Wanted: As Good As The Matrix?
This will be the first of many of my film reviews in a short space of time, as I recieved a great many DVDs for Christmas, and bought a few more in the sales!
I was somewhat apprehensive about this film when it came out, but looking back on it I really shouldn’t have been so worried. The reputations coming into this film speak for themselves really.
At the top of the class you have Director Timur Bekmambetov (the man behind ‘Night Watch’ & ‘Day Watch’), Morgan Freeman (who rarely makes a bad film) and Angelina Jolie (who I feel is severely underrated as a leading action star). The one thing that was putting me off was that the lead role went to James McAvoy. I thought that this was just to try and attract a younger female demographic to the film, but actually he played the role perfectly.
Wanted has obviously set itself up to become a franchise, and comparisons must be made to The Matrix as far as the plot goes. Speaking of the plot, yes it has been done 100’s of times before (The Matrix was hardly original), but sometimes the simplest things are the most effective, and sometimes you must also let go of reality to enjoy yourself.
This film has been there and done it plenty of times before but the action and special effects are both top notch, and there are more than enough twists and turns to keep your mind working. What I did find strange is how Wanted was pretty gruesome in places, and fully deserved it’s 18 certificate, which is a rarity for a mainstream film these days.
I don’t really have a bad word to say about this film, but I wouldn’t ever rave about it either. It has similarities to The Matrix, but is never in the same league. The bullet bending thing is just the film’s gimmick in the same way that bullet time was The Matrix’s gimmick. In the same way that the Wachowski Brothers drew inspiration from their favourite films in making The Matrix Trilogy, I am pretty sure that Bekmambetov was inspired by The Matrix when making this film. It’s not that that is a bad thing in anyway!
All in all I would say that Wanted is an above average film, with some nice action, some nice eye candy for both guys and gals and a pretty standard sci-fi/action plot. If you are looking for one of those types of films that does not test the mind, yet keeps you entertained then give this a go. I know that quite a few people now have it in for Mrs Brad Pitt, but she really does the business in this, she can hold her own in any action film, and I have yet to see a better all round performance by any other leading lady of Hollywood (plus she looks cracking in this film – lots of tattoos and holding a gun since the good old days of Lara Croft)
For me I would defo want to watch this again some time, and I will give it a solid 7.5/10, and will look forward to any news of a sequel!
