the Mind’s Chew Toy

Synopsis:

Wes (McAvoy) is just another slacker. But, after his father is murdered, Wes meets Fox (Jolie), who recruits him into the secret society known as The Fraternity, where he learns to unlock his dormant powers to help avenge his father’s murder. While she, and the leader of the group (Freeman), teach him how to develop lightning-fast reflexes and amazing agility, he discovers there is more to his newfound associates than meets the eye. Based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar.

Our Thoughts:

While Day Watch (2007) was a mixmash of good and bad (good being the special effects, bad being the drawn-out buildup of the film), it looks like director Timur Bekmambetov is getting another chance at US success with Wanted.

While his film Night Watch (and it’s sequel Day Watch (2007)) both were translated into English for their debuts in the US, with Wanted he’s going more mainstream, snapping up actors like Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie for the parts.

However, from the trailer, it looks like this is pretty much just another one in a long line of The Matrix (1999) rip-offs. The impressive bullet-swerving gunshot in the trailer, it evokes a rather clear memory of the bullet-dodging sequence in The Matrix (1999). That film exposed a much darker purpose for the “real world” - and then tapped directly into the video game generation by having their characters download moves straight into their brain - and introduced us to an incredibly charismatic character named Morpheus, played to perfection by Laurence Fishburne.

In Wanted, it’s just another “hidden society” within the culture, and it seems that these characters actually have to work to develop their skills. And even then, their skills aren’t quite up to the extent that the The Matrix (1999) folks could do.

Still, despite the somewhat unoriginal feel of the film, having Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie as backup to the main character has never really been a bad thing, has it? That sounds like a potent supporting cast that’s going to allow James McAvoy to get over being Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (2005) and really step into his own.

If the previews are any indication, this should be one fast-paced flick that will appeal to pretty much any action fan…especially those of us who enjoyed The Matrix (1999)…sounds like fun when it hits DVD.