Wanted

I gotta be honest with you, I’ve been waiting for the release of Wanted ever since its first trailer entered theaters sometime in the late fall of 2007.  After seeing it, the movie did not disappoint.  Based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, Wanted tells the story of Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), the quintessential nobody, (quite literally).  He tries googling his name in the beginning of the film and it registers no hits.  Gibson is working a dead end job under a boss who berates and belittles him, working right beside his best friend, who is, by the way, having sex with Gibson’s wife.

The monotony that is Gibson’s life changes when, one night, after filling his prescription for his heart medication, he runs into Fox (Angelina Jolie), an assassin who saves Gibson’s life via a heart pounding car chase that accelerates the plot with a bang.  Fox takes Gibson to a warehouse on the other side of town, where he is introduced to Sloan (Morgan Freeman), the leader of the “Fraternity of Assassins.”  Once there, Gibson is trained to be a killing machine, to feel no pain, and to complete the only objective he has; to kill the man that killed his father.  As the plot unfolds, a relationship between Fox and Gibson develops, and Gibson, for the first time in his life, feels like he is doing something that has meaning.  Moviegoer beware, however, a huge plot twist changes the perception of the entire film, making it totally worth the full price of admission.  My review is below, here are some screen shots from the film:

James McAvoy in Wanted

Angelina Jolie in Wanted

Morgan Freeman in Wanted

Angelina Jolie in Wanted

The Theatrical One-Sheet for Wanted

I have to say that the special effects that I saw in this film blew me away.  Some of the assassinations that they pulled off were absolutely incredible.  At one point, Gibson shoots a guy through a limousine sunroof by flipping his car over top of the limo and shooting the victim while the car did a barrel roll.  By far this movie is the best I’ve seen this summer, and it is definitely up for my award for Best Movie of the Summer.  It could also nab my Best Special Effects award as well.  Overall I give the film 4.5 out of 5 stars.  Basically the only area where I thought the film lacked was in its music.  During the car chase scene at the beginning, I was expecting more of a harsh guitar/Ironman-ish kind of sound.  Instead, it sounded like a bugs bunny cartoon to me.  Oh well, basically a great film, and definitely a summer must-see.