOANNA has inturpretted the movie….its just a story about a man who found out that his father was an assasin, and he didnt really have a choice other than to go through with this, otherwise he’d be dead in the first scene…and if JOANNA still thinks that was the delivered message than dont complain about the movie, complain about the comic book (because thats what its based on)…The idea behind it was that anyone can turn their life around if the surcumstances ask for it…..
And seriously people stop being mean, first go look up the meaning of ACTION FILM and than discuss it….
Well some reviews say its HORRIBLE and some scream FANTASTIC!! Its a love-it or hate-it movie. But than again those people who say the movie is crap probably dont understand the meaning of ‘ACTION FILM’…there isnt supposed to be a deep character development (non of that Oscar quality acting), and the story line isnt the most important thing either (after all most action films are about the same thing; two parties have different beliefs and one tries to terminate the other)…..so those people who say it isnt deep enough were probably just in the wrong cinema (should have picked something like the Green Mile)…
And I do agree that no action film can be over the top. Plus its based on a comic book, so the audience should expect some physiclly impossible tricks (like jumping from one building to the other)….
What is important in this type of genre is the way scenes were staged and directed, and of course the visual effects (which were excellent)…
I do believe the Timur Bekmambetov did an outstanding job on this film, he managed to keep the story line yet bring in something of his own vision. I loved the slow motion on the bullets it really shows the proccess of a kill (not the usual: FIRE GUN = DROP DEAD INSTANTLY!!)
I also loved the Russian actor in the movie, he brought a fresh spark into the movie.
GREAT JOB EVERYONE!!!
for an ACTION movie I’d rate it 9/10….
Gaaaah pls edit for spoilers! dammit was reading through comments and hit some spoilers. Its only released here on Friday but am super amped to see it.
I went into this not expecting to like it… I went away loving it. Aside from the train sequence, and one spot towards the end I thought it was great.
I was not feeling this film could have been allot better, this film had a really cool trailer but would have been great if it could decide what is was about. I didnt like its approach to violence as a shock gimmick. I think if the film were made in Asia it would have been very different. I think Takashi Miike or John Woo would have done a better job directing. I loved the tantilizing shot of Angelina Jole’s assets but her role on the film was criminally underused much better than Hancock but no where near as engaging as Wall-E
Throughout the whole film I found the storyline very familiar.
I have but one statement about this film:
“I liked it better the first time when it was called Star Wars”
Although a completely different genre, the story had the same flavour, but didn’t taste as well
I am going to see this movie tommorow afternoon and have heard good things about it so hears hoping it doesn’t disappoint. I mean I’m pumped for The Dark Knight and will be seeing that opening night and John gave Wanted an even higher rating than that so I shall see in a few short hours.
So this movie was fantastic… I had seen trailers but only in passing. A movie I wanted to see but became aggitated with E! because when they would talk about it they would say starring Angelina Jolie and McAvoy, never Morgan Freeman. And after seeing the movie, he does deserve a starring role title. Anyhoo, fantastic movie. Definitely believable. I loved the turns in the movie that was not shocking because a lot of Morgan Freeman’s movies do that for you. But yeah, great plot, everyone played the crap out of their parts! Even the boss! lol… My favorite line…. Morgan Freeman “… This Motherfu@$^r! Classic…
That movie was so hott!!
OmG lol it had all the right stuff, action packed from the first 5min. to the last second of the movie.This movie is crazy, lol.All the actors and actresses were on the ball it is the best movie that I’ve seen this year so far. This beats spiderman 3 and my favorite the SAW series.
10/10 go see it
Are you kidding? There were so many things wrong with this movie I don’t even know where to start.
Nerdy guy in a cubicle turns cool because he kills people for no given reason? There’s literally no plot except for “if you kill people, you will have a purpose in life.” Clearly, the movie was not intended to inspire people to greatness (at least, I hope not), but the shameless (and inaccurate) promotion of the idea that you can gain power through gratuitous violence was ridiculous. The first thing I heard when I got out of the theater was a 17 year old girl on her cell phone saying, “Oh my god, it was so cool. It made you want to go out and kill a bunch of people.”
Is this the kind of entertainment we ask for? Apparently, given the positive review of this crappy film. The film might have had special effects bells and whistles, but even those didn’t really cut it.
Don’t waste your time on this movie. Morgan Freeman, what were you thinking?
Oh my gosh, I completely agree with the statement about McAvoy’s performance. I was really surprised as to how relatable his character turned out to be. And not just the telling off the boss, beating up the crappy best friend stuff either – even when he was kicking butt I was like “this guy could be my neighbor.”
The stunts were awesome. And I hadn’t thought about the little mini-action scenes in that way, but you’re definitely right – full of action but sometimes in a subtle way too.
(Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so)
i really enjoy’d wathcing that movie, it kept me at the edge of my seat & i really loved all of the action that took part in the movie.
if i were 2 rate this movie from 1-10, i would give it a 10!!!
Remember ‘The Matrix’?
Picture Neo… but with Tyler Durden’s angst and daddy issues.
Imagine Trinity with tattoos and leather-couch-like lips.
Imagine Morpheus as a moralizing, backstabbing asshole.
Oh, and instead of the Nebakanezer, imagine a textile factory.
Instead of the Oracle, imagine a magical loom.
Oh, and replace all the interesting secondary characters, like Mouse, Switch, Tank and Apoc with bland, stereotypical thugs.
Throw in a let’s-pretend-we-didn’t-see-that-coming M. Night ShamHammeresque “twist”, some Michael Bay quick-cut action sequences, and give it all a quick shake.
(Type your comment here. Make sure you’ve read the commenting rules before doing so)This movie was absolutely fantastic. It was action packed right from the get-go. McAvoy was perfect for the part. Jolie was her beautiful self. However, I agree, McAvoy totally carries this movie. I’d go see it again!!
I just saw this movie 7.2.08 and really hated it. This was so preposterous! For a bunch of secret assassins they sure make a ton of noise! Jeeez it’s like the whole city knows they exists!
And the plot twist was from a amateur screenplay! Figured everything out before the ending so it the whole movie was joykill!
Freeman looked like he was sleep walking and Mcavoy, who I generally like, is no action star…Jolie who is hot had the only sympathetic scene in the whole movie in the end when she killed everyone else and herself. Her scene touched me for one sec and then it was back to this incredibly juvenile movie.
A 9 out of 10?????? I know everyone is entitled to their opinions and all movies are subjective but a nine out of ten???????
More like a 2 out of 10!
Eh I was not a fan of this movie. I give it a 2.5/5 leave it at that since the minorities who did not like this movie give there reasons get pounced.
Eh…
Good ideas, but not that well done:
-I liked the mythology, but it was poorly conveyed.
-OK acting, but too many bad lines.
-Was it just me? Or lots of the dreaded “shaky cam”…
-Curvy bullet used WAAY to much.
-Rats? Come on… if this is in the comic, I apologize. (I didn’t read)
I did like some of the action sequences. And there was a good amount of comic relief. Overall entertaining.
I would go with a 6 out of 10.
Wanted was everything I wanted to see in an action film. can’t wait to see the sequel!
Saw Wanted last night. Loved it. 8/10.
I saw this and also give it 9/10, I don’t know WTF’s wrong with bitchy crybabies questioning John’s score. I also immensley enjoyed the movie. The rating is subjective to a person’s experience of enjoyment …so back off.
This movie gave me orgasmic pleasure, screw all the moralistic hobos, as this movie is steeped in deep geek culture. This is the bread and butter of all hyper-kentic, viscerally charged action oriented mayhem.
There is some meaning in the underlying frenzy that WANTED delivers….and some don’t see it.
If people are mad because this movie was unrealistic, then they should know that it’s a movie first off, and second an ACTION movie. The matrix was not realistic either nor is any other film that delves into science fiction and futuristic themes. However the film was enjoyable, and the violence maybe overdone a little bit but very intriguing. When movies are 2+ hours long I find myself bored or in some instances, checking my phone, etc, this movie kept me from doing any of that and did not seem like 2+ hours long.
The comedic relief is also something to look forward to. James McAvoy comes off as funny and a believable character. In fact, most of the times I laughed were when he was involved in the film. Of course Angelina is a major attraction if not the most vital one to this film. Although she usually plays these types of characters she did a solid job with fox, mothing more, nothing less than expected.
Overall the film is very entertaining and get’s your adreneline rushing, and although not oscar material (clearly), it is a blockbuster film which you should not try to “figure out” or take too seriously the reality of, but merely enjoy the action sequences, the dialogue, and the actors.
I thought this movie was really good. I guess I didnt have high expectations tho so I was happily surprised. I really enjoy James McAvoy and I thought A.J. was hot. I know what its like to go to a movie with high expectations and be disappointed…but for me, this movie was not that case.
I do think wanted was a TAD overrated in Jon’s eyes (just a tad, feel it deserved an 8), but you Phil have bad taste if you honestly think MKA is better than wanted. This isn’t a movie meant to be taken as seriously as you taken it, and if you remember, this was based on a comic, so it’s meant to be way out there. But yeah, I bet you would have preferred the league of supervillains that the comics went after rather than the league of assassins.
Anyway, the movies was fairly good. Acting was pretty solid, the story (despite being a little bit out there) wasn’t a weak, repetitive, cliched POS that lacked themes and meanings, and the action made me smile the whole way through. I will admit the humor wasn’t laugh at loud, but it still kept me laughing, and sadly, moreso than most comedies that came out lately (yes… I laughed more in this than Love Guru and Zohan combined… that is sad).
It’s not the greatest film out there, but it’s no doubt one of the most entertaining.
Seriously? A 9 out of 10?
I come to this site because I enjoy the frequent updates and usually I rate films about what you rate them. (or at least in the past) But for someone to see this horrid train wreck of a film and actually rate it a 9 out of 10 is is F*ing ridiculous!! There isn’t one enduring thing in this movie, I doubt the average moviegoing community would like this type of film.
First off the story is horrible. The screenplay was lifeless and boring. At no point did I feel drawn to any of the characters or the plot at hand. And seriously, this guy gets recruited by “The Fraternity” and after about a 10-15 minute montage I’m supposed to believe that he has gone through this intense journey to being as skilled as he is. Absolute BS!! And the plot twist (if you call it that) at the end, any average moviegoer could have predicted that 5 minutes in to the movie-Seriously!! Maybe I watch too many movies or maybe the average movie going community has the intellect of a 5th grader. That’s about what it would take to enjoy this movie.
2nd-The Action. Really this was the only thing from the trailer that made me think to see it and I thought it might suprise me. Nope!! If you saw this movie in the same theater as me you probably could hear me yelling: Bulls*#^ after each action sequence. I don’t care that the action was supposed to be over the top and beyond human reasoning, it was plain stupid. Just from the opening sequence I dreaded I was in for the long haul and I was right. I don’t care that its a fictional story, if its set in a real world setting no way am I going to believe that a bullet can be curved. No way will I believe that the human body can speed up to 400 beats per minute, its asking too much of the audience. I’m sorry I don’t buy that stuff. And I’m not really a skeptic-I actually really enjoy fantasy and fiction related movies but this is beyond awful. Especially the scene towards the end were the bullet does a complete 360 around the room. I mean, weren’t we tortured enough with the action from the charlies angels movies? This had some of the worst CG scenes I’ve seen from an action film in recent times!! (namely the Viper flipping over 3 cop cars and driving off a bus) And I bet everyone that enjoyed the film probably thought that last scene where Wesley shoots up the place was the neatest thing you ever saw. Well actually I saw almost the exact scene 7 years ago in the 2001 Christian Bale film “Equilibrium”. The wanted scene was almost point for point a copy of the last scene in Equilibrium with minor tweaks and different setting. And I still thought the Equilibrium scene was 10 times better!
3rd-The acting. I thought was probually the worst I’ve seen from some of these actors. Mcavoy wasn’t really inspiring (but thats because the script was weak). I don’t know why Freeman was in this movie because he added nothing. And Jolie? That’s all I will say to that.
Anyway this was a horrible, horrible, horrible movie. I’m unfamiliar with the source material for witch the film is based, but frankly after seeing the movie I don’t really care. After scrolling through almost all posts to see everyone rating it so high really bugs me. Maybe the majority of you are fans or maybe I’m the only guy who didn’t know what he was getting himself into when I saw it, but either way I would’ve hated it. So maybe to give a second opinion I present my review. I would like to think that I have good taste in movies, and to even hear people rate this up with films like Iron man, Batman is aphaling. And I always thought Angelina Jolie to be attractive but in this movie she was down right scary looking!! What is she these days-like 85 lbs.? And I also didn’t laugh once at the humor (if you call it that) in this movie. Maybe I’m on a different wavelength but thats not humor I find funny. Anyway I think I’m done ranting now. I hope this review helps for those who are skeptical and might not know what to expect.
I don’t think I’ve felt as pissed off leaving the theater in a while. (except for maybe Cloverfield) But then again people that like this movie are likely the same type that enjoyed a movie like Cloverfiled. Which in my opinion is one of the worst and most over-hyped films I have seen and I’ve seen some bad movies!! I have a hard time giving this movie a 1 out of 10, but since you can’t really give it any lower I give it a 1 out 10.
Now I’m gonna go watch Mortal Kombat: Annihilation to get this horrible movie out of my mind. A movie that could win an academy award next to Wanted!!
The best part was definitely when he hit the guy with the keyboard. As silly and juvenile as the moment is, I still couldn’t help but feel orgasmic joy at reading those letters in the air. Brilliant.
I feel upset at the change in the plot from the comic, but the movie is still solid.
Boooooooooo on The movie Blog.
Booooo
Went to see Wanted b/c of McAvoy. Seeing blood and gore on the big screen makes me nauseous. Must say there’s a nice twist to the plot – I didn’t see it coming.
The slow motion & heart beat sound effect are way overused especially the heart beat. I don’t exactly remember how many scenes has that sound but enough to get on my nerve.
The coolest action sequence was when Wesley jumped through the glass window and shooting at everyone – slow motion was put to good use in this scene.
Morgan Free character was serious throughout the movie so it was a nice little touch on the last scene when he realizes he’s the target and said … Quite a funny scene.
Aaarggh!! I am Russian & I don’t know ANYONE who liked the Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) movies- they were absolute @ss!!
Since you say that it’s a good movie, I’ll suck up the fact that it’s directed by a man I hate almost as much as Joel Schumacher (Batman & Robin- I will curse his name with my dying breath. I mean Bat-Skates? Come on!!!!), and go watch it.
Hope it’ll be worth it. PS Dark Knight has to be AWESOME. If it’s not I shall lose all purpose of being.
Also:
Great review, by the way. Just stumbled across this site through Rotten Tomatoes and I like your review style. Keep up the good work.
Our taste in what is “Good Cinema” must differ. I say this because, while I have NO doubts that ‘Wanted’ will be a rocking summer-movie thrill ride, I find it very hard to believe that it will be a better overall film than ‘The Dark Knight’.
Also, I find it strange that you gushed so freely about ‘The Dark Knight’, even going so far as to say that minus the last thirty minutes or so, it was one of the best movies you’ve seen in the last three or four years….yet you gave ‘Wanted’ a higher rating. That just struck me as somewhat odd.
I Like That ……..
I Like SHE
and john with the hulk it wasn’t so much that people thought it was going to suck it was more just a general lack of interest. people just didn’t care enough to think it was going to either suck or be great
@Cole
soooo its o.k. for men to do that in 99% of all action movies ever made but as soon as a woman does it she’s a feminazi???
sounds like someone has issues……
has anyone else read the graphic novel??
I have and they seemed to have changed the whole premise of the story. Its actually kinda of upsetting.
I am the only one who feels this way?
hi,
Great movie with spectacular effects…………………..awesome will love to see its a sequel.
Regards
Amit
http://hollywoodbollywoodmoviesnewsreviews.blogspot.com/
This movie will have some good legs at boxoffice. Will end up making 120-130 million domestically on a 70 million budget.
I’m so glad you liked this movie. I can’t wait! I am excited for Wall-E too, but I won’t go the first weekend when it’s kid city.
James McAvoy was on the The Daily Show last night, and was very charming indeed. I hope that gets people to want to see it. They also showed a really good clip and Jon Stewart was very enthusiastic about the film.
Yup, I can agree. This was one of the top 3 movies released in 2008 I’ve seen so far.
I’ve been apprehensive about this movie and really only motivated because of the cast and it looked like it had some good action sequences. Now the reviews are coming in and they’re mostly positive I’m feeling good about plunking my money down.
Great to hear this! I am excited for this movie even more so!
I totally agree with you John. I saw a screening of the movie last week and i loved it. It was definitely more enjoyable than The Hulk. The pace of the movie was amazing. It comes right out of the gate quickly and pretty much doesn’t stop until the last scene. Everyone that is suspect of John’s 9/10 is gonna realize that he is spot on when they see this movie.
I glad you enjoyed it John and I really *wanted* (pun intended) to like this as well.
Can’t wait to see this….
i must say after reading the spoiler bit, that it sounds like they ripped off the video game Loom a little bit. But im ok with it because Loom was an awesome game and more movies should include weavers.
Yeah, I want to know what Doug thinks. Campea giving this a 9 of 10 sounds a little suspect.
Not yet Grave.
I was at a metal festival this weekend!
That’s a pretty high rating.
Did Doug see the movie yet? I like to know his side of what he thought of the film.
What is the ratio of scenes where “Angie has a stick up her ass, stares down the camera and emasculates all the surrounding men” vs “actual movie”? In the past it’s been about 80-20 so hopefully this one actually has her as part of a team rather than a solo feminazi. again.
Yeah, I liked the movie too. I felt bad because someone had already ruined the plot twists for me so I knew what was going to happen (I hate that), but I still enjoyed watching the movie and seeing everything play out.
I just read the graphic novel. I didn’t like it at all. And reading the synopsis I know that the GN’s plot has nothing to do with the movie, besides the similarity of the names…
Make the world a better place? Come on..
I don’t see the appeal to this. Curving bullets = stupid, Angelina Jolie is obnoxious, and the story seems ridiculous. “You are a lame everyday man, but for some reason you’re destined to join our *** assassin team.”
I don’t watch any of those spoof films, but if one of them spoofed that scene where the bullet curves around Jolie’s head and actually hit her straight in the temple, I’d laugh so hard.
*Cuts hole in Popcorn bottom and explodes with excitement
apparently i have to go see this….i am still apprehensive though.
i guess i’ll get a chance to form my own opinion shortly.
Wanted picked a really stupid opening weekend, just as Wall*E is opening. A lot of people are going to see that instead of Wanted I think.
The comic was an absolute turd fest so I’m hoping the film is semi-enjoyable.
the difference with “Shoot Em Up” is that the action was supposed to be “Over the Top”. That was the hook.
To me, as long as you know it’s supposed to be over the top, then it’s all good. The movies that fail, to me, are when everything seems real world and then there’s that once or twice when reality is thrown out the window for a cool moment.
Oh, and for the record, Shoot ‘Em Up completely ROCKED!!!
Nice review, John. I was already stoked to see this movie, but the fact you gave it a 9 out of 10 has me shaking with anticipation! I can’t wait!
Johnson, this could be bad for 790,
Go WALL-E !!!!!
do you know what surprises me?
Hancock looks like it has terrible sfx shots, but Wanted looks far more convincing even though it’s more over-the-top looking.
I just love the bullet cam shots (that’s frikking intense!).
I’ve never gotten used to the 10.0 rating scale. It just annoys the hell out of me. I do love the four star scale =)
I hope it’s good, Wanted really looks like a fun movie.
This sounds like a fun, midnight premiere movie. I’m thinking of seeing it Thursday @ Midnight, but I might just see it the same day as Wall-E during the weekend.
Do you think it would be a kick-ass midnight movie?
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i will be seeing this on friday, very excited.
but FIRST, i will be checking out Wall*E thursday at midnight! when are we gonna start seeing reviews for that!
I really liked Shoot em Up
-Chris (The Real One)
“in my mind NO action scene can be too over the top”
Have you seen Shoot Em’ Up?
That movie should have been titled “Over the Top”
surprise!! i didnt think it would be rated this high…..the story in the comic fits into comic mythology and would be hard (tho awesome)..this seems like a decent trade off…..decent…
but ive been waiting for a good pure action flick….and john in my mind NO action scene can be too over the top…lol…good review
9/10? Wow that a very good rating for a movie like this.
I cant wait to see it this weekend.
Thanks for the raiting John.
I just think that it is absolutely idiotic that the whole movie is based on killing this unreal assasin who has ‘never missed’. I like the whole movie besides this part. If this guy that the main character is trying to kill has never missed than how does he miss him in the grocery store? And how does he miss him in the back alley? That is so dumb to me. Like i said I like the rest of the movie but those two parts legit almost ruin it for me.